We’ve all had them, those irritating days a friend of mine calls ‘Fuzzy Felt’, when all the crap stuff seems to stick to you and you just can’t shake it off.
Whether it’s a client pushing your boundaries, a cancellation or refund request, hair-tearing tech troubles or just the overwhelm of trying to figure out what to do next on your endless to-do list, we all have to deal with those days when nothing seems to go right and the idea of a regular old J.O.B starts to feel (almost) appealing.
But don’t despair, It doesn’t take much to turn a bad day back to good again. Don’t fall into the trap of beating yourself with a stick for not being able to solve every problem or scale every hurdle that comes your way.
Next time you feel your stress level heading towards the stratosphere, try a few of these simple strategies to bring yourself back in balance.
Get outside for a walk
Fresh air is free and can do wonders for our mood, so head for your nearest park and let nature work its calming magic. A quick walk around the block can be enough to shift your energy and clear your head.
Write for 20 minutes in your journal
Get whatever is bothering you out onto the page. Vent, moan, whine and whinge for the first five minutes, then switch your focus and make a list of five things you could do to deal with the situation in a positive way.
What are your options? Could you send a polite email to the offending party? Search Youtube for a tutorial video to get you over a technical hurdle? Ask for help or advice in a Facebook group? Exploring the problem in your journal can be a quick way to find the solution and get back on track.
Give yourself a break
When you’re running your own business you need to know when to push yourself to achieve your goals, and when to take a break and review your progress.
If you’re going round in circles and getting nowhere, maybe you’ve gone as far as you can with a task today and just need to set it aside and switch to something else for a while.
Taking a break helps you regain perspective and gives your brain some breathing space to come up with a new way to approach the situation.
Meditate
Calm your mind with a simple meditation. Even ten minutes can help lower your stress levels and decrease feelings of anxiety and overwhelm, allowing you to return to your desk refreshed and able to respond to the situation, rather than (over)react!
Play some music
Whether you’ve got a passion for power ballads or are a full-on disco queen, playing your favourite tunes is a great way to shift your mood. Give yourself extra points for a slick dance routine too.
So don’t let a stressful situation get the better of you and throw your whole day off track. A little bit of time out can help you calm down and save you from doing something you might later regret. It’s better to rant in your journal or call your business bestie than vent online and then feel embarrassed when your client leaves a comment on your Facebook post, so hit pause first and then respond later when you’ve dealt with your frustration and are back in Boss mode!
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