If You Think You’re Having A Terrible Day, These People Beg To Differ

There are days when the air seems to have a whiff of positivity. You make the bus on time, breeze through the traffic, and excitedly skip to wherever you need to be. And then there are times when your alarm doesn’t go off for some reason, and you scramble to get ready just for a million things to go wrong. The sandwich you went to put in your mouth drops on the ground and the train you hoped to catch was so overcrowded all you could do was watch it take off into the distance. 

But it can worsen, and people on this list are living proof of that. If you’re having a bad day yourself, scroll down to find comfort in knowing that others have it tougher than you, and don’t forget to share the most unfortunate things that turned your day upside down. 

While you’re at it, be sure to check out a conversation with an expert in positive psychology, Ruth Steggles, and positive psychology play consultant, Jeff Harry, who kindly agreed to give us a few tips on how to turn a bad day around.

17 PHOTOS

#1 Facade Wall Contractors Used A Drill Too Long For The Job

#2 What, No Tie-Down? This Happened Not Even 50 Yards Later

#3 My Wisdom Toot. You’d Think It Would Be Wise Enough Not To Do This Type Of Stuff

The most up-to-date statistics show that on average, an American has 4 bad days a month. These add up to 48 days per year that are dedicated to bad moods and unfortunate events. 

However, this seems to be an improvement since 2018, when respondents reported having about 60 bad days a year.

Interestingly, the 2024 Avocado Green Mattress and Talker Research survey has found that Americans can pinpoint the exact time when it’s going to be a tough day. At precisely 8:36 a.m., they can already tell that their day won’t go as planned. 

#4 My Stove/Oven Broke And The Display Doesn’t Even Say The Time Anymore

#5 Thought One Of The Bulbs Burned Out In The Backyard

#6 Not What I Expected On A CT Scan Following A Suspected Gallbladder Attack

It's exactly what it looks like. I'm now terminal at 40 years old. Consider this a PSA: go to the damn doctor when you're in pain. You never know.

A quarter of the time, people feel like there’s no way to turn the downright smile upside down. 48% of respondents even admitted to canceling plans or calling out of work to go back to sleep after waking up and sensing a bad day.

The most common causes of a tough day were getting up and feeling sick (35%), followed by poor sleep (31%), and waking up with a headache (29%). Misplacing the keys (26%) and leaving the phone at home (25%) were other top contenders. 

Additional reasons for things going south included running out of toilet paper, forgetting the wallet at home, sleeping through the alarm, and forgetting to charge the phone the night before.

#7 On My Way To Start College And My Car Caught Fire With Everything I Own Inside Of It

No one was hurt in the slightest, and I was the only one in the vehicle when it caught fire. Thankfully, I could get everything out of the car before the fire got too bad and we had to back away. The fire department put it out very quickly, so no real damage was caused. Also, a little bit of context: my father was in his car, and I was between him and a truck. I sped up to try and pass the truck and try to close the distance between us. He was guiding me and had some of my things in his car. As I accelerated, I heard a pop, and my car began to slow down, and before I could react, it popped again and entirely died. I threw on my flashers pulled off to the side of the road and began trying to call my dad when the guy in the truck who was in front of me came up and started seeing if I needed help when we noticed the crackling of a fire under my hood. I popped the hood, and we saw the firewall was about to be fully engulfed by flames, so I called 911 while he began pulling all my things out.

#8 Here’s The View From My Front Door, I Would Like To Note That It’s Not Even 4 PM And This Is How Dark It Is Because Of The Fires Nearby My Town

#9 Saw This After Hearing The Loudest Scream Of My Life

I was working and heard someone screaming at the top of his lungs. Went to the bathroom and saw this. The poor guy was taking a dump when this happened.

The survey further revealed that unfortunate events were most likely to strike at the start of the week. 60% of respondents said that Mondays had the highest chance of going into a downright spiral. Work schedules and the back-to-school season were some of the most common contributing factors. 

To prevent bad days from occurring, respondents try to find time for themselves each day to relax (41%), make time for things they enjoy (37%), and ensure they are well-rested (35%). 71% of respondents said that sleep can make or break their day, and having enough of it can help to deal with things that may go wrong during it.

#10 Rearranging Fridge, Watermelon Rolled Out. I Ignored Thinking I'd Grab It In A Second. It Continued To Roll Down The Nearby Staircase

#11 I Guess My Sunscreen Wasn't Water-Resistant

#12 My Entire Neighborhood Is Submerged In Flood Water With Raw Sewage In It

But even if a bad day is unpreventable, there are ways to turn it around. Ruth Steggles, an expert in positive psychology, suggests stopping and noticing what’s going on around you. “Identifying what is upsetting you then allows you to address the root cause. If it is something you can't change, look for some small thing you can change.”

Similarly, positive psychology play consultant Jeff Harry advises to sit with the feeling and let yourself fully experience the bad moment. "If you allow yourself to fully feel the bad moment, then you can let it go. If you don't allow yourself to feel it, you suppress it, meaning you hold on to it, and then you have more bad moments and suppress those until you have so many you are holding back, which results in not only a bad day, but many bad thoughts about yourself, which can affect your week, year, or your entire life."

#13 Microwaved A Smucker’s Uncrustable (Premade Peanut Butter And Jelly Sandwich) For 15 Seconds And Got A 2nd Degree Burn. This Is About 5 Days After It Happened

#14 My Legs After Mowing My Lawn While It Was Still Wet

#15 The Semi Truck Got Nailed By A Freight Train. My House Is On The Other Side Of Those Train Tracks

Steggles also recommends having a list of things that a person enjoys doing so they can go back to it when going through a rough patch. Like reading a book, taking a bath, dancing around in the kitchen, or going for a walk. “It is helpful to know your feel-good tool kit,” she says. 

#16 Let’s Get A Roomba They Said, You Will Have Less Cleaning They Said

#17 Flashback To When My Dog Chewed A Hamster-Sized Hole In The Drywall. The Last Photo Is Him With The Drywall Dust On His Nose Caught Red-Handed