8 Ways To Have Your Best Day Ever

Don’t sweat the small stuff

In a perfect world, every day would be sunny, we’d never gain weight and our checkbooks would always balance. But instead, stuff happens—and things don’t always go according to plan. Does that doom you to a day of misery? It doesn’t have to, says Jeffrey Rossman, PhD, director of Life Management at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass., and author
of The Mind-Body Mood Solution (Rodale, 2010). While we might not be able to change the situation, what we can do is change the way we react to it, he says. And that’s good, because a bad mood not only makes you feel tired and drained; it’s bad for your health and could even affect how long you live.

We’ll show you how to turn everyday gripes and annoyances into positives so you can maintain your sunny outlook all day long.

Here Are 8 ways to have your happy day.

1: You hit your alarm’s snooze button and overslept.

What to do right now: Don’t rush around at warp speed. Take your time, especially when you’re in a hurry, says Gretchen Rubin, author of the New York Times bestselling book The Happiness Project (Harper Collins, 2009). This may sound counterintuitive, but it works: “When you’re frantic, that’s the time you’ll forget your wallet, or get into a fight,” Rubin says. Instead, try to behave the way you wish you felt—calm, collected, and in control. Focusing on those feelings will soon make them a reality.
While you’re calmly going about your routine, pull open your curtains: Exposure to bright light gears up your mood-enhancing serotonin. And—for some extra mood-boosting insurance—put the alarm on the other side of the room so you won’t be tempted to use the snooze function tomorrow.

2: You’re stuck in traffic—and nowhere near your office.

What to do right now: While recent research has established that long commutes are associated with high blood pressure, higher weight, and lower fitness levels, stewing over traffic can also increase your blood pressure and thus interfere with your health. So, while it may seem cheesy, smile, even if you don’t feel like it. The effect is not only contagious, but the actual act of smiling and feeling your cheeks lift upward can fool you into feeling happy. Then pull over, call your office to let them know you’ll be late, and turn on your favorite tunes to create a more relaxing atmosphere as you merge back into traffic. Studies  show that people who listen to music in the car have lower respiration rates than those who don’t turn on the tunes.

3: Your boss hands you an unexpected assignment that needs to be finished by the end of the day.

What to do right now: While it’s okay to feel frustration, anger, and even fear, it’s not good to stay with those feelings for long. Negative moods are associated with negative outcomes like impaired performance.  Take a few deep breaths to take control of your body and mind, and then say this to yourself: “I can handle this; it’s a challenge rather than a threat.” Reminding yourself of other times you’ve performed well under pressure will help you realize that you can do it now, too, says Rossman.
Be prepared for situations like this in the future by keeping relaxing scents stashed in your desk drawer. Mixing lavender with bergamot oil decreases anxiety. Add the synergistic mixture to a room diffuser (like the ScentBall, available at amazon.com) to fill your workspace with a relaxing aroma. Or just sniff lavender on its own to enhance concentration.

4: It’s late afternoon and you’re ready to crash.

What to do right now: Have a mood-boosting snack. There is a bump in melatonin, the hormone that naturally puts your brain to sleep, between 2 and 4 p.m., says Drew Ramsey, MD, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and author of The Happiness Diet (Rodale, 2011). To increase your productivity and fight off that slump, try mixing healthy sugars and fats like goat cheese on cherry tomatoes, almond butter spread on a banana, or even a cup of green tea with a teaspoon of honey, he says.
And if you don’t have snacks on hand—jump up and down! It may feel goofy, but it works. “As adults, we’re so earthbound; something about getting your feet off the ground and doing something childlike can give you the quickest jolt of energy and good cheer,” says Rubin. If you’re afraid of looking silly, take five minutes to run up and down the stairs or go for a quick walk around the block—even short bursts of exercise can increase levels of serotonin, those brain chemicals that make us feel good

5: The friend you’ve been trying to get together with for months cancels tonight’s plans.

What to do right now: You might feel resentful and disappointed, but take a moment to consider that there may be a lot going on in her life that you might not know about, suggests Rubin. If you’re leaning toward confrontation, have a small nosh rich in the amino acid tryptophan: researchers found it can significantly decrease quarrelsome behaviors while increasing agreeable ones. Tryptophan-rich foods include dried chia seeds, chocolate, oats, bananas, dried dates, milk, cottage cheese, turkey, and peanuts . Then make sure you reschedule that get-together. Nurturing friendships helps not only your happiness, but your health, as well. Research has found that strong social connections can actually make us less susceptible to colds.

6: Your partner emails you at work and asks you to pick up his dry cleaning on your way home—as if you didn’t have enough to do today.

What to do right now: Although you may be tempted to throw the errand back in his face with a “What have you done for me lately?”, take a moment to realize this: altruistic behaviors (including helping another person and making them happy) are associated with greater well-being, health and longevity. “Don’t be a scorekeeper,” cautions Rubin.
So suck it up and run the errand for him. What may seem like an inconvenience now can pay dividends when you’re faced with tough days down the line, since positive emotions, like satisfaction from helping someone else, can play a big role in enhancing your own coping resources.

7: You get an angry email from a co-worker, clearly sent to you by mistake, complaining about your “attitude.”

What to do right now: Before you pound the keys with an angry response to the sender, calm yourself down and try to see the big picture, says Rossman. Acknowledge to yourself that you’re upset, then try to find compassion for the person who mistakenly included your name in the email. Forgiveness goes a long way toward not only unleashing your mental burden, but your physical one, too, leading to better health outcomes .
Whether you decide to respond to the email or ignore it, take a few minutes to meditate. Not only can it help you relax, it can help you make less emotional and more rational decisions.

8: You return home only to find that your poor dog’s bladder couldn’t wait. New area rug: ruined!

What to do right now: After you’ve wiped up the mess, resist reaching for the chocolate, alcohol, or TV remote, and thumb through your personal photos instead. When researchers at the United Kingdom’s Open University studied people’s moods, they found that the greatest boost came from viewing pictures. Or try seeking out some scenery. If you can’t take a walk outside, just looking at nature in photos or through a window can be calming. Research at Chonnam National University in South Korea found that views of mountains, forests and other landscapes produced heightened activity in the brain areas associated with positive outlook, emotional stability and happy memories.