How to Make a Bad Day Better: 5 Self-Compassion Strategies (Best of GTGE)

Getting to Good Enough

Originally aired: August 19, 2021

We've all been there—when everything seems to go wrong and you're stuck in a spiral of frustration. But what if you could turn around a bad day without just waiting it out or forcing fake gratitude? In this Best Of episode, Janine shares her terrible, horrible, no good very bad day, and Shannon offers practical self-compassion strategies to shift your perspective and reset your energy. From the power of "yes, and..." to the surprising magic of moving your body, discover how to acknowledge what sucks while still finding your way back to good enough.

What We Talk About

• 00:56 - Janine's real-time bad day unfolds
• 01:58 - The restaurant analogy: when things start bad, they often stay bad
• 02:48 - Creating a mid-day reset to shift your trajectory
• 02:58 - Janine shares her comedy of errors: the groomer mix-up and the doctor's appointment disaster
• 05:12 - The chiropractor cancellation, the ink stain, and when everything piles on
• 05:41 - Stepping back to recognize privilege and practice gratitude (even when you're grumpy)
• 06:22 - Shannon's reframe: "We only have this problem because there's money"
• 06:59 - "Why do I always have to be the grown-up in the room?"
• 07:30 - The three-part response: wallowing, gratitude journaling, and knitting
• 07:55 - The power of "yes, and...": acknowledging what sucks before adding gratitude
• 08:40 - Avoiding cognitive dissonance: why gratitude alone doesn't work without acknowledgment
• 09:50 - Learning from bad days without self-recrimination: "file this away for future reference"
• 10:50 - Moving your body to reset your energy: the almost-magical shift
• 11:33 - The "knocking on heaven's door" twist move for instant relief
• 12:22 - The heated neck wrap hack for pain relief while moving
• 13:32 - Getting in touch with what's important to you: removing the bad day filter
• 14:40 - Removing the"bad day" filter so you can see the good stuff.
• 16:01 - The importance of acknowledging difficulty before turning things around
• 16:30 - The blessing of good friends and free advice
• 16:57 - Laughter as an antidote: calling a friend or watching your go-to funny video
• 17:24 - Damn You Autocorrect and other guaranteed laugh sources

Key Takeaways

1. Acknowledge First, Reframe Second

Don't jump straight to gratitude when you're having a bad day—it creates cognitive dissonance. Instead, use "yes, and...": Yes, this really sucks, AND I'm fortunate in these ways. Acknowledging what's hard allows your unconscious mind to genuinely feel gratitude instead of pushing back with "yes, but..."

2. Remove Your Bad Day Filter

When things go wrong, we unconsciously start looking for evidence that proves we're having a bad day. We become "chief executive officers of proving our bad day." Combat this by intentionally getting in touch with what's important to you—it opens your perspective to all the good things you're not noticing when you're focused on what's going wrong.

3. Move Your Body to Shift Your Energy

Physical movement creates an almost magical reset. Try jumping up and down and shaking your hands out, or do the "knocking on heaven's door" twist (twist your upper body with limp arms so your hands slap front and back). Movement shifts your energy and helps change your day's trajectory in ways that feel surprisingly powerful.

4. Learn Without Self-Recrimination

When things go wrong, resist the urge to beat yourself up. Instead, think: "file this away for future reference." For example, instead of "I should have made a chiropractor appointment sooner," try "Next time I feel pain starting, I'll make an appointment right away." It's the same lesson without the guilt.

5. Create a Mid-Day Reset

You can't abandon a bad day like you can leave a restaurant with terrible service, but you can create a break. Do something low-stakes that gives you a little enjoyment—it creates a transition between how things were going and how you want them to go. Whether it's knitting, calling a friend for a laugh, or watching a favorite funny video, give yourself permission to reset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do you make a bad day better?

A: Start by acknowledging what's hard (don't skip to forced gratitude). Then try a physical reset like jumping and shaking for 30 seconds, and name one thing you're grateful for. The "yes, and..." technique helps you hold both truths at once.

Q: Why doesn't gratitude work when I'm having a bad day?

A: Jumping straight to gratitude creates cognitive dissonance—your unconscious mind pushes back because you haven't acknowledged what sucks first. Use "yes, and..." instead: "Yes, this is hard, AND I'm fortunate in these ways."

Q: What's the fastest way to reset a bad day?

A: Move your body. Even 30 seconds of jumping and shaking shifts your energy almost magically. Physical movement changes your day's trajectory faster than mental strategies alone.

Bottom Line

Bad days happen to everyone, and you can't just walk away from them. But you also don't have to let them steamroll you. The key is acknowledging what's hard (without wallowing in it) while actively shifting your perspective to what matters. Move your body, laugh with a friend, practice "yes, and..." thinking, and remember: you're not the chief executive officer of proving your bad day. Sometimes good enough means recognizing that today was rough AND you're still okay—and tomorrow gets a fresh start.

Give it a try: Next time you're having a bad day, try this three-step reset: (1) Acknowledge out loud what sucks, (2) Do something physical to shift your energy (even just jumping and shaking for 30 seconds), and (3) Name one thing that's important to you that you're grateful for. Notice how the combination changes your perspective.

Connect With Us

We'd love to hear how you turn around a bad day! Have you tried any of these strategies? What works for you when everything seems to be going wrong?

• Leave us a voicemail: 413-424-GTGE (4843)
• Comment on social media: @gettingtogoodenough on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
• Email: [email protected]

If this episode helped you see your bad days differently, please share it with a friend who might need the reminder that good enough is always within reach—even on the worst days.

Related Episodes You Might Love:

• Episode 139: Coping Imperfectly (January 21, 2021) - How to cope during difficult times by granting yourself kindness and grace
• Episode 153: Helping Your Future Self (April 29, 2021) - Taking action in ways your future self will thank you for
• Episode 242: It's Okay to Be Imperfect (March 16, 2023) - How your worth has nothing to do with how perfectly you do things