What A Day!
Have you had a day when it seems like the world has been turned upside down even though nothing significant happened? Did a bout of depression hit you suddenly? Did you think of something that caused a bit of anxiety?
Every now and then it feels like life just kicked you in the ass and you feel mentally, emotionally, physically and sometimes even spiritually wiped. Maybe thoughts and emotions that you’ve been avoiding caught up with you or maybe you’re overthinking about something coming up. We all have these days.
What can we do to help us get through the extra tough days? I’m sure many of you have ideas that I’m not mentioning here, what works for one may not work for another but I hope to give you some inspiration to get through your tough days, even if it is one moment at a time, one day at a time.
Go outside! Even if you don’t feel like going anywhere, go get some fresh air. Slow breaths in through your nose and slowly release through your mouth. Call it meditation breathing if you’d like, just relax and take a moment to yourself. If you smoke, leave the goods inside. You need a moment to let your mind and body relax.
Dance! Who cares if you’re awkward and dance to the beat of your own drum? Pretend you’re the best ballet dancer ever or the coolest hip hop dancer. Even if it’s just for 5-10 minutes. Guess what? You probably will smile and you just got a couple of exercise minutes in too and got that blood flowing. Do it more often. What the heck, take up some YouTube lessons. find a dance studio or go line dancing. Whatever you enjoy, do it.
Go to a park and people watch. No, I don’t mean to sound creepy and suggest that you go around stalking people!! Sometimes it helps put a smile on your face to watch others interaction with each other. My mom and I used to do this when I was little. It actually taught me a lot on how I want to interact with people. What I liked, what I didn’t like about how people interacted with the people they were with or complete strangers. Saying excuse me to someone they accidentally bumped into - or not. It taught me what kind of person I wanted to be. I also did this when I was a teenager and pregnant with my first child. Walk around the store with a cart and watch how other parents interact with their kids. What kind of mom did I want to be - or not to be. People watching teaches you a LOT about yourself.
Get artsy! We all have a little creativeness in us. What do you do? Color, paint, beading, string art, scrapbooking, spray paint paintings, wood carving or wood burning, metal art, sewing, knitting. Maybe you like fiddle in the garage and have some spare, random stuff laying around - what can you make out of it? I’m sure you get the idea - concentrate on doing something besides where your depression or anxiety has taken you.
Start a gratitude journal. What makes you happy? What are you thankful for? Did you see a flower or a falling leaf that gave you a sense of peach? Pick it up and take it home to dry out and write about what that moment gave you, then when the leaf/flower is dry put it on that page, when you go back to read about that day it will help you remember that very moment. What are you grateful about in the past that gave you a good memory for today? What are you looking forward to? Remember the not-so good moments always have a little something that was at least ‘okay’. Maybe that sweet old lady in the waiting room that smiled at you with elderly, smiling eyes of wisdom gave you inspiration. Maybe that 10-year old kid that was in a wheelchair but was so full of happiness gave you a moment of clarity and appreciation.
Meditation is very peaceful and relaxing, there are several ways to meditate, do some research and find what works for you.
I have a jacked up back so a full-on exercise routine doesn’t work for me - but if you’re physically healthy enough to do some jumping jacks, push ups, and heart-pumping exercise - do it. Even if you start off with 5 minutes. How about yoga or pilates? Personally, for us who have physical limitations I like Tai Chi and Qi Gong. They’re mentally and physically rewarding. I need to be more diligent myself about this!
And of course don’t exclude mental health therapy. There’s a plethora of therapy types available, what works for one may not work for another. Check out this list to give you an idea of different types of therapy available, not every therapist is a ‘couch therapist’ as some may say.
Whatever it is that will help you defunk your day, do it - just make sure it’s legal and it’s not going to hurt yourself or anyone else. If you feel like you’re alone, trust me - you’re NOT! There’s tons of support systems out there for whatever you’re going through. If you aren’t ready to talk to someone in person, hit up an online support group.