3 Unusual Tips To Make Every Day A Good Day
Updated: May 20
“When you’re stuck in a rut, every step feels like you’re walking in quicksand.”
I’ve been in a negative rut lately.
Work has been busy.
My grandfather passed away.
I haven’t exercised or eaten well.
I’ve been feeling discouraged about where I am in life.
My partner moved in with me. So, it’s been stressful not having as much alone time as I’m used to.
I’ve been on the go every single day. And for an introvert, that’s overwhelming because we need time to sit, reflect, and process our thinking and emotions. Otherwise, we burn out fast.
Here’s how I’ve been trying to get myself out of this negative rut to have a good day (almost) every day.
We all know the obvious ones of taking care of yourself like:
Exercising
Journalling
Getting sunlight
Going for a walk
Staying hydrated
Eating healthy, whole-foods
& other self-care and self-love activities
So, I won’t talk about those today.
Instead, I want to talk about 3 tips I’ve incorporated into my daily life to help me have a better day - And how they can help you, too.
This mental shift changed the way I approached people.
Lately, I’ve had so many judgemental thoughts at work like:
My co-teacher doesn’t even teach. She only lets the kids watch YouTube videos.
My co-teacher and TA are always gossiping while I’m teaching.
My supervisor makes her problems, my problems.
So much criticism. Anger. Negativity.
And you know what I realized?
These thoughts weren’t serving me.
They weren’t making me a better person.
Instead, they were isolating me and making me feel more alone than ever.
I knew this wasn’t how I wanted to live and I needed to do something before I get consumed by all this judgment and anger.
Luckily, after realizing this, I stumbled upon an idea by Brené Brown in her Rising Strong book.
It wrote:
“I can’t say for certain if everyone is doing their best, but I have to believe it. Because when I believe it, then my life is better for it. I’m less judgemental. And I can approach and look at people with more compassion.”
Now, whenever I start to feel judgemental and angry, I remind myself, Everyone is doing their best.
And I’ve noticed that doing this has helped to dissipate my judgement and anger.
This is how I’ve begun to approach people with more compassion and less judgment.
The happiest and most compassionate people do this.
Here’s the thing.
I’ve been a people-pleaser my entire life.
And you know how that went for me?
A whole lot of resentment.
Let’s take the latest example.
After my grandfather passed away, I requested to take bereavement leave for 6 days to prepare for and attend his funeral.
But my supervisor tried to negotiate with me to take 3 days off instead.
Initially, I felt angry. I thought, But it’s my right to have those days off. It’s my family’s period of grieving.
Then, I felt guilty. I thought, You’re putting the school, your supervisor and your colleagues in a bad position if you take off those days.
This was my people-pleasing tendency acting up. I was, once again, putting others’ needs before my own.
But lately, I learned that wholehearted people…
The people who are the happiest and most compassionate…
Are also the best at setting boundaries.
They clearly and effectively communicate (and don’t compromise) what they want and don’t want.
I knew if I decided only to take 3 days off as my supervisor asked, I would resent my supervisor and workplace. I would feel angry going to work.
So, remembering what I learned, I expressed my apologies and told my supervisor I needed the time off.
Now, here’s my point.
If you want to have a good day and be happy, express what you want and don’t want.
And most importantly, honour yourself by staying true to those feelings.
Tell this to yourself right when you wake up.
Every morning when I wake up, I tell myself, Today is going to be a good day.
I’ve heard this before in many morning motivational videos.
But I was reminded of it again in a recent podcast that I listened to with Jay Shetty and Dr. Daniel Amen.
In a nutshell, what you tell yourself matters.
If the first thought that you have when you wake up is, I feel tired… Then, you’re going to feel tired.
But if you tell yourself, Today is going to be a great day, you’ll actively seek ways to make the day great.
This is why I now have a Post-it note taped to my mirror that says, Today is going to be a great day.
So, when I leave for work, this mantra is at the fore of my mind.
Wrapping Things Up
Here are 3 (maybe not-so-obvious or regularly talked about) tips that I’ve incorporated into my daily life to help me have a better day - And how they can help you, too.
Remind yourself that everyone is doing their best.
Communicate and don’t compromise on what you want and don’t want.
Tell yourself, Today is going to be a good day, right when you wake up.
Lastly, thanks for reading.
Let’s connect on my website, LinkedIn, or Twitter. 🪷