It's One of Those Days

Photo Taken By: Lisa Melara

Some days things go along famously. You don’t have any problem with confidence, getting things done or believing your goals will be achieved. In fact, you think it unlikely you will ever doubt your skills and abilities.

If we are honest with ourselves and others, days when the opposite is true happen. They occur  often enough to be unsettling. It is on those days when you wonder how to explain what you are feeling. Nothing rational seems to add up. You try to move through it, but nothing feels like it’s going well. The reason is elusive. There could be several, both personal and professional.

What is the strategy for getting through “one of those days?”  Is there a right way to proceed? Are others more successful at it? What would work for me?

There isn’t a prescription. Even thinking about one can make it worse. It is uncomfortable. It is unsettling. Confidence wanes. Productivity dips. There is an opportunity to hide, isolate or cancel things and you take them. What does this say? Will I be okay? Will this pass?

Making the choice to charge ahead or pull back is personal. Neither suggest you are stronger, weaker, right or wrong. Doing what you need in the moment is the only option. Doing what you need without judgement is an ideal mindset. Sometimes thinking about ways you may need to be nurtured by yourself or others is helpful. Other times, acting your way through it could unlock the feeling.

Today, or in a future day, you may find yourself wondering, worrying, perseverating, feeling sad, defeated or stuck. Whatever day that is, remind yourself that it’s just a day. Tomorrow will come. You are not alone, and it is the natural order of things that an interlude, pause or uncertain time will visit you. It may linger for a while or just pass through. It doesn’t suggest anything about you or your worth or capabilities.

I offer this reflection as a show of support, care, understanding and empathy for all of you who might be having “a day.”  I hope you can feel supported just by knowing others feel the same in the course of life. All your days won’t feel the same.  Today is just “one of those days.”