Turning a bad day around

I know I'm not the only one who sometimes has a bad day. Whether that be a complete lapse of proper eating (meaning eating to excess and eating food that should not be on any food guide!); or a day when life tugs you in ten different directions. The most apparent thing to me on those days, is my utter lack of energy and inability to muster any desire to improve that energy, or improve my negative state of mind.

In the recesses of my brain, I know I've been there many times before and it's crucial that I find a way to improve my mood. If not, lethargy sets in, exercise doesn't happen and my food choices are terrible. This then leads to the next day being one of low energy and poor food. It is the classic rut.

This raises the question for all of us; what can you do right now, not tonight, not tomorrow, not next week, that will give you a feeling of ‘joy' or ‘purpose' or at least a sense of self?

For me, it's being outdoors. Fresh air, nature; not the four walls of an office or apartment. For you, it may be something else.

Recently I had one of those days. I had no energy at the end of the day, and there was a strong likelihood of chips or popcorn for supper as cooking is not one of my strong suits! Fortunately I was driving my daughter home. It was sunny. I suggested we try a run (believe me, I was hoping she would say no). My knees these days complain with each step and the discomfort can be debilitating. She said ‘yes'. We started, breath short, knees yelling at me, but we kept going. Soon we hit the canal path and headed south. I began to feel great. Emotionally uplifted. It was not a long run, but at the end, my energy was back, my focus was there and I went home and listened to a couple of medical lectures and reviewed a lecture by Dr. Fung which is one of my favourite ones he gave on fasting.

What happened? You see, most low energy comes from serotonin and dopamine dropping. Sun, exercise, fresh air, nature, raised these emotional neuropeptides. I've always known that if I can just force myself to start, I will feel great at the end (during is questionable).

For you, is it a walk? Reading a book? Visiting friends? Possibly it's sitting with a cup of tea and journaling what you are feeling about and what you want to get done tomorrow. Whatever it is, we need to find that thing and do it. At your lowest of low, force yourself to do it. As the book I mentioned in my last letter talked about, we have to learn to eliminate negative chatter, otherwise we become inert and feel helpless and hopeless.

We talk about balance in life. This is fine, but what I want everyone to do is find their own joy however small it seems, and do it. Otherwise all those other aspects of our lives suffocate our ability to feel good about how disciplined we have become about our eating. They diminish that real sense of accomplishment at the end of the day when we did not give into treats, and did do activity.

Get out in the sun whenever you can. Sit on a bench and just enjoy it for 10 minutes or go for a walk. If you have a house, sit on the back porch and read, don't stay inside unless the weather doesn't permit it.

Turn the negativity around as quickly as you can. Find something you can do to prevent inertia (physical and mental); I will heed my own advice. Once I finish writing this, I will get on my kayak machine and do 30 minutes of low intensity exercise as I listen to a medical lecture. I will look after my body and mind. You might turn on a good podcast. A "TED” talk? And walk, or do some stretches—any kind of movement.

We will work together to learn to turn those ‘bad' days around. Each time we do, it becomes easier.

You can do it. Never give up. Look for solutions and don't ever allow the, ‘why me', "it's not working”, to float in your brain.

Dr. Doug