We’ve all got them, those awful-no-good-very-bad days. They can’t be stopped, so here are a few suggestions to help you get through them.

Obviously, when you are upset, you should not get behind the wheel of a car, but this advice applies to just about anything. You really shouldn’t make major decisions or take on important responsibilities while you’re in a funk because doing so would lead to a worse outcome than if you’d just waited until your mind was cleared.

At work, too, I like to follow this motto. I’m going to put off things I know I want to take seriously, and when I’m in a decent mood, they’re better handled. This isn’t always, of course, an choice.

Attend an Important Call

A client wants to chat about their upcoming renewal or a prospective partner wants to talk through some ideas. The thing is, you’ve woken up on the wrong side of bed, spilled coffee all over yourself, and are about to scream out of frustration and it’s only 10 AM.

Conversation

Maybe it’s on your to-do list for today to give your co-worker some tough feedback. If you’re still in a bad mood, controlling your frustration or disappointment and handling the conversation appropriately becomes almost impossible.

Respond to an Email 

An email that sends you into a tailspin just when things can’t get worse. The icing on this cake? Your boss has just come back to you about the report you sent, and a nerve is hit by their delayed and curt response.

Submit a Key Assignment

Your manager is awaiting a significant written plan from you by the end of the day today. But you’re persuaded that, with your day in a steady nosedive, you’re not going to make it until then, and definitely not with a stellar product in your possession.

Decisions

Everyone is waiting for you to decide on your monthly budget or the initiative in which to move forward. How would you possibly make a decision like that now?

Again, if something isn’t urgent, extending the deadline so that you make the best decision for everyone involved is probably wise. If you do this, you’ll want to let any waiting parties know you’re on it and pledge to get back to them at a certain time on a certain day so that everyone has the same hopes.

Conclusion

It’s not a cake walk to get through a particularly bad day, particularly when you have to confront one of these brutal situations. The main thing to keep in mind is that it doesn’t happen very much these days, which means you should have confidence that these kinds of problems will be easier to manage most of the time.