Bad day? Suck it up.

If you've been following my posts, you'll know I'm a fan of positive psychology and that I'm a fan of Martin Seligman. His work has been central in building positive psychology as a distinct discipline. I heard him give a talk about his work in positive psychology and I was very inspired by him and the work he presented. This produced two posts I wrote about: 3 Good Things and Can I Rule the World Now

So where does this field of psychology take me today? Seligman's work has been mainly with people who suffer depression in its many forms. And one of the key insights he offered to us (his audience) was this. Sometimes you have bad days, and that's just life. Now that's hardly profound, but it is important not to overlook it. We can get so caught up with positive attitudes, constructive conversations, collaboration, engagement activities, and generally making life an enjoyable experience.

But sometimes it's just shit. And there's not a lot you can do about it. Just accept that you're having a bad day. It will pass. You know it will. But whilst it's happening just get on and do your thing. Don't wallow in it. Moan to your friends if you have to. But ultimately just do what you're here to do. You know, work. You're still capable of doing that. You're still capable of fulfilling your day to day job details. You're still capable of interacting with other people.

And that's it. That's your bag. Most days we have are good days. And those shit days, are just shit.