How To Turn Around A Bad Day

Written by Marie Young, Stress Management Coach

Marie Young is a stress management coach who’s helped hundreds of busy people feel calmer, think clearer, and finally get things done. With practical tools and a calming presence, she turns overwhelm into steady momentum.

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We all have days when everything feels just a little off. Maybe you woke up late, spilled coffee on your shirt, or received bad news. Before the whole day spirals, know this: it doesn’t have to stay that way. You have more power than you think to shift your experience. Here's how to turn things around – starting with your mindset.

What does it mean to turn around a bad day?

Turning around a bad day doesn’t mean pretending nothing went wrong or forcing positivity. It’s about meeting yourself where you are, shifting how you relate to the moment, and making small choices that create momentum. With the right tools, grounded in neuroscience, movement, and self-awareness, you can gently disrupt the emotional spiral and reconnect with your inner stability.

Cultivate acceptance instead of resistance

The first step in turning around a rough day is accepting that it's not going well, without judgment. Resistance keeps us stuck, while acceptance softens the moment.

Say something simple to yourself, like "This is hard right now, and that's okay." You’re not giving up—you’re just stopping the fight with reality. Neuroscience shows that acceptance helps regulate the nervous system, allowing your brain to shift from survival mode into a more relaxed, responsive state.

Soothe your nervous system with small actions

Once you’ve acknowledged the roughness, engage in self-soothing behaviors. This doesn’t need to be elaborate. Try these:

• Take a few deep breaths with longer exhales

• Splash cool water on your face

• Hold a warm mug in your hands and feel the weight

• Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly, and breathe
  

These physical cues signal safety to your brain and begin to settle the fight-or-flight response.

Use humor to interrupt the spiral

Humor is a powerful cognitive reset. It shifts your brain state, releases feel-good neurotransmitters, and reminds you that things aren’t as permanent or personal as they feel.

Text a friend something absurd, watch a goofy video, or give your day a ridiculous name like "The Monday of All Mondays." Laughter breaks the spell and gives you breathing room.

Bust a move: Try non-habitual movement

Changing your physical state can quickly impact your emotional one. Even if you’re not in the mood, try this: stand up and do a movement your body doesn’t usually do. Think flailing your arms, dancing terribly, crawling like a crab, or shaking it out for 30 seconds.

Non-habitual movement confuses the brain in a good way—it disrupts stuck patterns and opens a window for new emotional input.

Remember: You are more than your mood

When emotions swell, they can feel like the whole truth. But they’re temporary states, not your identity. You are the container, not just the contents. A powerful way to reconnect with this truth is to pause and ask:

"What else is here right now besides this feeling?"

Look around. Name what you see. Feel your feet. Take one small step – write, call a friend, or step outside. This gentle act of remembering can help you reclaim your perspective.

Even on the hardest days, simple choices can shift your direction. Each moment offers a chance to begin again.

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Read more from Marie Young

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Marie Young, Stress Management Coach

Marie Young is a stress management coach who’s helped hundreds of busy people feel calmer, think clearer, and finally get things done. With a background teaching yoga and meditation, Marie specializes in toning the ventral branch of the vagus nerve—an essential part of the nervous system that helps us feel safe, connected, and focused. She’s the creator of the Body-Informed Resiliency program, a practical, science-backed approach to stress relief that can be done from almost any chair and nearly anywhere. Her method blends nervous system regulation, mindfulness, and small doable actions to help people move out of overwhelm and into steady momentum.