We all have good days, and we have not so good. Occasionally we have something that could rightly be described as a bad day!

Our measure of good and bad are relative of course, and we could say much about perspective when discussing how we see and respond to the challenges we face.

However, this is not a discussion about perspective.

What I want to tackle here is how to wrestle a ‘bad’ day to the floor. A day when you feel zero motivation to makes forward strides. Even crawling an inch toward your goals may feel painful.

On those days, when inspiration is in short supply, and motivation is meh, I have my own palette of positive responses I choose from, depending how in-a-funk I feel…

https://davidleemartin.com/good-days-bad-days-and-avoiding-burnout/

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One of the rarely talked about aspects of trying to live a productive life is the danger that sometimes in our desire to produce more, in our desire to make the most of our time, some people can end up just literally burning out. They just expend themselves and end up and like in a situation where they don’t have much juice left in the engine. And I mean, truth be told, you know, most of us have good days. We have some days that are not so good.

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And occasionally we have a day that could really rightly be described as a bad day. Obviously a measure of what’s good and bad, maybe quite relative, and to a degree is a matter of perspective. But what I want to talk about really is how do we handle those bad days? How do we wrestle those bad days to the floor? And, you know, the days that I’m talking about are really where we just feel zero motivation to make any strides forward.

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And, you know, even the idea of crawling a few inches may feel painful. So on the days when inspiration is in short supply and motivation is at best, may I have a palette of reasonably positive responses that I choose from depending how deep in the fog I feel, you know? So I’m going to share those with you in today’s episode. Hopefully they might be helpful and it may just remind you of some of your ways and may kind of give you a few more that you can have on your palette that you can utilise when you’re kind of feeling a somewhat depleted.

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You know, one of the first ways that I handle those kind of days is I simply quit for the day and go and I go do something. What I have that I would describe as totally out of my head and like out of my head. I don’t mean go down the pub and drink a bottle of wine. I’m not talking like classic 60s or naughty 90s out of the head. I’m talking about just out of that mental gymnasium that sometimes we creatives can live in and just get out in nature.

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You know, I, I personally love somewhere I can connect with the world outside, whether it be on the hills, in the forests by the ocean, and just take time to remember that the universe really does not revolve around me or any project that I might be engaged in. There is a big and a beautiful world out there for us to enjoy. And our father in heaven is the one who made it and he gave it to us. He literally we have inherited all that Jesus Christ purchased for us.

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And it’s a good idea sometimes I think, to go and make the most of that and enjoy what what’s ours, you know, and just just remember that, you know, how ever we feel in that moment. There is something greater, something bigger, and there’s this awesome world out there. But I think even more there is an awesome creator and a father who cares for us. And his creation speaks of that care, you know, number two, and this is a bit more kind of at home.

00:03:42.100]
I tidy my work in my living space. I really do find I mean, this is a go to for me. I find if I unclutter unclutter things very hands on, very physical, but it has enormous emotional and spiritual benefits. I’ve really found that I found that depression and discouragement can sometimes result from overwhelm and overwhelm is often accompanied by disorganisation. So, you know, this this kind of thing often manifests for me in a messy office or a living space.

00:04:15.700]
And just downing my tools to take time to, like, create a peaceful space makes a huge difference in my motivational mindset and sometimes can shift me into a completely different creative space. Number three, I choose to tackle less taxing activities and just kind of wipe them out of my mind. Sometimes I think we can feel overwhelmed because we’ve allowed a backlog of small tasks, maybe boring tasks, not the ones that we would necessarily choose to do. You know, about lots of little tasks that need to be done.

00:04:53.920]
I just niggle away at us. And so sometimes when I’m not feeling motivated, creative or inspired, I will choose to. Away at some of those less taxing, potentially, usually pretty boring, uninspiring tasks, but like getting them off my desk, getting them out of my head and off my desk sometimes is a real, real helpful. You know, and those little things that are left undone can often be like the little foxes that keep just kind of niggling away at us often then things that aren’t fun to do.

00:05:30.060]
But just taking the time to, you know, take in some of that down time, if you like, where we’re not really firing on all cylinders to chip away at some of those is quite a positive way to utilise that kind of dip. I change at number four. I change my pace and I change my space. And I head out of the door, get out to a coffee shop, get out like I’m quite close to the seafront where I am, get out to the seafront, get out to a park, take my laptop with me and actually work in a different space with a different view.

00:06:09.930]
That alone sometimes can just that change of positioning in the natural can sometimes change the positioning emotionally and spiritually and creatively and kind of kick things back into gear. And number five, and this is this is really, I think, quite an important one. I just remind myself that I’m human and that, you know, sometimes it’s okay to feel really you, like, just feel bad. You know, it’s just some days just don’t work out and it’s okay to feel like a bit crap.

00:06:46.230]
Forgive me. Forgive my language. You know, sometimes you’ve just got to confess up and just let your disappointment and discouragement to hang out, you know, and don’t be so hard on yourself. Sometimes Liv dumps on us and then, like on top of that, we pile guilty feelings about being unhappy that we’ve been dumped on. You know, that really doesn’t help the situation. Just give yourself permission to go through. They go through the dip and come out the other end.

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You know, I generally just run and spill my guts out in prayer in the end, like the wonderfully generous presence of the father. And even even if it is even if it turns the air somewhat negative, I know that his shoulders are big enough to handle it. And he will always come in on the back of my complaints and find a way to encourage me back to a place of vision and positivity. So, you know, sometimes you just got to let it hang out.

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But just be careful who and where you let it hang out. It’s okay, I think, to share it with close friends where there’s some kind of accountability. It’s great to share it, obviously, with your partner, with your spouse, and of course, with the Holy Ghost every single time. But do be careful. Don’t just let it all hang out like an all over kind of social media and everywhere else, because that really it’s not helpful for you.

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It’s not helpful for others, you know, often times. And then number six, I really prioritise prayer and presence. You know, my wife of my wife is so good Lord is such a beautiful lady. She just lets me know, like David. Have you been praying, darling? Have you been praying or do you need to pray? And she knows that when I start getting out of sorts, it’s probably because I’ve not kind of taken time to just be in the father’s presence.

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You know, I find that a lack of inspiration is usually due literally to a lack of inspiration. Inspiration literally means God breathed, you know, and God’s words are active. We need to set aside time, let him speak. And, you know, when he speaks because his words are active, it leads to movement. But his pace is always the pace of peace. Coming back to the father and hearing his encouragement to continue just will make a world of difference.

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And instead of frantically trying to produce a bunch of freed myself know I choose to, I just come into his presence, lean back into him and remember that increase and inexpressible joy are found only in him, not in not in like physical favours of man or 8a to the joy isn’t found in even the results of all our great work. You know, he is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the one who carries us from glory to glory.

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He is the fountain of joy. He is our all in all. And there are cool waters and fresh fields of grace that are always available for us, if we will take advantage of that. Take his hand and let him lead us. And I’d be interested to kind of know how you face your days and you know, what keys can you share that might help others refire and move forward with the sense of God’s blessing and hope for their future.

00:10:36.800]
Hopefully these kind of six things in my palette may be helpful for you. And, you know, you may be able to add them to your your own. So even on the down days, even when there’s a funky day, even when you’re in the in the deep, you know, you can turn that day into something that will be positive, helpful, beneficial, and move you forward, even if it’s only the tiniest of inches or millimetres.

00:11:07.060]
God bless you and have a great day. Thanks for listening. Well, thanks for listening. Hopefully it’s been an encouragement to you today, if you want to connect any further, you can do so through my website at Davidleemartin.com. Have a great day.