Bad days - The 7 things I do to get myself through a bad day.

Dealing with the bad days can be tough as it's exhausting and emotionally draining. But it's important to remember that just because you're having a bad day it DOESN'T mean that you've failed because a bad day is just a temporary blip. I'm not gonna sit here and tell you to think positive because I know just how difficult that is. I remember people telling me that "things will get better" and to "think positive" but at that time my attitude was always negative and I'd be thinking "what's the point?" and it was always that negative voice inside my head shouting at me telling me I was a "failure, useless and worthless." But I have been learning to deal with the bad days and through that I've learned different strategies in dealing with them.

1) Getting out of bed

If you wake up in the morning feeling really low and all you want to do is hide in bed all day because you don't want to face the world try to persuade yourself to get out of bed and have a bath or a shower. Even if it takes you 4+ attempts to get out of bed keep trying and never give up. I found that getting out of bed would be an achievement and something I'd accomplished on that bad day. I remind myself that "I'm stronger than depression"

2) Distractions and keeping busy

I find that distractions and keeping busy is something that does help me quite a lot. On the bad days I find that I sometimes don't really have much motivation to do anything but I find that my colouring book can be quite a good way of keeping busy. I would try and spend a maximum of an hour colouring in and then use another distraction (I have wrote a post about distraction techniques on a previous post)

3) Talking to people about it

I find talking can be quite helpful on a bad day and I would normally speak to family or friends if I felt low. However that can be unsuccessful at times because there are times when I just don't have the words to express how I actually feel and that can be tough. I guess that everyone is different and some might find talking helps whereas some find it doesn't help them. By talking to people about your feelings it can help them provide support to you but also help them understand how you feel and what you're going through.

4) Writing

I find writing is probably the one thing that I use the most. Writing on a bad day helps me to write about how I'm feeling and is somewhere I can be open about my thoughts and feelings and it's a safe place to vent. By writing I feel I can express emotion that I find too difficult to verbalise.

5) Going a walk

I find getting out of the house for a bit to get some fresh air can help. I normally take my dog a walk for an hour and just put my earphones in and listen to music to stop the negative thoughts affecting me so much. It can be nice to have a bit of time to myself and time to try and clear my head. 

6) Looking at photos 

One thing that I created was a memory book filled with photos from the past, family and times when I was happy. It's nice to look at this on a bad day because it reminds me of those who love me and that are important to me. I also filled my memory book with photos of my baby cousin as he's the one person who gets me through a bad day because when I first discovered I was suffering from depression looking at photos of him encouraged me to keep fighting and get through this bad day.

7) Self Care 

Self care is important when dealing with a bad day. Just being kind to yourself and putting yourself first. One thing I find difficult to deal with on a bad day is feeling drained so if I feel I need to I'll go for a nap for a few hours. Also making sure I'm eating and drinking enough because it's important to keep your appetite up as I know that appetite can fluctuate at times. You're doing the best you can and that's all you can do. X

8) REMEMBER..........