When times get hard: 7 ways to pick yourself up on a bad mental health day
It’s them days where we’d much rather stay in bed than do anything. It’s where our mental health has taken a turn and we decide to do nothing.
The works piling up and there just seems to be more and more to do and you just aren’t in the right mental state to be doing it, so you just lock yourself away and try and not think about it.
We’ve all been through this, but there are ways you can help yourself!
1) Make a ‘to do’ list
Quite often, if we have too much too do it can be overwhelming and actually will make us procrastinate more. Having a list, will help you feel more organised and make you feel less stressed when you start ticking off the tasks one by one. You want to feel as calm as you can, especially when your mental health is not at the best state. For example, if you have a 1,500-word essay due, don’t just go I have to write 1,000 words today. Instead, go I’ll write 500 words today and the other 500 tomorrow. Give yourself time to prepare and don’t leave your work till the last minute, if you start of small and work your way through it, you’ll achieve so much more.
If you have cleaning to do, start off with the tasks that are simple to do and won’t take up too much time. You could put in a load of washing, wash up or take the bins out. You don’t have to do excessive amounts of anything, especially on them days when we do feel a lot lower than normal and we do just want to procrastinate. Even if it’s just a case of having to get groceries, you’ve done it!
2) Get outside
It may sound like a ‘cliche’ because it’s safe to say that a lot of the time, people will tell you to get out and it pretty much fixes everything. But it’s honestly true, going out and getting fresh air can pull you out of the ‘pit’ you’re in. You don’t have to walk for miles on end, even if it’s just a quick stroll around the neighbourhood or just popping over to the shop, it will help clear your mind and will most likely make you feel more motivated. Any kind of exercise helps our mood and the perks of walking is that it’s simple and free. You don’t have to buy expensive equipment or a gym membership, you just need a good pair of shoes and some headphones and you can walk the bad mood away.
If you’d prefer to socialise and have fun, then definitely think about inviting a friend or family member, because then it gives you the chance to explain how you’ve been feeling and you also get to exercise or if you have a pet be sure to take them out too.
Check out this article based on the health benefits of being outside!
3) Clean your surroundings
You can’t have a messy room and have a clean mind. It’s just not going to happen, the best thing to do is clean your surroundings and organise your work space. The problem is when everything around us is messy, we begin to procrastinate because we would much rather stay out of the mess then actually bring ourselves to tidy and organise it.
Once you’ve done this, you will feel a lot more productive and motivated to do the tasks you need to do, the best thing about having a clean room is that once it’s done, you can relax and it makes your mind feel less distracted.
4) Baking!
Who doesn’t love a day of baking? I’m pretty sure there’s always a time where we want to just spend the day eating delicious foods we crave and have fun whilst doing it. Well a solution to getting through a bad day is by sticking your apron on, grabbing the recipe book and baking all the goods. You don’t have to be no Mary Berry you just have to have fun with it.
So whatever it is cakes, cookies, cheesecake or even bread get baking! The reason this will make you feel better is because it’s always good to get more experience in a certain activity and it may even be that you become a pro at it. Don’t be afraid to bake until your hearts content, there is nothing better than licking the leftover cake mix of the spoon or the smell of home-made bread cooking away in the oven.
Be sure to check out 30 best quick and easy baking recipes!
5) Sign of social media
We’re all so glued to our phones and social media plays a big part in day to day life. As hard as it is to sign of social media, it’s something that will be beneficial to you if you’re having a bad day. Looking at social media to much can actually make us feel more depressed, this is because we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others, which create feelings of inadequacy and doubt.
Try and stay of social media for a few hours and give yourself some self-love instead, perhaps have a bubble bath, read a book or simply just breathe!
6) Practise self-care
Self-care is so important and quite often we forget to give ourselves some love, which is the most important aspect of living a healthy and positive life. When we don’t look after ourselves, it’s very rare that are bodies will treat us well. If you feel like you don’t love yourself enough, then that could be why you’re having a bad day, once you start finding the time out of your day to practise self-care, it will help you tremendously.
Always do stuff that you enjoy, whether that’s yoga, writing, reading, listening to music, treating yourself to a new outfit or a yummy takeaway, do what you think will cheer you up.
Even if you don’t feel like giving yourself some self-love, you’ll be surprised how much it’ll turn your rainy day into a sunny day when you do.
7) Socialise
It’s safe to say that most of the time, when these days occur we’d much rather go through them alone. But that’s not always going to make us feel better, in fact having someone around to take your mind of everything is actually very beneficial. You can stay in and watch movies, play video games and eat your favourite snacks or if you’d prefer to venture out, you could go out to lunch, or go to the zoo (lets be honest, animals cheer everyone up!) or even just going around to a friends house for a change of scenery.
Even if you feel like being alone, its best to not be. Of course, sometimes we all need time to ourselves but it can often improve our mental health if we have someone around to talk to.