What to do when you’re having a bad week? No seriously, think about it.. there’s no wrong answer here.
I started doing a few things that have been working for me and I wanted to share that with you today. I understand the importance of self care when I’m not doing okay and I take it very seriously. You’ve probably come across a ton of blogs that tell you to meditate and journal until you feel better. Although that is a small fraction of what I’m sharing with you today, it isn’t everything.
It’s so easy to love yourself and be happy with who you are when things seem to be going well and it’s so easy to lose that when things aren’t. That’s why I’m emphasizing that you continue to show yourself grace especially on days that you feel like you can’t.
Here are 5 important things that you should do when you’re having a bad week.
Be in your feelings
I’ve come to realize that when you suppress your feelings the energy is never released and stays with you until you fully allow yourself to feel. I know when I’m sad or angry I often need space until I feel better. I don’t feel bad for letting anyone know that I need space because that’s my time to work on myself. You want to welcome whatever you’re feeling, sit with it, without judging it, without wanting it to change and without thinking of a way to fix it. Remind yourself that it is safe to feel. Cry if you need to, sit there and process what’s going on, talk to yourself if you need to or there could be complete silence. Whatever works for you.
Reach out to your loved ones
You definitely want to reach out to people that you love. You don’t necessarily need to explain what you’re going through if you don’t want to but really just ask them to be present. I have a friend that I talk to when I’m having a tough time whom I know will respond with no judgement. Another friend I reach out to when I need prayer. A friend that I spend time with and I instantly feel better. I FaceTime my family back home or get snuggles from my partner. Before you even think of saying it.. no, you’re not using them. If they love you enough, they’ll avail themselves during the bad times just like they do when everything’s going well.
Take deep breaths
When you feel tense, stressed or emotional take five minutes of your time to take deep breaths. You’d be surprised what a difference it makes. I had a video call scheduled with my therapist and when she picked up the phone she could tell that I wasn’t okay, I was tense. She told me to take deep breaths and she talked me through it. My shoulders felt so heavy before that call but as soon as we did breathing exercises I felt much better.
She told me about an app called Lumosity Mind that I’ve been using every night before bed (that’s when I usually overthink and worry). It’s a meditation app, it delivers a fun and approachable mindfulness practice and the pace of it helps you relax, the exercises are no longer than 5 minutes. The app is free so definitely see if it works for you.
Don’t forget Jesus
I don’t know about you but I tend to steer away from Jesus when I’m having a tough time.
“I don’t have the strength to pray.”
“Where do I even start?”
“He may be too busy to listen to my problems.”
“There’s already so much going on and there’s a lot more to be done, I really don’t have the time to pray.”
Jesus wants us to come to Him when it gets tough. The Lord says in Matthew 11:28 “If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest.” I want you to remember this verse when you’re having a hard time. Find comfort in the Lord, there’s a bible full of scriptures to help you draw closer to Jesus. Whatever emotion you feel, look up a scripture that relates to it and find comfort in that.
Temporary distraction
Do something that you love. For me that’s taking a walk and sitting at a bench close to the river where it’s quiet and peaceful. Or watching my favorite tv shows (Martin and My wife and kids are by far the best sitcoms to ever exist). Reading and writing are pretty good distractions for me too. Find something that’ll help you block the noise out for a while. Unfortunately you can’t avoid your problems forever but having a moment where you focus on anything but what’s going on can make all the difference.
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Be kind to yourself
Don’t forget about the little light that exists inside of you when everything else seems dark. Have affirmations that you say out loud every morning. I have sticky notes with some affirmations in my hallway. When I walk out of my bedroom each morning, they’re right in my face. Some days I’ll stand there and read every sticky note I have on there, other times I’ll just read the ones I feel are important.
There’s a sense of peace that comes with understanding that pain doesn’t last forever. You’ll get through it.
Do nothing?
I have days when I just stay in bed all day and do nothing. Social media gives the impression that everyone’s got their life together all the time, they’re organized and living their best life. Nobody lives like that, remember that no one wants to show the ugly side on social media. So when you happen to have a lazy day and you scroll on instagram and see someone making healthy breakfast, cleaning their home and exercising.. remember that they have normal lives too, they have rest days too.
If you don’t have the strength to do anything, that’s your body telling you to rest. Do exactly that, do nothing.
Remember to be kind to yourself when life gets tough.
xoxo Shernice
