“It’s just been one of those days,”  we sometimes lament, shrugging our shoulders gloomily. After all, sometimes things happen that are entirely out of our control, and some days all of these things seem to happen at the same time and make us wish we had stayed in bed! But the truth is, there are steps we can all take to turn those tough days around and discover purpose and meaning within our various daily challenges and experiences — especially those of us getting older.

Next time you feel like your pessimism is spiraling out of control over the circumstances of your day, try these techniques:

Take it step by step.

Multitasking is highly overrated! Usually the sense of having a terrible day ensues from being overwhelmed, from taking on way too much at once. Identifying some boundaries to concentrate on just one task at a time can in fact improve productivity and provide a feeling of achievement.

Try distancing.

The art of distancing takes practice to accomplish, but can be extremely helpful in keeping things in the proper perspective. First, think about the impact a certain frustration you are experiencing could have one month from now – or a year from now. Then, think about the advice you’d offer to a friend in the same situation to generate an objective solution.

Be gracious.

It’s difficult to hold onto negative thinking when you make a conscious effort to acknowledge the positives, regardless of how seemingly insignificant they may be. End every single day with a self-reminder of the top five things you encountered during the day. And keeping a log is a great way to bring positives back into the forefront of one’s mind on particularly stressful days.

Carve out “me” time.

While it can seem impossible to actually take time for self-care with so many other priorities vying for attention, it is vital to both our mental and physical health. Schedule blocks of uninterrupted time for you to enjoy a calming activity, and abide by those times as you would every other important to-do on your own agenda.

Still feeling overwhelmed? Home Matters can help tremendously by partnering with busy family members to deliver safe, expert home care services that allow for a healthy life balance. No matter if the need is for just a couple hours of respite care to offer some breathing room for family members, full-time, around-the-clock care to give maximum safety, or anything in the middle, contact us online to learn more.