by Nicole Mensen, Dubuque Bank & Trust and YP Co-Director of Student Outreach

Spring is so close but so far away. The days are getting longer, which is great, but the winter blues are still there. I know I can’t be the only one who wakes up on a cold winter day thinking, “Can’t I stay in this warm bed for two more hours?” Or maybe you hit snooze a few too many times because you just don’t feel like popping out of bed to get your day started! What about the days that nothing seems to be going right? The day you spilled your coffee, you forgot to set your alarm, you made an error in your work, or maybe just struggling with mental health.

Those days can feel awful and can be hard to handle. Staying positive, for some, takes work on a typical day, but on those days that feel completely off, it can be even more difficult.

So, how do you handle days like that? Here are some of my  go-to ideas for staying optimistic on hard days:

• Keeping a gratitude journal, or even revisiting it
• Surrounding yourself with good and positive people
• Spend time outdoors - go for a walk, read a book outside, get some Vitamin D!
• Share – talk about your feelings with others
• Take a 6-second pause when you feel your emotions overwhelming you
• Limit screen time from social media
• Think of a time in your life that you were genuinely happy
• Keep an open mind - practice makes progress
• Listen to a song that you know will lift your attitude
• Get a good laugh
• Remember that we all have hard days - a smile at a stranger can go so far

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