Had a bad day? What to do when it feels like everything’s going wrong

(2-minute read time)

When’s the last time you were infuriated?  I mean the kinda PO’d where you might just bite your tongue off if you tried to bite it at all…  

Often this happens when life is already feeling busy, stressful, overwhelming.  Then something happens and it’s like a rotten cherry atop a crapola sundae.  

Like the day we had a huge project going on at work, I was running late, and I also had to pick up a friend before heading into the office.  In my hurry to pick her up I left my wallet at home.  I also failed to notice other important details – like how fast I was driving and that there was a police officer who was very much in tune with how fast people were driving.  

That day I ended up getting in to work later than late due to spending extra time waiting for the officer to write me not 1, but 2 tickets –  one for speeding and another for not having my license with me. 

Once I was finally at the office, the project we were working on went off the rails and we had to navigate some significant challenges and setbacks. 

To top it off, when I got home that day and shared what happened with the officer that morning, the response I got was “Well, you shouldn’t have agreed to pick her up”.  

I. Was. Furious. 

It was already a bad day, I did not need that unhelpful remark.  And yet, there it was.  

In moments like these, it can feel like the universe is conspiring against us.  It feels as though if there’s a chance for something to go wrong, it most definitely will.  Then to add to the misery, everyone around us seems to be exceptionally good at irritating the heck out of us.

It’s inevitable that we will have trying days.  And while we can’t always prevent that, we can prevent ourselves from making things even worse.

Our ability to respond – our “response-ability” – is driven by our emotions.  The actions we take and the words we speak (and then often later wish we hadn’t) – are all driven by those same emotions.  

In short, when we feel well we respond well.  

When we feel awful we respond awfully. 

A moment of venting might feel great for an instant.  But, done in the wrong venue out of the wrong emotion, it just adds to the overall drama.  As Craig Groeschel says “When emotions are high, wisdom is low”.  

Emotions come from our Thoughts. If you want to increase your “response-ability” choose BELIEVABLE thought that will deliver the emotions you need to respond the way your true-self wants to.

Need some help getting a handle on your “response-ability”?  I can definitely help.  Click here to chat!