How many times have you had one of those days when no matter how organised you are, how much
preparation you have done, or how mentally ready you are, nothing goes right.

You know those days when one bad situation turns into another, and then for all sorts of reasons, things just get worse with each and every hour. Stress increases, disbelief is elevated, confidence is strained and
understanding evaporates.

Yes, those days!

Well, there are numerous ways you can deal with these types of days and from my experience, the first and foremost thing to remember is not to overreact. No doubt, days like these will generate and increase your emotion, and chances are not the good kind. I write from personal experience.

As things go from bad to worse, we need to make sure that we don’t further enhance the negativity through our emotion charged attitude or approach. You may not be able to control what is going on, but you should constantly strive to remain in control. Keep a clear head, don’t let the situation get to you and if all of that proves too difficult, then go with plan B and simply walk away.

Yes, I know you don’t have time to walk away and come back later, this has to be done right now! I
Understand, and have been there a thousand times. Research has found that walking away and allowing yourself to settle down, to regain your composure, and give yourself the opportunity to better understand exactly what is going on and why, will increase your chances tenfold of devising a simple yet effective plan going forward.

Basically, what I am saying here is, take the emotion that has been generated and channel into the execution of overcoming the obstacle.

Another little technique I would encourage is to take the goals, outcomes or achievements you are
attempting to achieve and break them down. No, I didn’t say compromise the level of achievement but break it down so you understand each single step you need to go through. Breaking it down will help remove the size of the problem. The psychology to this approach is simple, as you realise the simplicity of each of the steps your confidence will increase, as will your preparedness to deal with what is right in front of you and not get lost in the enormity of overcoming this huge negative experience.

The more you step back and break down the situation, the more you can develop a simple one step at a time go forward plan, the more you will realise you are in control and have regained the ascendancy. The other consideration at this time is to look at what has to be done and ask yourself do I need some help?

An easy question to ask, but maybe not so easy to answer honestly. Negative private problems have a
tendency to bring out the independence within us all. To some degree and in some situations this maybe
beneficial, however there are actually very few situations where you would not be better served by getting some help.

Don’t let ego get in the way of making a good decision.

OK, there will be times when it must be you that gets yourself and the situation back on the front foot, but on the days when it isn’t that paramount to be The Lone Ranger, simply put the ego aside and ask for help. An outside perspective, a different skill set, the addition of a different mindset and attitude can allow great things to take place.

Unfortunately, we are all going to have the days that we don’t want or like. As much as we do all we can to prevent them, part of the preparation in dealing with them needs to be a basic 5-step plan.

-Don’t overreact
-Understand the difference between controlling the situation and being in control of one’s self
-Break the situation down
-Ask for help
-Don’t let the ego get in the way of making a good decision

Although these five points may not totally solve the problems that you are experiencing, I can say you will be way better off with them that what you would ever be without them. So next time you are having one of those days take back the ascendancy, remove the negativity, overcome the problem through and make sure…

The Journey Continues!