Hey friends 
Let’s be clear: I’m not those hustle pornstars you see on Instagram, but I believe in the beauty of hard work. After all, life is about finding your worthwhile struggle (a.k.a. problems you’d like to solve regardless of resources being put in). Happiness and satisfaction lie in overcoming challenges, not living a comfortable life.
That said, there will still be days you just wanna stay in bed. You don’t feel well. You “lack motivation”. Hence I’m sending you some tough love 💌
Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn:
✔️ How to show up even on your bad days
✔️ Emotion check-in
✔️ Why we should train our mind
Doable ideas 💭
Bad days are unavoidable; plan for it.
What do you do when you don’t want to show up?
What’s the “bare minimum” you would do to get through the day when you have low (read: no) energy?
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
– James Clear
The original quote applied to training and expectation but can be applied in goal-setting as well:
If we don’t have systems in place – whether that be a meal plan, workout program, productivity system or winding down routine, on any given bad day we will fall apart.
The process of achieving goals really isn’t sexy.
Show up, grind, rest, rinse and repeat.
Systems keep us accountable. Systems maintain our standards.
As a female with hormone fluctuations, I’m not a stranger to bad days. Here are my top 3 tips on navigating bad days with consistent wins:
- 📆 Planning. Specifically based on energy level. I track my cycle, and I plan my meals/activities accordingly. During “spring” and “summer” I schedule more social events and filming sessions. Ride the momentum. During “autumn” and “winter” I prioritise self-care, increase carb intake in my meal prep, and incorporate a deloading week if it hits me hard. Good planning = time & expectation management.
- 🤙🏻 Pay yourself first. I spend the first and last hour of the day on myself. I respect the time I give to myself; I keep a list of “happy places” and “my favourite things” to revisit during bad days. Self-care isn’t just about spas and holidays; it lies in the micro doses in our daily routine too.
- ⚠️ Put a warning sign. More on expectation management: during bad days it’s easy to let out our frustration on people around us. Communication is KEY. I will tell my loved ones I’m having a bad day, or “my hormones are everywhere” and I could really use some support or alone time. People will understand and respect the boundaries you set. By being somehow vulnerable, you also become more relatable. We’re all emotional creatures after all. Unfortunately this tip applies more on personal life than professional ones, hence the first 2 tips would be handy especially when you have a high-demanding job.
Reflections 🪞
How do I feel emotionally after finishing my work? Why do I feel that way?
Mindfulness 🧘🏻♀️
3 things I do to strengthen my mind:
1/ work out
2/ learn something new (current project: Turkish)
3/ journal
Build resilience, memory, problem-solving skills for a better life.
What would you add to the list?
Ideas Worth Pondering 🧠
In a chaotic world, your systems have to be antifragile.
When you work according to mental state and have the right slack in your systems, chaos doesn’t throw you off-balance.
Instead, chaos presents creative opportunities: Ideas you can store for when you need them.
– David Kadavy
If you enjoyed that, please share with others 🙂