What to do when you're having a bad day

This blog post is totally inspired by a bad day I had a few days ago. I was feeling pretty unwell, snotty and a headache, which was also mixed with uncomfortable period pain making a pretty unpleasant combination. Towards the end of the day I began to feel a lot better physically but a lot worse mentally. I started to feel really sad that I had 'wasted' a day and felt really guilty and lazy. This resulted in lots of tears, shouting and general unhappiness. I find that when I'm in that worked up state I tend to not make the best decisions in how I look after myself, even though somewhere deep down I know that they will really help. So this post is a checklist of ideas that you (and I) can come back to whenever you feel not so great to hopefully give you the boost you need.

1. Let yourself be sad. Whatever reason that you're not feeling so great is a totally valid reason and deserves time and validation. If this issue has managed to cause sadness, stress and anxiety it is worthy of time and attention. Sit with the feeling, this can feel really scary but sitting with your own mind without distraction is such a vital part of overcoming negative feelings. If you try to suppress the feeling and move on it will come back much stronger and/or be deflected onto others through what you say and do. Have a good cry if you need to, sit in silence and think whatever you need to do to process that emotion. I find a really great way to do this is through journaling, as it allows me to get everything out on to paper and think it through thoroughly. What I write is generally an absolute mess but for me writing it down helps so much!

2. Get moving. One of the best things to do when you're having a bad day is to move your body. Whether that's getting outside for a walk, a super intense workout or a 3 minute dance break being active helps so much as it releases chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins and dopamine, which are all associated with the feeling of happiness and joy. If you don't have much time a great way to get moving is with a speedy dance. Stick on your favourite tunes and have a wiggle or I would highly recommend following Carly Rowena on YouTube for some fun one song workouts. Or you could try a bit of yoga, which is great as it has all the benefits of movement as well as calming the mind. If you really want to be kind to your mind I would highly recommend this Yoga for Happiness video. It's amazing what just a few minutes can do.

3. Meditate. For me meditation has been absolutely life changing it allows me to process my thoughts and emotions without judgement and accept myself for who I am. If you haven't taken up mediation yet then I couldn't recommend it more. Sitting down with your mind every day no matter if your feeling happy or sad and staying mindful in stressful and negative situations is such a useful skill to develop. I generally use Headspace for meditation but there are many other options. If you want a free alternative Cat Meffan has quite a few on her channel or try the Deliciously Ella app, which is significantly cheaper than other meditation alternatives that there are out there.

4. Do something that makes you happy. When we're feeling sad a really great shortcut to happiness is to do something that makes you feel good. Whether that is sticking on your favourite songs, reading a great book, cooking or watching a film with a bar of chocolate. Doing something that makes you feel good is always a great thing to do when you're not feeling your best. When I'm feeling a bit rubbish I love to sit curled up with a book or do a bit of mindful colouring whilst listening to this uplifting playlist.

5. Eat something that's good for you. When your feeling down it is very tempting to just eat chocolate, crisps and all the food that we know isn't great for our physical and mental health. With so much research immerging on how important the gut is for our mental health eating well for our happiness feels more and more necessary. I'm not sitting here telling you to never eat chocolate or cake ever again as that wouldn't be healthy either. But trying to mostly fuel up on good food can give you a much needed boost whenever you're feeling down! I have a few recipes on my website which are super yummy and easy, if you want a bit more inspiration BBC Good Food and Deliciously Ella are also great. Put good food into your body and you are much more likely to feel good long term. Simple.

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I hope you like these ideas and that they help to boost your mood when you're having a down day. If you want more feel good ideas then read my blog post on a checklist for happiness. As always if you are really struggling with mental health please reach out for professional help and support and remember that you aren't alone. There are lots of people out there who are happy to help.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Megan x

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