How to rescue a bad day (when emotions got the best of you)

This day could’ve been called Hot Sauce and Other Fiery Darts from Hell.

But officially, it was just Thursday.

Let me explain…

Thursday is usually my favorite day of the week. But I wasn’t ready.

I’d stayed up way too late redecorating at 1:30 a.m. (inspired and delusional). Forgot we only had one car and I’d need to take my husband to work early.

No quiet time with God. Strike one.

I tried a new workout video—one of those where the cueing starts mid-move and you’re expected to already be on your second squat. Frustrated, I gave up and moved on to appointments.

Still hadn’t paused to fuel up with the Lord. Strike two.

The appointments ran long. The rest of my to-dos began tipping like dominoes. You know the kind of day.

Still hadn’t opened my Bible. Strike three.

Then came the math lesson with my teen.

Now listen. Math is… not my gift. My family’s favorite pastime is mocking my calculations. If you ask me what 12 x 10 is, I won’t just add a zero. I’ll ramble through a confusing equation involving division, subtraction, and possibly interpretive dance.

They laugh. I join them. But today? It hit different.

My patience was gone.

The cherry on top? I had to drive a friend somewhere in my car… the one with the broken AC. In Midwest humidity. That week, we’d just drained our savings to fix it. And it still wasn’t working.

Cue meltdown.

I am typically mellow. But sweating and sticking to the pleather like a 2-million-sweat-gland sprinkler system pushed me over the edge.

Ugly emotions erupted.

It wasn’t pretty. Or holy.

And if you’ve had a day like this, you know: the worst part is knowing exactly how immature you’re acting. And being powerless to stop it.

We Overload Ourselves

We overcommit, overextend, overthink… and we become overwhelmed.

We forget: When we react, we give our power away. When we respond, we keep it.

“When you react, you let others control you. When you respond, you are in control.”
—Bohdi Sanders

But how can we respond well when we’re bone-dry inside?

We can’t give what we don’t have.

Fill Your Peace Reserves First

We must withdraw in order to be restored.

Otherwise, even the smallest trigger—like a hot sauce packet from Taco Bell—can become our undoing. (Yes, that happened. My family laughed. I eventually did too.)

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty.” —Proverbs 16:32

If we don’t create margin, we can’t hold our ground. The darts will keep flying—and we’ll keep melting down.

But when we retreat with God, even briefly, He replenishes what we’ve lost.

My Reminder for You (and Me)

You’re allowed to have a bad day.

But don’t let it define you.

Take the cue to slow down. Laugh where you can. Cry if you need to. And then come back to center.

Grace is still available. Mercy is new tomorrow.

(And if the air conditioning breaks again, maybe skip Taco Bell.)

Need Help Regrouping? Try These Resources:

• The Art of Rest: Faith To Hit Pause In A World That Never Stops
• Peace with the Psalms: 40 Readings to Relax Your Mind and Calm Your Heart
• Find Peace: A 40-day Devotional Journey For Moms
• How to Keep House While Drowning: 31 days of compassionate help
• The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You (ps, I am an HSP, are you?)
• Disclosure: I only recommend products I do/would use myself. This post contains affiliate links that at NO additional cost to you, may earn me a small commission to help support this blog.