We all have them. Days that are just plain rubbish. Days that you wish you could just rewind or fast forward. Or sleep through.

We have days like this in family life and in business life and much of the advice offered is to just let it run its course. Stay in bed and read trashy novels, or something similar.

Well, that’s never been an option for me. I have five kids, so staying in bed all day is impossible and I’m really not into trashy novels, so I’ve had to find other remedies.

Here are my favourite six things to do when life is looking a bit lemony, and my responsibilities prevent me staying in bed to sleep or read it off!

1. Change scenery.

Get out. To the park, the pool, the backyard. Doesn’t matter where. Just get out and get some sunshine. If you have children in your care, take them with you. Walk the dog or the kids or yourself. Listen to music or don’t listen to anything.

2. Phone a friend.

Text no less than five friends and ask them to meet you somewhere for a picnic. I say five because if you text one friend and they can’t make it, you might slump further into feeling like rubbish, so hedge your bets and invite them all!

3. Plan a date day with your kids.

One of the hardest things about motherhood is that there are no “days off”. There’s not a whole lot of down time either, unless you make an effort to schedule it. So do that. As soon as you realise your day is not going to get much better in the direction it’s headed, sit down with your kids and plan a date with them. Play board games, watch a movie, cook pizzas, play. Just be with them. Let them enjoy the real you. Not the stressed, busy, life-weary you.

4. Eat well.

Take the time to cook a really good meal and enjoy it. If you have kids around that are too young to help you cook, let them enjoy a movie while you cook up a storm, then set the table beautifully and sit down to a good, wholesome hearty meal with them. You have to eat anyway – you may as well make a big deal of it. I promise you’ll feel better for it.

5. Declutter and donate.

Choose a drawer, a cupboard or a room in your home. Declutter it and donate what you no longer need. If an item hasn’t been used in the past six months and you don’t anticipate using it in the near future – get rid of it. If you don’t love it – get rid of it. If it doesn’t work – recycle or throw it out. Help to clear your mindspace by decluttering your physical space.

6. Help someone else.

Nothing snaps us out of a bad day quicker than helping someone who is having a worse one! And you don’t need to volunteer at a soup kitchen if that’s too hard with little ones. You can just drop in on a friend with littlies and take a load of washing for her. Or cook a meal and take it to an elderly neighbour. Anything that gets you out of your own head will help to pull you out of a bad day and will refresh you to start again.

What do you do to get out of a rut?