When the Spiral Hits: Why "Bad Days" Still Show Up—and What to Do About It
Have you ever experienced this?
You’ve been on a roll. You’re reading self-help books, journaling, meditating, watching podcasts, cutting out the limiting beliefs that once held you hostage. You’re visualizing your goals. You feel powerful. Focused. Aligned.
Then—out of nowhere—it all crashes.
You wake up heavy. Your mind’s clouded, your energy's off, and no amount of affirmations or breathwork seems to cut through the fog. You try. You really try. But by noon you’re snapping at emails and fighting tears. By nightfall, you're wondering what went wrong. You even question all the growth you’ve made.
And just like that, you're back in despair. Spinning. Frustrated. Powerless.
What happened?
The Myth of Constant Ascent
Let’s begin with some truth: the self-improvement journey isn’t linear.
That idea that once you start healing, you'll never have a bad day again? It’s a myth. And a dangerous one.
Because when those dark days do show up—and they will—we think we’ve failed. That we’re broken again. That we’ve somehow undone all our progress. But here’s what I’ve learned:
You’re not broken.
You’re not regressing.
You’re being human.
Even the most disciplined, grounded, high-performing people I coach—CEOs, athletes, creatives, spiritual teachers—hit walls. Not because they’re weak, but because they’re alive. We all carry emotional residue, mental habits, and invisible stressors. And sometimes, all it takes is the right (or wrong) combination of events to trigger a descent.
But here’s the good news:
We can learn to spot the spiral before it takes hold.
We can minimize how long we stay in that place.
And we can come back stronger, more self-aware, and more whole each time.
Anticipate the Dip, Don’t Fear It
First, let’s normalize it: dips are part of the process. Expect a few low days. The goal isn’t to avoid every bad mood—it’s to respond to it differently.
Because it’s not the spiral itself that breaks us. It’s how long we stay stuck there.
When you’re in that low state, your brain operates from what I call a primal lens. You don’t see things clearly. Everything feels like a threat. Hope seems distant. You retreat. But the spiral isn’t the enemy—it’s an invitation to examine something deeper.
And if we can start to recognize what triggers the descent before it goes full tilt, we can shift the story.
Here are five strategies to help you do just that.
1. Track Your Triggers Like a Scientist
Start treating your emotional dips like data.
You’re not crazy. You’re not weak. You’re wired.
Go back to the last time you spiraled. Ask yourself:
Was I physically depleted (poor sleep, overwork)?
Was there a moment of emotional vulnerability (conflict, rejection, failure)?
Was I scrolling too much, comparing too often, disconnecting from real life?
Patterns love to repeat. Your job is to catch the pattern before it becomes a problem.
I recommend creating a “Spiral Log” in your journal. When you notice a shift in your mood, jot down:
What happened in the past 24–48 hours?
What was I telling myself about that event?
How did I respond physically, emotionally, mentally?
After a few entries, the pattern will reveal itself.
2. Build a Buffer Zone of Recovery
When we spiral, it’s usually because we’re operating without a margin for error. We’ve stacked our schedule, neglected rest, over-committed our energy.
Think of your nervous system like a battery. If you’re constantly at 5%, it won’t take much to drain you.
That’s why I talk so much in my coaching and the MindFlow Cycle about recovery rituals—small daily practices that restore you.
Your job isn’t to just power through the good days. Your job is to protect your energy on the good days, so you have a buffer when the bad ones come.
Ask yourself:
What recharges me, even if I only have 10 minutes?
When was the last time I did something without a productivity goal attached?
Build recovery into your daily rhythm—not as a reward, but as a requirement.
3. Name the Narrative Early
When you're spiraling, the most damaging part isn’t the emotion—it’s the story that rides in on its back.
“This always happens to me.”
“I’ll never get out of this.”
“I’m not cut out for this level of success.”
Sound familiar?
These stories are not truths. They’re echoes of old belief systems—beliefs you may have been working hard to dissolve, but that still lurk in the subconscious, waiting for a weak moment.
Your job is to interrupt the narrative.
Literally say out loud:
“This is a story. Not reality. I’ve felt this before and come out stronger.”
You don’t need to fake positivity. You just need to anchor into something truer than the despair.
4. Anchor Into the Present—Literally
When you’re spiraling, your mind time-travels: regrets from the past, fears about the future.
To stop the spin, you must return to the present.
Here’s one of my favorite grounding tools:
Sit still.
Breathe deeply.
Name five things you can see.
Name four things you can touch.
Name three things you can hear.
Name two things you can smell.
Name one thing you’re grateful for.
It sounds simple. That’s the point.
Your nervous system needs now. Your soul needs presence. The spiral thrives on disconnection—presence is how you disarm it.
5. Create a “Comeback Plan” While You’re Still Clear
One of the most powerful things I’ve ever done—and something I coach every client to do—is create a Comeback Plan during a good mental space.
Here’s how it works:
When you’re feeling grounded, write a letter to yourself for the next time you’re not.
Remind yourself of what you’ve already overcome.
List out the tools you know work (even if they don’t feel effective in the moment).
Write out three simple actions that will help you get back to neutral: a walk, a call, a nap, breathwork, journaling—whatever supports you.
Store that letter where it’s easy to find. You’ll be amazed how grounding it is to be reminded—by you—that this feeling will pass.
You’re Not Alone. You’re Expanding.
The spiral doesn’t mean you’ve lost your power.
It means you’re outgrowing an old version of yourself.
You’ve made a commitment to growth, and that includes shedding old skins. But remember—transformation is messy. You’re not meant to bypass your emotions. You’re meant to meet them with curiosity, compassion, and tools.
Expect the bad days. Prepare for them. And most importantly, remind yourself:
You’ve come through it before. You’ll come through it again.
And each time, you’ll rise with more clarity, more peace, and more power than you had before.
Stay grounded. Stay awake. You’re doing better than you think.
—
Matthew Meyer
MindFlow Coach | Creator of the Cycle of Power™
Helping high-performers break through burnout, reclaim energy, and lead with flow.
