Declare it a bad day.

Sometimes you just have a bad day. No reasons, no excuses, not your fault. It happens.

It took me a long time to leverage this reasoning. I used to over-analyze, believing that if I could "figure out" why I had a bad day, I could prevent future bad days.

A tricky and cunning justification for overthinking. That mindset can trap you. Of course, there’s some truth to it: if we identify something that derailed our day—bad sleep, a negative interaction, or overworking—we can try to address it next time.

But that’s not always the case. Sometimes you just have a bad day. Even if there’s a reason behind it, the search for that reason can sometimes be more costly than what you discover.

Overthinking and searching for a justification can cause the mind to spin out in rumination, pulling it away from the present moment and limiting the ability to take meaningful action. Don’t fall into that trap.

I’ve had a few off days this week. No real reason—at least none worth over-analyzing. I’ve been experimenting with simply calling it a bad day, accepting a low mood, and moving through the day with some gentleness toward myself.

It turns out that moving through is much more effective than thinking through.

Next time you come across a bad day, try just leaving it at that. Declare it and then move on. Tomorrow is another day.