How to have a rotten day

Step 1: When you wake up, be sure to focus on all the bad or worrisome things in your life. Do this before you have even gotten out of bed. It will set the tone for the entire day. Do not under any circumstances think of all the things you have going for you. Brains devote more space to things that are repeated. Thus, a brain practiced in looking for the good or being thankful for what is around them will do so easily and habitually. If you want to have a rotten day, you will need to guard against this.

Step 2: Delay getting up and going. If you can do this while also focusing on the less-than-spectacular aspects of your life, so much the better. And to truly get your day off to the worst start possible, delay getting up until you are well past your usual rising time. Being dressed and put together before heading out of the bedroom can make you feel organized and on top of things. This could very well derail your rotten day, so be sure to avoid it. Lounge around in pajamas for as long as possible.

Step 3: Do not make your bed or tidy your room. Do not underestimate the power of a made bed and tidy room to how your day will go. It seems like such a small thing, but since just entering or walking by a tidy room can lift your spirits throughout the day, it is best to avoid it. Leave the bed a mess, the dirty clothes on the floor, and the stacks of things to be put away. Every time you have to go into your room when it is in this state, will immediately contribute to the day's general rottenness. Not only is it messy, but also contributes to feelings of guilt that you cannot even get the bed made in the morning. This is definitely not a step to slack on.

Step 4: Do not smile at your family. Smiling, too, is one of the underestimated actions. It is a physical signal to your brain that all is not as bad as it could be. This is antithetical to a rotten day, and needs to be avoided. The plus side to not smiling is that you will probably be contributing to someone else's rotten day and helping the mood of the entire house to plummet.

Step 5: Do not go outside if you can help it, and if you do have to leave the house, be sure it is only for errands you do not enjoy. Being outside can too easily lift one's spirits. There is always the chance you will see something beautiful, and the calming aspect of nature needs to be guarded against. Stay inside!

Step 6: Sit as much as possible. Activity is too useful as a mood uplifter, so needs to be avoided. Much better just to sit. Sitting and brooding is even better. Sitting, brooding, and frowning will give a significant boost to the rotten day.

Step 7: Under no circumstances should you do laundry, dishes, or any other activity which promotes tidiness. Mess and filth are what you are after to really promote a bad attitude and a rotten day. Piles of things which need to be taken care are much more useful for brooding on in their disreputable state. Even putting in one load of laundry could cause a cascade of productiveness, which in turn could turn a rotten day around.

Step 8: Do not engage in pleasant hobbies or activities. Distracting yourself with an activity which usually makes you happy is courting disaster if you truly want to have a rotten day. Losing yourself, and thus forgetting your unhappiness, can have dire consequences. Let those activities sit. It would be even better if you let them sit, and then feel guilty about the money you have spent on them when you don't do them every day.

Step 9: Deal with other's disregulation. If you are lucky, and have followed the above steps, a family member will become disregulated and also be having a rotten day. Children who do not feel 100% secure in their family are prime targets for this type of event. If a parent is so grumpy and unhappy, it must be their fault, with the ultimate conclusion being that the parent does not love them anymore. Getting the child back on track will probably not help the general trajectory of the day, and will ultimately add to its rottenness.

Step 10: Do not go to bed early. Sleep is a powerful antidote to a rotten day, so you don't want to resort to it too soon. A tired brain is one that is much better at brooding and seeing the down side of things. Make use of this, and be sure to sit and brood as long as possible before getting into bed.

There you go. If you follow these instructions carefully, you are pretty much guaranteed a genuinely rotten day. It can be a marathon, but you can do it!
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Yesterday was kind of rotten. I did not follow step 10, and today has been much better.

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