Restart rituals

Ever had a bad day?

Lately, I’ve been training to change my mood for the better on bad days.

When I’m not feeling great and notice it:

‘Man, today sucks’

I stop myself. No, it don’t. It’s my mood that sucks. So I do something to make it un-suck. I’ve narrowed it down to a several activities.

Cleaning

Once upon a time, I decided to clean up my habitat thoroughly. I neatly folded clothes, cleaned surfaces, put everything where it should be and even organized my computer files.

The result was spectacular visually, but also mentally. My spirits rose so significantly that I’ve felt almost as if I took some super chill pill.

Typically, a half an hour of cleaning puts me in a good frame of mind.

Writing

I get lots of ideas. They get crammed in my head if I don’t capture them. So I do, with words, sometimes as lists, other times as full sentences, or even paragraphs.

Napping

Naps work like magic for me. No matter what time of day, if I’m tired, which usually brings about bad thoughts, I nap. I collapse on my bed, or slouch in my seat on the train and doze off. Afterwards, I’m often ready to conquer the world.

Cooking

I’m not much of a cook, but a good portion of scrambled eggs with a toast can brighten my mood any day.

Meditating

Sitting down, setting a timer for 20 minutes and trying to focus on my breathing calms my mind and helps me detach from any negativity.

Walking

Walking the dog or just myself, preferably through nature, is a simple way to think through bad moments.

Chatting

If a friend is around, I like a good chat. It gets my mind chewing on new thoughts.

Reading

A good book, fiction or non-fiction, draws my mind in and leaves the negativity at the door.

Watching

A well-selected, inspirational video of someone energetic talking about what they love infuses me with enthusiasm. Watching cats play is a good alternative.

That’s what I do to restart myself and turn around my day. What do you do?