From Chaos to Calm: Simple Strategies to Reclaim Your Day

By 8:36 AM the average person knows that they’re going to have a bad day. At least according to the findings of a poll of 2,000 Americans. The survey also determined we experience four bad days a month which adds up to 48 days a year. When the math refuses to work in our favor, we have to take the reigns.

Murphy's law states: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time." We get it, it’s hard to think good thoughts when you just spilled coffee on your shirt before an important meeting with a client. It takes meditative practice to remain unfazed by traffic when you’re in a rush. And when you realize you also forgot your office keys at home, your heart has every right to skip a beat.

Still, in those instances, and in all instances ever, we are only guaranteed the present moment and nothing more. Whenever you want to pick up a plate and smash it to smithereens in anger—which, we agree, can be therapeutic in its own way—precious minutes of your one life slip away, never to return. So maybe we can do something to obliterate the stressors rather than tableware?

“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

We will never eliminate all the bumps in the road. However, somewhere in between morning meditation and your first cup of coffee (careful with that crisp white shirt), a subtle realization may appear out of nowhere. Maybe you suddenly identify a trigger that always throws you off course. Perhaps a spark of courage flickers in your heart to break up with a toxic person. Whatever it is, small fixes in the fabric of your current reality can stitch together a much stronger future.

Grab a needle and thread. Here are three quick tactics to save the present moment from falling apart:

1. Put distance between yourself and distress

Instead of thinking, “I am overwhelmed”, buffer the statement with “I am having the thought that I am overwhelmed”. This will lessen the blow of the situation by turning you into an observer rather than an active participant.

2. Recite a positive affirmation

We have plenty of those in our arsenal but allow us to recommend our newest addition to the collection: Mindful Affirmations by Valeria Lipovetsky. Each card offers an affirmation on one side and an inspirational quote on the other so feel free to use both as positive distractions. If you do not wish to purchase the deck, here are some examples for you:

In every moment, the universe reveals opportunities aligned with my vision.

My spirit is unbreakable and powerful. It is the source of my strength.

I am deserving of every good thing that happens in my life.

3. Google a fun fact

Here’s one: phantom settlements. We’ll leave this link here for your moment of need so you can divert your attention towards something more constructive. And if paper towns are common knowledge to you, Wikipedia has your back with endless other trivia. The joys of learning can dispel dark clouds.

In the words of American entrepreneur and author Tim Ferriss, “Your life is made up of a series of ordinary Tuesdays. Figure out what your ideal normal Tuesday looks like. Because if you can have an amazing Tuesday, you’ll probably have an amazing life.”

This is called living with intention and is precisely the strategy you need to design the reality of your dreams. Not everything is possible, but in the steadiness of consistent and purposeful choices, anything is. Every single moment, without exception, contributes something to your life. Sweeping shifts and lifequakes are welcome but you can also leave drama for the theater. Tell your story in tiny improvements and micro habits, it’s a much more sustainable game plan.

Reading 20 pages a day adds up to 30 books in a year. 10K steps a day is 70 marathons per year. Small actions lead to big results. Minimal, yet consistent forward motions―that’s what manifesting really is. When you picture what you want to achieve―the grandest, most spectacular life authentic to who you are―you dream, you affirm, and then you act. There are no results without action.

Here’s something helpful: the 888 rule. Divide the day into three blocks; eight hours for sleep, eight hours for work, and eight hours for you. The "you" hours could be split throughout the day however you please to fit your schedule and lifestyle. A bit of organization and a few clear boundaries between everything that happens in a day will help you separate stressors from dreams, work from self-care, and chaos from peace. Balance in your day means balance in your life.

Above all, be patient with yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day and anyway, it’s the journey that matters. Take it in your stride, grow at your own pace, and before you know it, you’ll look back on your path and notice how much has changed for the better.