It’s great to be optimistic and live and love each day at a time. But, honestly there are days all of us go through that are so damn hard that we can feel the cramps in our brains. I have a few ideas for what to think when hell seems the better option.

The future always comes. If you are looking to find a sign that your terrible time shall pass, just remember that the future will always most certainly come. Always too soon.

Thank god you’re alive. Someone else’s pain may be your gain. When you are down in the dumps, there is someone out there who is further down. It helps to compare on sad days. In other words, be grateful.

Cook something. I heard in Julie & Julia that the surest way to turn around a bad day is to cook. As Julie comments, “You know what I love about cooking? … I love that after a day when nothing is sure—and when I say ‘nothing’ I mean nothing!—you can come home and absolutely know that if you add eggs yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick. It’s such a comfort.” {Cookingwiththemovies.com}

Here is another way to make bad seem terribly good. Basil always makes it better. Don’t you think? Maybe the herby sweetness of the basil drives you to believe in better things?

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Herb Dip

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

Photo and recipe credits: My Baking Addiction. Thank you!

Other basil delights:

• Baked Artichoke Chicken | Mary in the Kitchen
• Basil Chicken | Fitness Buff
• Linguine with Fresh Pesto and Pancetta | A Fanatical Foodie
• Spicy Red Pepper Pesto | Sophie Gordon Cooks
• Meatballs | Our Extraordinary Lives
• Pizza Margarita | The Kiwi Cook
• Roasted Basil Butter Parmesan Shrimp | The Reportery
• Sweet Potato, Kale, Caramelized Onion Cauliflower Pizza | The Functional Foodie