Life Sucks And Then It Doesn’t: Advice for Getting Through Bad Days

The thing about living is that it sort of sucks sometimes. No matter who you are, where you’re from, or how quantitatively good your life is, bad days are inevitable. Sometimes really, really bad days. Sometimes very good people endure very bad things, and there is absolutely nothing they could have done to prevent it. It’s a lousy fact of life unfortunately.

But It Gets Better

It does. It really, always does, even if it doesn’t seem like it will. Everything gets better. Because even though it may not seem like it sometimes, life is this tragic mix of good things and bad things. Good days and bad days. The good days don’t necessarily make the bad ones any better, but nor is the opposite true. And the reality it, enduring hardship makes you stronger.

If you happen to be going through one of these bad days, then I would personally like to extend a hug through the Internet to you. No matter what you are going through, or what you have gone through in the past, try your best to sit up a little straighter at your computer, force a smile on your beautiful face, and sip your favourite drink. Buckle yourself in and read through Four Pieces of Advice To Get Through Bad Days, which is advice that I am totally unqualified to give, but that I will offer anyway.

1. Have Big Dreams

Sometimes it seems that a lot of the people who get hit the hardest by bad days tend to have the biggest dreams. Kinda makes sense right? The dreams that are hardest to attain are usually the ones with the most obstacles in the way. And sometimes those obstacles can really hit you hard.

But the truth it, these are the dreams that are worth having. And most importantly, these are the dreams that will help you get through anything. Anything easy is very rarely worth it, and looking forward to the future is the best way to keep hope alive when life gets you down. Although it’s important to not live too much in the future and forget the present, remember that life gets better. You want to travel? Do it! You want to get out of your current relationship and seek out the love of your life? It may be difficult, but remember that you deserve the best out of life. And then make it happen.

In months, or maybe in years to come when you’ve achieved a dream or two, being able to look back and see how hard you worked to get where you are is the greatest feeling in the world. Remember: you can do it.

2. Be Persistent

Whatever happens, remember to keep at it. Those big dreams aren’t going to come true themselves, unless your life is a Disney movie, or your father is a secret millionaire. And although both those things would be exceedingly nice, it’s probably better to not count on that.

When it comes down to it, the only person you can really count on is yourself. Your network of family and friends and co-workers and significant others and dogs can definitely help, but it’s best not to rely too heavily on them. You are a strong and capable person, and failure is just an inevitable part of life. How you deal with failure is what defines you as a person. Failing a few times won’t diminish your success…ultimately it’ll make you stronger.

3. Be Passionate

Something I have a huge problem with is how television and movies will often try to tell you that the people who don’t care about anything are cool.

But here’s the secret: it’s the people who are passionate about things who are actually cool. We all know the kinds of people who try to act like apathy is exciting, and standing against a wall instead of dancing is fun. DON’T DO THAT! Do you know how much more fun life is when you don’t have to be pretentious about liking pop music or watching fluff movies? You get to like whatever you want! If anyone makes fun of you for liking Taylor Swift’s new album (that thing is a gift to humanity), give them a hug, and let them pet a dog or something, because you shouldn’t let anyone make you feel bad for what you genuinely enjoy.

There will be days when so much is going on that it can be hard to remember why you’re passionate about something. Remember why you decided to take this job or this project, remind yourself why all of this will be worth it in the end. Force a smile and pretend you are self-confident and happy. You might be surprised at how quickly the make-believe becomes real.

4. Believe In Yourself

A lot of people have lousy self-esteem, and it’s one of the most tragic things in the world. It’s incredible that a lot of people don’t seem to see how amazing they are. So what if you haven’t become the youngest business mogul in the world, and so what if you don’t have as many Instagram followers as your friend? You are this amazing mix of experiences and interests and stories, and if you think for a second that any of that is worth losing, then you are an idiot. These lousy feelings of inadequacy and incompetence are often the root of a bad day, so remember to think objectively and have faith in yourself.

Besides, think of the track record you have. You’ve made it through every single bad day of your life so far. Every single thing that life has already thrown at you, you’ve knocked it right out of the park, and managed to keep on going. That’s pretty amazing.

If there’s only one thing you believe in, you should believe in yourself.