SELF-CARE FOR BAD DAYS
Taking care of yourself is important. I learned it the hard way but nonetheless,
I learned. There are some points in our lives where we all reach low energy
states or have extremely bad days, whether we like it or not. One point turns into this bad ripple effect making
all the things to come worse and worse. But what’s great is that these points allow
us to learn how to deal better with our life situations in the future.
Not a
while ago, it didn’t take much to ruin my day and I was in a constant irritated mode. Here are the things I started
doing to overcome such life points:
1. Prioritize
Make your overall health a priority. Physical, mental or emotional, work
on it. Take time from your busy lives and navigate your way to good health.
Sleep
Usually, when life gets rough, sleep either goes out of the window and
you are either 'sleep deprived' or 'over sleeping'. Everyone is different. Personally, I tend
to sleep a lot. I could sleep 10-11 hours a day and still sleep after 3-4 hours
later. Because I slept that much, the night became my good friend. Up all
night and sleep all day. I tried to fix it by either staying up throughout the
night and next day or exerting myself so much that all the energy wears off,
but I was still quite awake the next night as well. You see, the ripple effect.
So really focus on getting some sleep (quality and quantity). Sleep however
u like, if you scroll your phone before sleeping, do it! And then sleep. Keeping
your timings straight. Night is for sleep, day is for everything else.
And if you still cannot sleep, listen to podcasts or read a book. Just DON'T get sucked into the scrolling social media forever reign.
Diet
Much like sleep, appetite can get a little tricky. What we forget is diet
plays a huge role in our physical and mental health (proof). Definitely educate
yourself on that. I ignored it and almost disappeared from the earth (...and I mean
became extremely slim). But once I realized I needed to take it more seriously,
I started to regain my strength and sustainability to all the situations. Your brain
is more focused on figuring out what to eat, that all other thoughts side-track
for a while. NOW when something is bothering me, I go to my kitchen and make something, even it is a small thing.
Now emotional eating is also not a good. If you are someone that does not
really gain weight easily, go wack girl! Eat it out! But make sure its fresh
and healthy for you…don’t lean towards all the junk. I have been preparing my meals
for a while now and I can say I really like it. I know what’s going in my body
and in the process I have grown quite fond of some foods as well.
Also…DRINK YOUR WATER! (I’m guilty…still trying at this) & exercise or do yoga if
you like too (I like taking short or long walks).
2. Re-establish Your Environment
Changes to your surroundings and yourself. Since I’m studying I have a
sort of dorm room. I spice it every here and there. Change the position of your
furniture, get flowers/house plants or just new décor or just add some colors to
your sheets and pillow cases that keep you at peace. Personally, I like to have
a clean and tidy room, so I try my best to keep it as clean as I can.
If you live with your family, appreciate their company. Be involved with
them in all the home activities even if you are hurting inside. I’ve been there…keep
a smile up and see the magic of family and friends. Even if it is just a short
trip for a drink, GO! Get out of the house.
If you can’t talk about your feelings with friends or family, write them
down. Even if it’s the same ranting every time…WRITE it down! Open your laptop
or get a journal, jot it down. Let it out if that’s the only way you can. I
used to write on my journal/diary, then I switched to an online platform (penzu)
3. Re-focus Yourself
When you are in a bad place…you MUST make time for yourself. Find your
confidence. Make peace with your past and the situation that has passed. Took
me a while to understand that there is no point of dwelling upon it. Learn to appreciate
the small things in life and live in the moment. Be grateful for your parents,
friends, even the room your staying in, the electricity at your place, the
water you get to drink or the food you get to eat. There are a lot of things we
overlook and miss out being grateful for till we realize our dependency on it.
When I am feeling low, I get away from all technology and go stand
outside for 5 minutes or just stare at the wall for 5 minutes and think about
all the things that I have compared to people in some countries. Believe me, 5
min can make all the difference. It grounds you.
Remember, it is Okay not to be okay.
It is easy to say you can get over
it or you can forget it, but I know how hard it can be to wipe the memories. On
the other hand, it is also hard to learn anything before it happens. Every person
has things in their life that they want to go back and change, but don’t be so
hard on yourself.
Cry when you feel like it, we all have bad days. But get up the next day
and conquer it.
Once you start letting go of things, you will realize how freeing it can
be.
I’m still flawed. I’m still learning and adapting. But one thing I have
sincerely learned is NOT DWELLING. Even if something made me cry and loose my
mind YESTERDAY, I will not allow it to destroy my TODAY!
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