13 Tips for Dealing with a Really Lousy Day

The title is not mine.  And from me, you are only going to get the #1 tip on this list but click here to see the rest of Gretchen's list!

Gretchen, from the Happiness Project, lists the following as tip #1 for dealing with a Really Lousy Day:

1. Resist the urge to “treat” yourself. Often, the things we choose as “treats” aren’t good for us. The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt, loss of control, and other negative consequences just deepen the lousiness of the day. So when you find yourself thinking, “I’ll feel better after I have a few beers…a pint of ice cream…a cigarette…a new pair of jeans,” ask yourself – will it REALLY make you feel better? It might make you feel worse.


Powerful stuff, right?  How often do we head for a treat to make us feel better?  If we do it reasonably often, it is no longer a treat -- it is a coping mechanism.  Which is a much less flattering concept than giving ourselves a treat.

Food treats might distract you for a while -- but they are not going to solve your stresses and, in fact, usually end up creating more stress in your life because now you are stressed about what (or the way) you just ate, on top of the stress you ate to deal with.

Perhaps it's time to call the binging what it is -- coping with food.  And perhaps it is time to find a new mechanism to cope -- one that deals with the real issue at hand --the stress.