Embracing the Ups and Downs: Navigating Day to Day

We all have them.

"good" days and "bad" days.

I recently had a client ask me;

"How do you navigate the ups and downs that inevitably come with trying to change things in your life?"

How do we have more good days than bad days? is what he was really asking.

That's the million dollar question, right?

I'm not sure there is a real answer to that question.

I think the question it self implies that there has to be good days or bad days...what if there were just days?

No good or bad.

Sounds good, right?

But I understand that is maybe being a little too simple for many.

As I write this, my energy is low, its raining, my sleep has been poor.

Mentally and emotionally it would be easy for my thoughts and feelings to reflect my energy.

Which is where the idea of good and bad come from: Thoughts, beliefs, emotions.

I understand however, with awareness, that this is just a moment in time.

Its not a bad day. I'm not a bad person. I'm not bad.

Just as we all have moments of ecstacy and joy, we will too have moments of suffering, doubt and even sadness.

From my experience, simply letting them BE what they are without judgment is the key to not letting the "bad" moments or days turn into anything more.

As humans we are meaning making machines. Everything has to mean something.

By not attaching to them we can actually feel them, acknowledge them and then say goodbye to them in a moments time.

The book Letting Go by Dr. David Hawkins as well as the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle break this idea down beautifully.

When we invite them in, argue with them, judge them, and try to make them into something they are not? This is when they become problematic.

The non-acceptance of what is

This is what drives our pain and creates bad days.

Transmute this lower energy into something better, something greater.

At the same time we are feeling low vibe we can actually transmute that into something greater, better feeling.

Go for a walk. Get in a workout. Journal. Sing. Dance. Play. All of these things move that energy that is keeping us stuck or unhappy.

Also, our lower energy, thoughts, feelings, attitude are often telling us where we are putting importance or what we value.

For those reasons they can be very telling as to where the "fix" is.

For example, if you are in a good groove with exercise and food. You've lost weight and feel great.

You then have a weekend where you overindulge in food and alcohol.

A "bad" day ensues.

You feel sick and tired for 3 days after.

Exercise doesn't feel great, you've lost a little bit of an edge.

This is feedback.

There is not sense in dwelling on this. You now know (or remember) what it feels and looks like to align with the opposite of what you want (even if you created it.)

You get to choose again going forward.

Do I make those choices again? (overeat and alcohol)

Or do I make the ones that align with what I want? (proper portions and quality of food)

For this reason so called "bad" days are often our biggest teachers.

We can't know love without hate
We can't know success without failure
We can't know fit and healthy without fat and sluggish

If you are worthy of one you often go through the other first.

Expect and be ok with that. It IS part of the process, and it serves no use in trying to avoid it.

The baby stumbles a lot before they walk.

But once they get it, they are off and never look back.

Give yourself a little bit of that same grace.

Summary:
They key with dealing with good days vs bad days hinges on our perception of what bad is.

There are just days.

What can we learn from this day? and how can we iterate so that tomorrow feels more aligned?

Things to ponder next time you're in a funk.

Until next week.