If You're Having A Terrible Day, Remember These 20 Things

Somedays Everything Seems To Go Wrong

A woman with long blonde hair and red lipstick is standing outdoors and screaming. She is wearing a denim jacket and a white top. The background is blurred, possibly an urban setting.

We all have bad days. No matter how perfect your life might look on paper, and even if, on the outside, it looks like you have it all, things go wrong.

Sometimes it will be a bad day, sometimes it will be a bad week, and sometimes it can even feel like your whole year isn’t going particularly swimmingly.

We’re not trying to trivialize your problems, but if today’s been a particularly bad day and you need something to cheer you up or help get you out of a funk, you’ve come to the right place.

Read on for a few reminders that might help turn your day, or at least your perception of your day, around.

1. You’re not alone.

Two men sitting at a wooden table, both enjoying lattes. The man on the left, wearing a white shirt, is smiling and has his glasses in hand. The man on the right, in a striped shirt, is holding a cup of coffee close to his face, appearing thoughtful.

Chances are, however alone you feel, there are people in this world who care about you and are willing to listen to your problems or lend you a hand when things get tough.

Always remember, too, that the wonderful thing about this social media world is that even if you were to find yourself completely alone in the world and have no one to turn to, there are all kinds of support groups online.

If you find the right group for your situation and reach out to the members, you’re sure to receive messages of support.

Reading other people’s stories might also help to inspire you and sometimes the perspective of a stranger can be surprisingly insightful.

2. Someone else is always having a worse day.

A person with short blonde hair sits at a desk with closed eyes, pressing their fingers to their temples in frustration. They are wearing a sleeveless top and have a coffee mug in front of them. The background is a dimly lit office space.

And not just one person. If you’re on this page, I’m assuming that you live in a relatively developed country with good access to the internet and you have the ability to read. That in itself means that your day is going far better than that of millions of other people on the planet.

As annoying as the phrase ‘there are people dying in Africa’ is when you’re having a bad time of it, it’s also true. And not just in Africa.

That might not be a comforting thought at times, but it might help you to gain a little perspective and realize that, however badly things are going for you right now, you’re still pretty fortunate in a lot of ways.

3. There’s always a blue sky overhead.

A man with a serious expression sits in a vehicle with the top down, bathed in warm sunlight. He wears a plaid shirt and has short, tousled hair and a beard. The background features an out-of-focus landscape with a clear sky at sunset.

When you board an airplane on a cloudy, rainy day, it sometimes comes as a huge shock to burst through the layer of cloud cover and find that the sun is burning brightly above it, with endless blue skies stretching up above you.

If that’s not a wonderful metaphor, I don’t know what is. When your head is clouded with sadness, anger, doubt, or frustration, it’s easy to feel like the sun will never come out again.

Just remind yourself that no matter how bad the weather looks and how thick the layer of cloud might seem, that blue sky is always up there. It never goes away, and the storm clouds will pass.

4. “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

A man in a white dress shirt and black tie sits on outdoor steps, holding a smartphone in one hand and a coat in the other. He appears concerned. A cardboard box with a plant and personal items is beside him, suggesting he has recently been laid off.

It’s a classic from John Lennon.

We sometimes tend to think of our lives as film scripts, expecting that at some point we’ll get our happy ending and then we’ll walk off into the sunset and never be unhappy again.

That’s just not true. Life has continual ups and downs, and we always have another chance to set things right.

5. You’ve got this.

A man with short dark hair and a beard sits on a sofa, resting his head on his hand. He is wearing a white shirt and gazing thoughtfully at the camera. Bright light filters through a window in the background.

You’re a strong person. You’ve had low patches before and you’ve got through them, learned from them, and thrived. You’ve got a 100% success rate for handling bad stuff so far. Whatever challenge you’re facing, you’re more than capable of overcoming it. Never question that.

6. It’s all a matter of perspective.

A woman with long dark hair and wearing a light denim shirt rests her chin on her hands and gazes thoughtfully into the distance while sitting at a wooden table in a softly lit room.

Okay, so I admit that some particularly big storm clouds don’t have silver linings, and I don’t want to trivialize any major traumas, but the majority of situations can be looked at from different angles.

You have the power to decide whether you’re going to let circumstances affect you and get you down, or if you’re going to do as the Monty Python boys instructed and always look on the bright side of life.

7. Self-care is incredibly important.

A person with eyes closed relaxes in a bubble bath, surrounded by sunlight streaming through white blinds. There is a green plant in a white pot next to the bathtub, creating a serene and peaceful atmosphere.

Looking after yourself and making sure you’re eating well, getting enough rest, and respecting your mental health should be your number one priority, especially when you’ve been feeling low. If you don’t look after yourself, you won’t be in a position to help anyone else.

8. You’re having a bad day, you’re not a bad person.

A person with long, vibrant blue hair and glasses is standing beside a wire fence, gazing thoughtfully through it. They are wearing an orange hoodie and appear to be near a beach,with the sea and sky visible in the background.

It’s easy to get the two mixed up. The fact that things aren’t going amazingly for you right now is no reflection on who you are as a person.

9. Being kind to others is being kind to yourself.

A person wearing a striped button-up shirt extends their hand forward in a welcoming gesture. The background features a modern building with a grid-like glass facade. The image is slightly blurred, focusing on the gesture.

If you’re struggling to treat yourself well, start with other people. You’d be amazed at how doing something selfless for someone else can actually be incredibly selfish as it gives you that warm glow.

10. Perfection is the enemy.

A man in a blue shirt is closely inspecting the side mirror of a car, with a focused expression. The blue car and the man's reflection are clearly visible, suggesting he is carefully examining or repairing the vehicle.

Perfection doesn’t exist, so stop striving for it. Simple as that.

11. Success takes time.

A man in business attire stands on a modern walkway with metal railings, gazing to his right. He is wearing a light blue dress shirt, dark trousers, and a patterned tie. The background features large glass windows with vertical blinds, reflecting a professional environment.

Slow and steady really does win the race. If you’re expecting to become successful overnight, you’re going to have a lot of bad days to do battle with. If, however, you accept that there will be ups and downs and it’s going to be a long hard road, things won’t seem quite as disastrous.

12. Without the lows, there would be no highs.

A woman with long brown hair and wearing a pink sweater and blue jeans sits on the floor against a wall, looking distressed. She rests her forehead on her hand and has an expression of concern, with a bed and wardrobe visible in the background.

Think about it like a summer’s day. If every day was sun-kissed with a gentle summer breeze playing in the trees and you got to spend it walking in a wildflower meadow, would you appreciate it?

Of course not. It’s the cold, dark days of the winter that make us savor the summer when it comes. Without the low patches, you wouldn’t be able to savor the highs.

13. You can’t control everything.

A man and woman sit across from each other at a wooden table in a cozy café. Both are holding coffee cups and appear to be engaged in conversation. A window in the background shows trees and soft daylight filtering in, creating a warm atmosphere.

Much as you might not like the idea, some things are just beyond your control. The sooner you accept that, the happier you’ll be.

14. Everyone has days like these.

A person sits at a table near a window, looking at a smartphone. They are wearing a plaid shirt. On the table is a sandwich wrapped in paper and a coffee cup. The setting appears to be a casual dining spot.

Whilst there are some definite upsides to social media, one of the downsides is that you’re essentially looking at everyone else’s highlights reel under the impression that their life really is as perfect as their Instagram feed might suggest.

Trust me, it’s not. Absolutely everyone has problems and everyone has down days, they just don’t share those bits on social media, just like you wouldn’t.

15. You can’t please everyone.

A young woman with long brown hair sits on a couch, looking away thoughtfully with her chin resting on her hand. An older woman with curly blonde hair and glasses sits behind her, appearing to speak to her with an expressive gesture.

Some of us are cursed with a burning desire to be liked and make absolutely everyone happy. It’s just not possible. No matter what you do, there’s always going to be someone out there who doesn’t like it and is happy to tell you so.

16. Failure is part of life.

A woman with long brown hair leans on a railing, gazing pensively into the distance during sunset. The sky is tinged with warm pink and orange hues, and the soft light casts gentle shadows on her contemplative face.

No one ever got anywhere worth being without a few major hiccups along the way.

17. Small changes can make big differences.

An older woman wearing a white shirt and red pants walks her small dog on a leash along a sunny, paved riverside path. Buildings and trees can be seen in the background.

When you’re feeling down it can seem like you need to completely revamp your life in order to turn things around. You don’t.

The smallest things, like 10 minutes of exercise or meditation in the morning, an extra couple of portions of fruit and vegetables a day, or just consciously trying to smile more, can have a huge impact.

18. Laughter really is the best medicine.

Two people are sitting at a round wooden table in a modern cafe with a glass wall in the background. One person, wearing a green top, is laughing with one hand on their forehead, while holding a phone in the other hand. The other person is facing away.

There’s nothing better for the blues than a good giggle. Whether you watch something that tickles you or get together with the friend that always cracks you up, it’ll always help.

19. You’re unique.

A woman with shoulder-length red hair stands outdoors, holding a pair of tortoiseshell glasses in her hand. She wears a white blouse with a black grid pattern. The background is blurred, featuring trees and buildings under a warm, golden light.

No one else can offer the world what you can. You have a special set of abilities that are just yours, and you owe it to the universe to use them to their full potential.

20. You deserve to be happy.

A person with curly hair, wearing white sunglasses, a denim jacket, and a striped shirt smiles at the camera. They are standing on a pathway by the sea at sunset, with a rocky shoreline and silhouettes of people in the background.