We all have days when it feels as if the world is against us or that the chaos we are experiencing will never end. One negative circumstance seems to lead to another. We may wonder on such a day whether anything in our life will ever go right again.
We all have days that seem endlessly difficult and hard — when it is as if the odds are stacked against us, and we just cannot get a break as one challenging situation follows another. We may feel as though we were standing in the ocean being hit by wave after wave, never able to get a full breath. Sometimes it is necessary or worth it to stay in the fray and work our way through. Other times, the best idea is to stop and take the breath we need in order to carry on.
But a bad or hard day, like any other, can be a gift, showing you that it is time to slow down, change course, or lighten up. It could help you glean wisdom you might otherwise have overlooked or discounted. Bad days can certainly cause you to experience uncomfortable feelings you would prefer to avoid, yet they may also give you a potent means of learning about yourself.
Multiple misfortunes that take place one after the other can leave you feeling vulnerable and intensely cognizant of your fragility, although bad days can only have a long-term negative effect on you if you let them. It is better to ask yourself what you can learn from these kinds of days. They may be an indicator that you need to stay in and hibernate or let go of your growing negativity.
Bad days contribute to the people we become. Although we may feel discouraged and distressed, they can teach us patience and perseverance. It is important to remember that our attitude drives our destiny and that one negative experience does not have to be the beginning of an ongoing stroke of bad luck. A bad day is memorable because it is situated among many good ones; otherwise, we would not even bother to acknowledge it as bad.
Know, too, that everybody has bad days. You are not alone. The world is not against you. Tomorrow is a brand new day. Greet it with love and watch it unfold into, perhaps, a better one.
Sometimes all that is needed is a good night’s sleep. If we can find it in our hearts to examine the day and maybe make a single small change in perception, we may ease our pain and greet the next one that much wiser.
BY BOB MUELLER
Mission & Stewardship Officer at Hosparus Health. Read more of his essays here.
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