Bad days happen to many of us. Something makes us sad, angry, frustrated or disappointed. But you still have to get up and go to work. Everything others say to you sounds stupid. Everyone seems to annoy you. Luckily, you can do something about it. Here are some ways to turn around a bad day.

Accept your bad mood.

Being in a bad mood is not that hard. If you’re mad, be mad. If you’re sad, be sad. This does not give you the license to be rude and unpleasant to others. It just means that you need to recognize and accept your bad mood to be able to do something.

Tell others you can try to keep your bad mood a secret and put on your happy mask. But you’re fooling nobody. The best thing to do is to tell the people you work closely with. Simply tell them “Listen, I’m in a really bad mood today. I’m not sure why, but it has nothing to do with you. If I bite your head off, I apologize in advance.”

Remember the good.

Spend a few moments to try thinking of at least one or two things that aren’t all bad: something you look forward to, such as a person you like at work or something nice that happened recently.

Take some quiet time.

Take a walk in your lunch break. Sit and work somewhere quiet. Take a long bathroom break. Consider going home early or taking the day off.

Do you know what to do when a fire happens?

If you can see smoke in the house, stay low to the ground. You’ll breathe less smoke if you stay close to the ground. Running out through a door should be your first choice, and ask your parents about windows if they would be possible escape routes. Even windows on a higher floor could be safe if you had help, like from a firefighter.

Ask your parents to teach you how to open the windows. Make sure you only do this in special time! Lots of kids are hurt because they fall out of windows. Sometimes, families have ladders(梯子). If you have one, ask your mom or dad to show you how to use it.

It’s common to worry about your pets or a favourite toy, but if there is a fire, you have to leave them behind. Once you’re out, do not go back in for anything—even pets. You can tell the firefighters about the pets and they may help you.

Everyone has their own personality traits (性格特点), but you may think some are not good for your growth. Of course, you can change yourself for the better if you want.

Face up to your faults (缺点). 【小题1】 Think about it carefully and write down the traits, like the ones that always get you into trouble. You can also ask a friend or a family member for help.

When you are talking with someone who knows you well, ask them what they think your faults are. Other people may help you see yourself more clearly. They can sometimes see some of your faults that you don’t know.

Put your ideas into practice. You can get started after you decide on the traits you want to change. But if you try to change many personality traits at once, you won’t be able to focus on (集中精力于) any of them. 【小题3】 To have a good beginning, you can start with easier ones.

Be patient. 【小题4】 It can take months or years for your new personality traits to really feel like you. But if you practice them long enough, you’ll make it in the end. Keep moving forward and don’t give up!