July 18, 1984. People walking along the street that Wednesday in Detroit were probably a little startled when it suddenly began raining … clothes … books … small kitchen appliances … furniture … a bicycle … a stove … a refrigerator.

For three hours, unemployed auto worker Nelson Jones dumped the contents of his 16th-floor apartment onto the street as crowds watched and a television crew captured the drama for the evening news. When it ended, police charged Jones with littering. As his niece later noted, “Everyone has their off days.”

Yes, we do. And we’ve probably all had days when we were tempted to do something just as crazy as throwing our refrigerators out a 16th-floor window. Okay … maybe not quite that crazy. But when you’re having one of those days, here are some better—less destructive—options for chasing away the blues:

• Say thanks.  Think about a person who’s done you a kindness or inspired you in some way. Don’t limit yourself to recent events. Perhaps your benefactor was a former teacher or employer—even a parent or other family member. Make notes about the positive impact that individual had on your life, then come up with a way you can reach out and express your appreciation. How about sending a card? Inviting your friend to lunch? Offering to return the kindness? This exercise will help take your mind off your troubles and remind you that even if things look dark now, your life has had its share of lights.

• Lend a hand. If you’re having a difficult time figuring out how to resolve your own problems, then maybe you should put your energy toward resolving someone else’s. For instance, just because you’re unemployed doesn’t mean you need to search for work 24/7. Do what you can to generate job leads and income, then devote your extra hours to volunteering for worthwhile causes. Maintaining a busy schedule will help you avoid sinking into depression, and you’ll stay in the habit of being responsible to others. You may get the opportunity to cross-train and pick up additional skills that will improve your marketability. And who knows? Your volunteer efforts could even lead you to discover new job markets.

• Count your blessings.  Yeah, yeah. Gratitude journal. You can always find others worse off than you are. You’ve heard it all before. But it’s true. When I’m feeling sorry for myself, I turn it into a game: How many people do I know with bigger problems than mine? It’s never difficult to come up with a list of names.

And remember Nelson Jones? From the press account of his 1984 tossing tantrum, we know he had some mental health issues. We know he was unemployed. We know he said afterward that he was “mad at life.” Certainly for a guy to throw everything he owned out a 16th-floor window, he must have been struggling with some difficult demons. Still, his situation that day could have been worse.

How do I know? It was July 18. And instead of tossing his belongings out a Detroit window, Nelson Jones could have been in San Ysidro, California, sharing a Big Mac with his mother or feeding his child. That happened to be the day another guy who was mad at the world walked into San Ysidro’s McDonald’s and opened fire. Forty-one bodies littered the restaurant and sidewalk before a sharpshooter finally stopped the gunman. Of the 21 who died, the oldest was 74, the youngest eight months.

So whatever was bothering Nelson Jones that day … yes, it could have been worse.