Keep your chin up.
By Emily Ratay — Written on Dec 27, 2017
Have you ever had one of those days where it felt like a struggle just to get out of bed and put real clothes on? And no, I don’t mean because you’re still drunk from the night before.
I mean the kind of day that feels like it’s going to be crappy because you’ve been dealing with some difficult stuff that doesn’t seem like it’s getting better anytime soon.
Yeah, those days can knock the motivation right out of you. I have dealt with those days before and probably not in the healthiest of ways.
But sometimes, you need to call it quits and go back to bed when you’re feeling that awful.
Other times when you're having a bad day and feeling down, you need to say, “nope, not today!” and show those dark thoughts and negative emotions who’s boss.
Of course, saying this and doing this are two different things. You could sit here and make a list of all the things you could get done today, but if you don’t actually do it, you end up feeling like a failure.
But sometimes, it isn’t as easy as just pushing through the emotions you’re feeling and coming out the other end unscathed.
These are the days when it feels like you’ve gone ten rounds with an MMA fighter emotionally.
My point is, every day is different. And a lot of the time, you’re not going to have your ideal day.
But how you handle this day can help you deal with more days in the future when you feel broken or depressed. The best way to deal with these days is with strength.
If you can find the strength to remove yourself from situations you know aren’t going to help you, or ask for help even when you know you don’t want to, then you’re already halfway to a having a better day.
It won’t be easy, but that’s what practice is for.
You don’t have to be a pro at something when you first start. If you were, you’d be flawless, and only Beyoncé is flawless… And maybe Rihanna, too.
But if you constantly practice having the strength to get through even the worst days, even if you slip every once in a while, you’ll notice a difference in your mood, yes, but also in your ability to handle the things life throws at you – no matter how hard it throws them.
And one piece of advice I can give you when you look for things to help keep you on the track to staying strong is this: surround yourself with strong people and words that resonate with you.
Mantras, quotes about strength, song lyrics even — someone out there has already said what you need to hear.
To help get you started, here are some quotes about strength that will get you in the right mindset to kick your next bad day’s ass.
If you're searching for the best quotes and memes to share with the people you love (or just want to feel inspired yourself) ... look no further! From the sweetest love quotes, inspirational sayings, and hilarious friendship truths, we've got you covered.
On bringing kindness to a bad day.
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"When you have a bad day, a really bad day, try and treat the world better than it treated you." — Patrick Stump
On wisdom and courage.
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"Give me the wisdom to know what must be done and the courage to do it."
On the strength of your spirit.
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"It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit." — J.R.R. Tolkein
On testing your will.
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"Life has a way of testing a person's will, either by having nothing happen at all or by having everything happen at once." — Paulo Coelho
On staying positive.
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"Stay positive even when it feels like your whole world is falling apart."
On never giving up.
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"You're allowed to scream, you're allowed to cry, but do not give up."
On thanking the world for your struggles.
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"No matter how much it hurts now, someday, you will look back and realize your struggles changed your life for the better."
On making the right choice.
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"When something bad happens, you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you."
On when to be strong.
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"You have to be at your strongest when you're feeling at your weakest."
On being just as tough as life is.
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"Life is tough, darling, but so are you." — Stephanie Bennett-Henry
On having hope.
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"At the end of the day, all you need is hope and strength. Hope that it will get better and strength to hold on until it does."
On making yourself strong and doing the work.
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"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." — Carlos Castenada
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On embracing the struggle.
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"Embrace the struggle and let it make you stronger. It won't last forever."
On telling yourself it's going to be okay.
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"You're going to be okay."
On pushing onwards.
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"Strength grows in the moments you can't go on, but you keep going anyway."
On reminding yourself not to give up.
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"Don't you dare give up on this life. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not ever."
On fighting through bad days to the good ones.
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"You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life."
On getting back up after getting knocked down.
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"Sometimes, you have to get knocked down lower than you have ever been to stand back up taller than you ever were."
On deepening your roots.
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"Storms make trees take deeper roots."
On making the choice to be strong no matter what.
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"You never realize how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have."