We all have days that begin on a bad note – the alarm failed, the car didn’t start, Granny’s bowl slipped out of your hand and broke, the boiler is leaking. So,
what can we do to turn that day around to end it on a good note?
Pause and breathe. Rushing makes it worse.
It might not be the end of the world, just annoying and easily fixed.
1. Act: Make contact to delay that meeting (it might not be just you running late); phone a friend to drop the children; switch the boiler off; collect the broken pieces.
2. Make arrangements for next steps. Phone a mechanic, call a plumber, examine the damage – and plan ahead. Book a health check for the car, move valuables somewhere safer, set the alarm on repeat.
3. Accept. If nothing can be done accept it –
the bowl isn’t your only memory of Granny. Photos or stories bring her to life more vibrantly than a bowl.
4. It's OK, and encouraged, to vent. Express your feelings in a
considerate way, without blaming or upsetting anyone (even if it was their fault). You can explore it later in a calm way.
5. Cope with the experience, then congratulate yourself. Acknowledge you have solved the problem or learned from it.
6. See the positives – the coffee date is re-arranged for a less pressured time; your online meeting has led to more efficient working; the car broke down at home – not in busy traffic.
There’s a saying by Reinhold Nebuhr about having the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, change those we can, and being wise enough to know the difference. Or as Scarlett O’Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day!"
