Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Having a bad day?
We’ve all had our share of bad days, when everything we do just breaks apart at the seams. Surprisingly, there are ways of making the most of bad days. N. Dilshath Banu takes a closer look
It’s a day when you got up from the wrong side of your bed. Suddenly you realise that you are late to work, and rush to the bus stand without looking to see if you’re leaving any important stuff behind. Somehow you got in the bus to know that it’s the opposite direction you’re heading. Going back again to the correct direction, you wait to get to the office soon, but the tire goes flat half way through. Now, you’re terribly late to work. And on that very day, your boss calls you and says, “You’re Fired.” And the whole day goes in the same rhythm. Worst of all, you realise that no one is with you, when you need to cheer up.

It happens to all of us; a day when everything you do goes wrong at a certain point. Sometimes, it’s really horrible and scary to face such a devastating day when you are really down and things are not at all smooth. And often we label these days ‘bad days’. Some believe that bad days are inevitable. Some say that bad days have something to do with our destiny. On the contrary, some don’t believe in bad days at all!!

Nirosha (22) says, “I believe there are bad days in life. If I were faced with a bad day, I would probe into what went wrong on that particular day. If I can make it right, then next time things may work out well. But in certain cases, you are not responsible for the misfortune. For example, on such a day even if you come early you may still never catch the bus on time. You are not responsible for such a thing and shouldn’t feel guilty about it or blame others for it. If I have a bad day today, I hope for a better one tomorrow, where everything would work well for me.”

Amalka (23) says that a bad day depends on what we are doing. “If I am facing a bad day, I’ll try to be very patient and not feel fatigued. I’ll also try to go to church, listen to music or read a book.”

Twenty-one-year old Jayanath says that he has no ‘bad days’ in life! “I don’t have bad days, but there are some unfortunate moments when I feel like things are not moving in the right direction. Sometimes, in office, I’ll try to work hard to produce my best projects and they may not be selected for implementation.

Then, at the end of the day, it may seem like I didn’t do anything. At such times things get so tough. I may wonder what went wrong and next time, I’ll try to make it right.”

Eighteen-year-old Dinithi says that for her good days are “Thursdays” and there’s no particular day for bad days. She added that during a bad day, she may cover herself and hide from the world and hope for a better tomorrow.

For Tara (20), staying at home and doing nothing counts for a bad day. “I’ll try to do something during that time; sometimes I read or do what I like, to make it a good day.”

Twenty-three-year-old Shanuki* says that she used to feel very bad when her mother screamed at her early morning, as it’ll turn out to be a real ‘bad day’ for her. “But now things are different. When my mother screams I don’t take it so much into my mind. I try and figure out what I did wrong and then move on. I don’t think about it over and over again and make mistakes all day. It’s just one isolated incident, that’s all. I think if you think this way, you will not have bad days, but you can call them bad moments in your life. Then you don’t have to waste a whole day for that moment.”

“If you face unusual happenings, like missing the bus, getting blasted by your boss, don’t label them as ‘bad’. These are events in life. Whether it’s good or bad, it depends on how we relate to the situation. There’s no such day as a bad day, it’s you who decide whether it is a bad day or a good day,” says Dr. Asoka N. Jinadasa, Strategic Planner/ Senior PR Consultant in Rowland PR adding, “As explained before, there are no bad days, but it’s the attitude and the interpretations you give to the particular event. Life consists of events, and we interpret them in different ways.”

Says Dr. Jinadasa, “When we lose our purse or face a misfortune in the morning, a lot of us programme that day as a bad day. What should be done during such events is to think about what we can do next. For example, if you lose your purse in the morning, we have to think about what the next step is – i.e. what you can do about it and then make a full stop. Rather than branding it as a ‘bad beginning’ of another bad day, you can change your thoughts.”

“Good days are days when everything happens comfortably and you are in your comfort zone. Good days wouldn’t challenge you, but bad days stretch your mind beyond boundaries and challenge you,” emphasises Dr. Jinadasa.

“If you notice, many champions always try to play with someone superior to them in order to stretch their abilities. If an athlete would compete with inferior people, and win the game, it’s not going to get him anywhere. He’s not a champion. It’s the tough things you do that will help you realise your full potential. It’s the same case with weight lifters. You may not see them lifting lightweights. They try their best to lift heavy weights to see how far they can go,” says Dr. Jinadasa, adding, “Those who want to empower themselves love bad days, as it gives them opportunities. You can never make an ocean if you are not allowing the loss of a side of the shore. Those who never have bad days, never learn, are never mentally strong and they’ll never achieve great heights,” he said.

Finally, Dr. Jinadasa says, “If you have a bad day, celebrate it (What???). Tell your friends you had a bad day and make fun of it and say how great you feel. It’s like saying, “You know, today I missed the bus and I am having a bad day. I feel great.” Focus on the fact that it’s a matter of changing your thoughts. However, he admits that you cannot laugh if you break your leg or some horrible thing happens to you. But what’s important is, what you are going to do about the matter and then thinking about the next step.

What we learn from now on is that bad days become good days, and good days can be considered bad days, as good days never challenge you. Bad days take you to horizons you never thought you could reach. So for the rest of you who love bad days, I wish you a… Happy Bad Day!!

(*Names have been changed)

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