Happiful Hack
55
GREAT GOOD IDEAS
T O D A Y 16 • happiful • October 2018
How to stop a
bad day
turning into a
bad week
A few things going wrong need not cast a dark shadow over everything. Here are some simple tips to help you turn a terrible today into a terrific tomorrow Writing | Fiona Thomas Illustrating | Rosan Magar
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ou’ve probably woken up some mornings with a horrible feeling that hangs overhead like an ominous dark cloud, leaving you grumpy and irritable before the day has even started. This often leads to a day filled with problems and negative interactions, which might leave you wondering: “What else could possibly go wrong today?” Whether it’s falling out with your partner, stubbing your big toe, or mistakenly putting deodorant in your hair and dry shampoo under your arms (we’ve all been there), just one small thing can set the wheels in motion for a day you’d rather forget. Believe it or not, experts agree that Tuesday, around midday, is scientifically the most stressful time of the week – with work and lack of sleep cited as the biggest contributors to a bad day. Surveys show that the average UK employee experiences eight hours of mental or emotional strain a week, and 23% of people say they’re stressed every day. But we want to make sure you don’t let this become the norm.
1 Don’t call it a bad day
You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect, which is when patients are given inert treatment for an ailment, but it still leads them to experience relief or lower levels of pain as a result. This works in reverse, too. So if you’re expecting a certain level of pain, then it’s medically proven that your brain will experience heightened levels of pain, meaning that your expectations can have a tangible impact on your perception of reality. So if you wake up on the wrong side of bed, burn your toast, miss the bus, and declare it a “bad day”, then you’re guaranteed to feel worse than if you just brush it off and move on.
Experts agree that Tuesday, around midday, is the most stressful time of the week – with work and lack of sleep cited as the biggest contributors to a bad day
