“The pleasure lasts a minute, but then feelings of guilt, loss of control, and other negative consequences just deepen the lousiness of the day. So when you find yourself thinking, ‘I’ll feel better after I have a few beers…a pint of ice cream…a cigarette…a new pair of jeans,’ ask yourself – will it REALLY make you feel better? It might make you feel worse.”
Insight courtesy of Gretchin Rubin at The Happiness Project. Among other tips she lists for dealing with a really lousy day, she advises resisting the urge to “treat” yourself and:
Seek inner peace through outer order. Soothe yourself by tackling a messy closet, an untidy desk, or crowded countertops. The sense of tangible progress, control, and orderliness can be a comfort. This always works for me – and fortunately, my family is messy enough that I always have plenty of therapeutic clutter at hand.