If I’m having a reeeaaally bad day…. watch out. Just ask my kids and my husband.

Wait…on second thought, don’t ask them.  They know that regardless of what might have been the root of my bad mood, I might have been known to take it out on them inadvertently. Maybe.

Then on top of feeling guilty for not winning the sweet wife and mom award, my bad mood has been known to taint my thinking. My frustrations, anger, discouragement or disappointment can quickly cause me to lose sight of the fact that I have many more reasons to be in a good mood –  than a bad one.  Know what I mean?

Sometimes we have to purposefully choose to turn a bad day into a good day, because our mood is normally not going to change unless we choose to change it.  We can’t change how people act, or fix situations out of our control – but we can always change our attitude.  In fact the truth is, nobody can really make us have a bad day, except for ourselves!

Below are a few tips to help you turn a bad day, into a good one. Sometimes just focusing on doing something positive brings sweet refreshment to our soul, and turn our frown upside down.

1. Pray! Ask God to transform your perspective and soften your heart toward the person, or problem, that is making you grumpy. Having a one on one conversation with the creator of the Universe can genuinely lift your spirits.

2. Play with your kids. Really play with them, on the floor, or in the yard, and something that takes time and attention.  Turn off the ballgames, the computer, the laundry list, and the phone and focus solely on them.

3. Give someone a compliment. Ask God to help you notice special things about a certain friend or stranger so that you can genuinely make their day by lifting their spirits.

4. Sing praise songs in your car – not with a little lip movement, but with full blown singing out loud as if you were standing on stage performing with nobody watching. If people stare and laugh, then so be it – now you have helped them to have a better day too.

5. Read Philippians 4:4-8.

6. Bake your favorite cookies, cakes or home made candies. Surprise the kids or grandkids when they get home from school – open the door when they get off the bus so the delicious aroma will reach their little noses before they even get inside the house.

7. Eat some of those cookies, cakes and home made candies and don’t think about calories. In fact, get some milk too.

8. Go the mall or grocery store and engage in some people watching.  If someone appears to be having a bad day, give them a smile and say a little prayer for them in your heart.

9. Do something for someone you love, that is totally unexpected. Clean the house for your wife, cook your husband’s favorite meal, send flowers to a friend with an encouraging note, or plan a night out to spend quality time with people you love.

10. Think of someone whom you admire or who has made an impact in your life, and give them a call. Don’t tell them about your bad day, just focus on making their day better.

11. Write a letter to a friend you haven’t seen or talked to in a while. Did I say email? Nope. I said hand written, old fashioned letter, maybe even include a few pictures of the family, your pet, or a special vacation you went on. By the way, let them know how important they are to you.

12. Remember that God loves you, and according to Romans 8:28, all things work for the glory of God for those who love Him – even bad days.

Smiles!