Habits To Have a Better Day

Bad days are no surprise to many of us, especially when it comes to getting work done. Bad days can come in many forms and variations. Sometimes you have an entire streak of bad things happen or it’s just one thing that sours your mood for the rest of the day. 

It sometimes seems that bad days are the norm, especially due to social media. But it doesn’t have to be the case. Many of our bad days are caused by our own bad habits that build-up or set us up to have a bad day in the first place. Other bad days are caused by external things which we can’t control but these do not happen often. 

What does happen often is that our bad habits construct our bad days. In order to change that, we need to create new habits that set us up for good days instead. Now, deconstructing old habits and constructing new habits is hard and takes a long time but it can be done. 

The question is, what do you replace your old habits for? The answer is that depends on what you have identified as a bad habit that affects your life in a negative way. It also depends on you as a person, and your lifestyle. 

It can be difficult to find the right habits to better your day and life, so we have compiled a list of several things you can try out in your journey. 

This article is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional advice in any way. If you need help or seek further advice please contact a mental health or life professional. 

Here are some habits you can start developing to have a better day. 

1. Gratitude

Gratitude is not only a way to begin seeing all the good things that are currently happening in your life but also a way for you to start training your brain to see more beautiful and good things happening in your day. Things that normally we wouldn’t pay attention to because we are too caught up in our own problems or negative thoughts. 

A gratitude practice can take place at any time of day but if you do it in the morning you will have a more positive outlook for the rest of your day. And, if you do it before bed it will help you dismantle the heaviness of the day. 

2. Change your scenery

Being in the same place all of the time is boring, can cause stress, and can mess with your creativity. Going or visiting a new place once in a while can help you detach, see new things, get inspired, and get recharged to continue doing your work. 

3. Do one thing at a time

Many of us tend to try to do many things at the same time in order to get them over with quickly or because we feel we don’t have enough time in a day. But trying to multitask often ends up in us not finishing anything we started, forgetting to do some things, getting stressed, getting blocked, or not doing anything at all. 

If you really want to get things done and do them as effectively as possible it is better if you do one thing at a time. If you can divide that one thing into smaller tasks it will help you feel like you have accomplished more and leave you excited to do the next part. 

4. Laugh

Laughing makes everyone feel good and helps dispel negative thoughts or feelings that we may be having. Chemically speaking, laughing activates some of the feel-good hormones in our brain. 

5. Help someone else

There are a few reasons that people always tell others to help someone if they are feeling down. One of the reasons is that helping someone makes us feel good and accomplished. Another reason is that by helping someone we tend to get a little more in their shoes, we are empathetic and compassionate. This helps us shift our perspective, look through different eyes, and learn something new. 

In many of these experiences, you may also be able to come up with a solution or idea to a problem you may be having due to the experience alone or something the other person said. 

6. Prepare the night before

Let’s face it, some of us often have bad days because we aren’t prepared. Especially in the morning, things seem to go slower and take us longer because we didn’t get everything ready the night before and now we are jumping around trying to make decisions and get everything organized. 

This frazzled state of mind tends to follow us throughout the rest of the day. If you want to avoid this, it is beneficial if you prepare the night before, and leave everything ready so that in the morning the only thing you need to do is to shower, eat, get dressed, and go. 

7. Hype yourself up

This may not work for everyone but encouraging and getting your own blood pumping before a big event can help you complete it. Also, saying or writing down affirmations every day will make you feel better, and get more confident.

8. Relaxation

In recent studies, scientists and doctors have claimed that stress is one of the main reasons for many physical and mental illnesses. Having a routine to destress yourself every night will help you relax, detach, and prevent illnesses. By detaching from the day you stop worrying about things and have the ability to not only get a good night’s sleep but also get up in a better mood. 

9. Take your time

We all want to do things quickly to get to the next thing and the next. But we forget that sometimes the best thing you can do is take your time to enjoy what you are doing at the moment. Taking your time ensures that you do a good job on your project, that you focus on it, and that you learn how to be in the present moment. 

Most wonderful and important things happen in the present moment but we are only able to take part in them if we take our time. 

We hope that we have helped shed light on what you can do to make your day better. We encourage you to research more things and habits as there are many others that can fit you and your lifestyle better. 

What did you think of our list? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel and our psychology magazine. 

Sources:

Scott, S. J. (2021, 21 oktober). 203 Good Daily Habits: The Ultimate List to Build a Great Life. Develop Good Habits. Geraadpleegd op 31 maart 2022, van https://www.developgoodhabits.com/good-daily-habits-list/

TopThink. (2022, 9 February). 15 Little Habits to Have a Better Day [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_LsoEyhNOs