You know those days that follow Murphy’s Law? You hit every red light, your work computer crashed, you forgot your lunch at home, and the after-work plans you’d been looking forward to all day fell through. Here’s how we each cope with those days:
Emily: Spending time with Sloan is enough to help me gain perspective on what’s really important. Feeling the weight of her on my lap, smelling her scent, and receiving her spontaneous hugs reminds me that no matter what I’m going through, focusing on the present is what really matters. Buuuuut for the days when she’s partly to blame for my bad day (they’re called the “terrible twos” for a reason), a glass of wine and a funny movie typically does the trick.
Geoffrey: My mood is always improved through physical activity, so if I’m having a particularly crappy day, I’ll go for a ride, take a long walk, or do anything that wakes up my endorphins. I don’t like to sulk and never really feel bad for myself, but exerting energy is a surefire way to adjust my perspective.
Alina: I am a total bath addict, so as soon as I am able to in the course of a bad day, I sit in a hot bath and either listen to a podcast or look through old photos that make me happy, like memories from Ojai or when I first moved into my new place. It’s instant calm, relief, and happiness to me. Putting on a fun beauty mask after the bath, getting into comfortable pajamas, and cuddling into bed with something I would never watch with my boyfriend, like Unreal, seals the deal. The next day, or any time I need a mood boost and to treat myself, I drive to Proof for a chocolate croissant and iced latte. Getting those two things has become a self-care ritual that I do whenever I want to feel soothed. I can also pretty much guarantee that if I get a fresh blowout and stop into a favorite store for a little visual stimulation, like Reformation, Assembly, or Mohawk General, I start to get excited about things again, even if I don’t buy anything. I’m also a total ten-year-old-girl at heart, so playing dress-up in my closet always makes me happy if I’m feeling a little blah or sad. I’ll put on some feel-good music, try on a bunch of different things, and take pictures to remember the cute outfits for future days! Also, nothing makes me feel more on my game and in control than at-home cleanliness and organization, so if I’m feeling weird or off, probably the first thing I do is clean the sh*t out of my place–laundry, fresh sheets, scrubbing the floors, clean dishes, open the windows for fresh air, have the candles burning, the whole shebang, and make a to-do list of all the life things I need to care of. Lastly, scrolling through funny memes on accounts like this, never doesn’t make me laugh. There’s so much goodness out there. I’m pretty good at knowing how to take care of myself, ha! I have about 10 different methods for fixing a bad day : )
Leslie: After a long, bad day, my first instinct is to dive under the covers and hide by myself with a glass (or three) of wine, but I find that when I force myself to go out with girlfriends, it always immediately changes my mood. Once I’m with my friends, laughing and talking, I find that whatever minor, annoying things happened during the day no longer matter. It instantly puts me into a better mood. And I second Alina’s at-home cleaning tip! Getting my home into order always makes me feel like other aspects of my life are in order, even if everything went wrong that day.
