Good Intentions
"Today is a good day to have a good day." This is a little quote I recently
saw, while out and about, and though it's sort of cheesy (I believe millennials have a
generational aversion to sincerety), the words really affected me in that moment. Sometimes, you have
to intend to have a good day.
I don't think I'm unique when I say that I struggle with bouts of hopelessness
and anxiety, especially in this day and age. And finding a way to cope with those feelings and pulling
myself out of that funk can seem pretty difficult at times. Right now, I'm dealing with one of those
times, and just distracting myself with hobbies or activities doesn't quite cut it. I have to
remind myself to have a good day. In a way, it's a reminder to myself that I can
have a good day, even when it doesn't seem like it.
Having a "good day," should not be conflated with being happy. Imagining
"happy" and "sad" are on two opposite ends of a spectrum, as long as I end up at least neutral, there's
the chance for that day to be "good." Accomplishing some sort of goal, being productive, enjoying a
good book or movie, having an engaging chat, these are all things that can influence a day towards
being good. But it doesn't need to be something so active. A good day can be had purely
through mindset. The decision to have the day be good is enough to make it so.
Not Fake
I want to clear up a possible misunderstanding and state that this
is not the same as "fake it 'til you make it." The aim with that approach is
to essentially lie until the lie becomes true. The biggest pitfall of this method is that it can be
pretty difficult to deceive yourself. Intrinsic issues aren't really a good fit for this technique.
Deciding to have a good day is about the day being actually good, not
about convincing yourself that a bad day isn't bad. However, I also want to be clear that some days are
bad, just bad, and there's nothing you can do about it. No matter what your choices or what
your mindset, if a loved one passes (for example), that day is not going to be good. There's no silver
bullet to banish sadness, and we cannot live a life without it.
How Does it Work?
Enough rambling about the concept, let's actually discuss the practice. It's
extremely simple: Tell yourself to have a good day, then endeavor to do so. That's it. There's
no trick to it, no profound secret, just a little reminder to yourself. Say it to yourself when you
first wake up, or maybe when you notice the day is going sour. Just a little tweak to your perspective,
and you can find yourself in a better headspace.
You can have a good day, so do it.
← back