Sometimes we just have a bad day. Even when everything is going “well,” or it’s several days of “bad days,” they are real and can put us into a funky place mentally and emotionally. I recently found myself in one of these days, feeling low energy, mentally and emotionally drained, and not motivated to do anything. And this is o.k.! These days are great for taking care of ourselves on the most basic levels – thus the gift.
Here are 10 tips for living a bad day, not just “getting through it,” but how to use it as a day to stop, give back to yourself, and honor your human experience.
1. Let go of the “to do” list. The list will get done when you have more energy and clarity. Turn the list upside down, and turn on some music that you enjoy, sit back and relax with a cup of tea in your hand.
2. Draw a hot bath – with lots of bubbles. I like to play Norah Jones when I’m in the bathtub and sing along – choose the music that you like, and find your song voice.
3. Get a massage. The Health Works Institute is a great resource in Bozeman offering graduate clinic massages on Tues. and Thur., sometimes calling the morning of, there are cancellations and you can get right in!
4. Make no big decisions. Leave these decisions for the days that you are feeling positive and clear.
5. Cry when you feel like crying. Sometimes we just need a good cry, and we don’t need a reason, or give anyone an explanation. It just needs to happen, so let it happen.
6. If the negative voice is winning in your head, put up a mental stop sign and say “NO,” I will not listen to this. Write down what you are good at, what you love, what you are passionate about – this is your true self, not the “negative-nellie” running around behind the curtain of your thoughts.
7. Eat well, drink tea, take care of yourself. Go to a yoga class, go for a walk, be in nature, hold your pet, put lotion on your hands, take a nap, or bake your favorite recipe.
8. Don’t read or watch the news, or anything that has negative images or stories, including fashion magazines. Talk to a good friend instead.
9. Take away the words “should” or “suppose to“. Do what you feel like doing, this is what your guidance is telling you is important to follow for today, it’s your intuition speaking. Let go of what the mind believes, and just be with what feels right for you today.
10. Be kind and compassionate with yourself. Be your own best friend today. Give yourself love and kindness in the ways that feed you, and with the voices in your head as well. Remember that you are human and that it is o.k. to feel “yucky” sometimes. Honor who you are, the spirit within you, and that you are doing the best you can in this moment.
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”
~Helen Keller
Categories: Conflict & Forgiveness