Remedies for a Bad Day

There are days when nothing seems to go right. Perhaps you had an argument with a co-worker or a loved one or missed out on something you were looking forward to. We all know that it happens to everyone and whatever has irked us probably won’t matter in the long run but that knowledge doesn’t always soothe. The irritation of jangled nerves still prickles.

I have a few remedies that I use almost every time I find myself stuck in a day like that. They have all been effective and none are to be considered better than the other. In fact, I’ve often used them in combination. The first among equals is listening to music that I enjoy, preferably perky with an up tempo beat. First just listening and eventually singing along to familiar songs can brighten the gloomiest moods. Maybe songs just stir up memories of happier times.

Taking a shower as soon as I get home is another tactic I’ve used. Especially on days when I would return from work in a dark mood and even a harmless line from my brother would spark a full-fledged battle given my state of mind. Instead, going straight up to my room, dropping my bag and jumping straight into the shower was the best thing to do. There’s something therapeutic about letting cool or warm water (depending on the weather) wash away the day's weariness while the gentle fragrance of a shower gel being lathered with a loofah soothes fatigued muscles. Even more relaxing is the scalp massage that accompanies washing one’s hair. Just standing under the shower head with water flowing over you is calming. As is the sound of water. I can say with assurance that you’ll step out in a better mood than when you went in.

The third remedy is to go for a walk. It helps burn off the agitated energy of an angsty day. Depending on where you live, stepping out for a walk may mean different things. In Delhi, it meant the paved lanes of a gated colony for me. Thankfully, it was quiet and there were quite a few trees and I would often meet the neighbourhood dogs.

Here in Belgaum, it’s more scenic but harder on my feet. A rough mud track pitted with stones running alongside fields of corn, cabbage, chillies and rice, depending on the season. The rays of the setting sun over fields flush with vegetation while others lie fallow, resting in deep brown furrows. And the breeze, cool and blowing unhindered. And of course, at least one or two of our dogs come along for company. Sometimes, I like to sit by the stream that flows through the fields and watch shepherds grazing their sheep. No treadmill can match that feeling.

Walking alongside paddy fields with Cindy

Going for a walk is also an opportunity to commune with nature. Now, I’m not under the mistaken impression that most people are walking through some kind of mystical forest when they go for a walk. Sadly, it’s usually a tarmac road between rows of buildings. But if you have the chance, take a walk in a park or along a path that has some trees or plants. It’ll make all the difference.

There’s something deeply healing about walking in nature. Perhaps, we pick up nature’s unhurried ways subliminally. I believe the Japanese have a word for it – shinrinyoku, which when translated, broadly means ‘forest bath’ or taking a walk in the forest for its restorative benefits.

To see nature at work in the shrinking of a touch-me-not, the falling leaves of a tree or a squirrel saving up nuts for the winter is calming in its predictability but also in the endless hope that nature offers to all its creations. Things pan out just fine. Even tiny plants with their minute flowers bloom even though they can’t compete with oak trees. A tree shorn of all its leaves isn’t worried about the future. The leaves will return, come spring. And the squirrel will live through the winter even if it drops a nut or two on its way home. And none of this need to be thought of, consciously. It just seeps in. A kind of osmosis.

The last of my tried and tested remedies is to go to bed early. My reasoning being that if I’m having a bad day, why prolong it? Going to bed a little earlier than usual helps me grab some extra and much-needed shuteye with the additional benefit of no longer having to think unhappy thoughts of what ruined my day in the first place in addition to side-stepping the risk of making it worse.

The next morning, things are invariably brighter, both literally and metaphorically.