Lee Suckling: The secret to turning around a bad day

I have a seemingly trivial way of getting through the days when terrible stuff just keeps happening. I put on a better outfit. Photo / Getty Images

You know those days that are so awful, you try and bargain with time? You say to yourself, "if I could just go back in time one hour and start this again..." or, "if I could just wake up again and do this all differently..."

Of course, you can't. You must simply get through the day and make the best out of the cards you've been dealt.

Some days you know are going to be rough ones. They might be stacked full of meetings you don't want to sit through, maybe you know you have difficult people to deal with, or perhaps you simply do not have enough time to achieve everything you want to.

Likewise, some days are supposed to be easy and predictable and turn into absolute nightmares; drama after drama ensues and you end up asking yourself, "why is this happening to me!?!"

I have a seemingly trivial way of getting through the days when terrible stuff just keeps happening. I put on a better outfit.

Clothing can change the way you feel about yourself, your attitude, approach to others, confidence level: the lot. Photo / Getty Images

For people that don't like clothes this seems like a stupid idea. Clothes are just a necessity, right? Something that doesn't influence your day beyond keeping you warm, cool, or modest?

Not for everyone. Some of us love clothes because they are influential. They can change the way you feel about yourself, they can change your attitude, approach to others, confidence level: the lot. Fabric and cotton thread can do a lot more for you if you let it.

I make a point to put on particular items of clothing when an awful day is arising. I have a pair of heavy brown leather boots that make me seem taller and they clack along the floor when I walk, so I usually start with them. These boots make me feel like I tower over others and force me to stand up really, really straight: something that does wonders for my confidence levels on a day I feel I'm being beaten down.

Then come my "good" trousers. I work at home most of the time and could theoretically work in sweats (though at this time of the year its shorts and singlets, hurrah!). However, being uber-comfortable doesn't help me through a difficult or stressful few hours. What does? A pair of really well-fitting designer jeans that I usually reserve for a night out on the town. They are better standing in that sitting, they're snug in a way that makes me alert (but not sore), and they genuinely give me a feeling of pride. Even when I'm home alone and nobody's there to see them on.

What I wear on top to tackle a bad day is negligible; for me, it's all about fortifying the foundation of my body. That lower half that gives me stability.

I've spoken to others that like to dress good on a bad day too; half men, the other half women. Both sexes almost uniformly agreed that when they need to be picked up and given strength, it's a jacket that does it for them. An item that makes their shoulders broader, and elicits an ability to push emotions aside and "get down to business".

Any outfit, or part of an outfit, can give you a little something extra to power through a bad day. It's a complete placebo but I see nothing wrong with that. Believe what you want about the superficiality of clothing, but I'm with the fashionistas on this one. Because you can, as they say, "never underestimate the power of a good outfit on a bad day".