The remedy for a rough day 

Rough beginnings

There’s no good reason today was a rough day. I’m well, did some work, saw some friends, and my loved ones are doing well (a few minor afflictions, but nothing to write home about). I did, however, have one of those days where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed (or in this case, sleep at 2AM, resulting in waking up for intermittent meetings and pretending to fall asleep again and again until you can’t take it anymore and get your day started at noon).

Is this my fault? Absolutely. Could’ve not done a million things, including:

• a late workout
• eating late
• working on an electronics project (my mirror) until 1:30AM
• being on my phone at night, doomscrolling away

But alas, I truly got out of bed at noon in a haze and certainly not in a great mood. I was able to salvage part of the day by heading to a café and working with my friend, running into three more along the way, but the moment I headed home, the fog encircled me again. Grumpy me isn’t a being that comes out a lot, but it’s not the most fun sight. Low energy, not the kindest to my roommate, and certainly not interested in any extracurricular activities, so I spent the last sunny hours of the day watching some comfort TV (FRIENDS) and on my phone - spectacular, I know. The lack of remaining sunny days in Seattle definitely didn’t help my case, and nor did the tinge of loneliness associated with my friends being reasonably busy this random evening.

Saving the day

After almost dozing off a few times, I decided the rest of my evening was worth attempting to salvage. Heated up some leftovers in the fridge, switched into my workout clothes, denied an invite to play some games (actually, my phone’s storage denied it), and headed on my grueling 4-and-a-half minute walk to the gym.

The nice thing about this hobby is it’s always great to clear the mind. My daylist almost always hits, and chill r&b clean girl tuesday evening carried me today. Super representative of me. Pull days are some of the best to do in solitude - not draining the same way hitting a bench or squats are. As you’d expect, it wasn’t my best work, but making slow progress and struggling through the reps is a great way to not be feeling down:

Despite really enjoying the gym, the best part, save for a bench PR, is always leaving. In this mode, my brain’s finally releasing those great chemicals and all of a sudden I’ve accomplished something - life feels better. I got to walk home on cloud 9, dancing to the first song Spotify wanted to serve me from an old Bollywood radio - one before my time.

Today, I learned how long Jooma Chumma De De was, and also that it had a “Jooma” in its title. Many cars on my street also had to be inconvenienced by what can only be described as slow, emotive dance that I’d only ever bring out in private. I even caught a few smiles from drivers being interrupted, so I knew I’d made a day or two if not my own. I also learned how long this song was (8 minutes is just excessive).

Weirdly, this walk back saved my day. I’m writing this, I’ll wrap up some work, and then feel somewhat ready to sleep a bit early - hopefully without the doomscrolling. That sounds like the end to many days, and not the worst one either. I’ll probably assist with Melatonin - something else I’d never recommend someone take on a normal day - but I think it’s a good way to make sure tomorrow isn’t derailed, so I’ll concede it.

Today, I sad with discomfort, and that in itself is a win. I’ll see you tomorrow for a day that may not be better, but surely one that’ll be different.

- Maanav