This is not your average self-help book. I don’t propose a method or a ready-to-use, five-step plan for your hard days. Sometimes all a bad day needs is a fluffy cardigan, a hot shower, or a nice walk. Sometimes you can keep it simple. Other times you need a little more. The shortcuts in this book are designed to make it easier for you to get started.

I am not a coach, a psychologist, or a teacher, but I’ve had a lifelong fascination with frayed edges, imperfection, and resilience. These days, I consider myself a cheerleader for adversity, chagrin, and discomfort, and it’s my experience that although bad days don’t exactly make life pleasant, they do make it interesting. They are part of life—neither good nor bad on their own. And it’s often on the days when things aren’t going so well that you’ll learn the most about yourself. As Pema Chödrön says, “We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.”

I hope with all my heart that The Handbook for Bad Days will help you to face your worst days with courage, with compassion, and with your head held high.