Today I’ll be sharing 12 self care ideas for when you’re having a bad day
Some of the days that I need to practice some self care the most is when I’m having a rough day.
This whole past week hasn’t been the best, so I’m taking some time this weekend to get in a better headspace. If you’re having a bad day, week, or even month, try out some of these self care ideas to make it a little bit better.
This is the year for prioritizing yourself!
Why Practice Self Care?
Before we get into, why even practice self care?
I don’t know about you, but incorporating some form of self care into my day makes me feel so much better and almost lifts a weight off of my shoulders.
We all get into a routine of taking care of everyone else and we forget ourselves. Then we start feeling burnt out and just frustrated.
If we want to live even just a little bit happier, we need to slow down and take it all in.
Even if you take just a few minutes a week to take care of yourself, you can start to see your life transform.
How to Make Time for Self Care
One of the hardest parts about putting yourself first and doing things that make you feel good is that it’s so hard to find the time.
There’s ALWAYS something that needs to be done, whether it’s dishes, laundry, or taking care of the kids.
If you want to improve your life though, you should learn how to prioritize self care and start taking care of yourself.
You have to MAKE time. Even if you have to start small, just set aside 15-30 minutes a week to do something just for you.
The key to incorporating more time for you is to make it a habit. Try adding something to your daily routine that makes you feel better, even if it’s just laying down for a few minutes.
12 Self Care Ideas When You’re Having a Bad Day
Take Time to Relax
One of the most simple things you can do for self care is just take time to relax. One of my favorite Sunday routines is just laying on the couch and watching my favorite TV show.
Here lately, The Last of Us has been the show I watch on Sundays.
There’s plenty of other things you can do to relax too. You can do anything on this list. Read your favorite book. Sit outside and drink coffee. Whatever it is that gets your mind off of the stressful things going on in your life.
Do Some Yoga
I go through phases where I’ll do yoga for a few weeks and then I just stop. I need to keep going because it truly makes me feel better.
My favorite thing is going outside or having my dog with me when I do yoga. The part to me that’s most relaxing is focusing on my breath.
I usually like to find yoga videos on YouTube to follow along with, but you can also make up your own sequences once you know some of the poses.
Meditate
Going along with yoga, meditation is also a great self care idea for when you’re having a bad day.
It’s hard to stop thinking about everything bad that’s happened in the week, but once your practice, you can learn to just observe those thoughts and focus back on your breath through meditation.
Go Outside
It’s been shown time and time again that being in nature improves your mood and reduces stress.
If it’s a nice day out, part of my morning routine is taking my dog out, and it automatically makes my day a little better.
Try going for a walk or just sitting out on your porch for a few minutes. I love going to the park and setting up my hammock.
Have a Spa Day
Nothing says self care like having a spa day.
What does a spa day consist of for you? Here are some ideas:
-Paint your nails
-Do a hair mask
-Use a face mask
-Take a bath
-Have your partner give you a massage
Do Something you Enjoy
If you take anything away from this post, it’s this. Do something you enjoy.
Do a hobby you don’t usually have time for, like painting a picture or knitting a blanket.
Whatever you decide to do, take your time and do it mindfully so you can fully enjoy it.
Like I mentioned earlier, mental self care is all about being mindful and slowing down the pace.
Write in your Journal
Writing in a journal is something I struggle with. I always buy all of these gorgeous journals, but it usually only lasts a couple of weeks.
One of my goals this year is to write in my journal more.
I like to use habit trackers for things like exercise, drinking water and meditating. You can also just talk about how your day is going, or answer journal prompts, like these journal prompts for healing your inner child.
Listen to your Favorite Music
Sometimes I’ll have music on in the background while I go to work, but I never take the time to mindfully listen to music.
Try to mindfully listen to the music and get into it. I try to listen to music that gets me pumped up when I’m having a bad day. You can even have a little dance party if it’ll make you happier!
Do Something Creative
Doing creative things is amazing for your brain.
Being creative is a great way to open up your mind, express yourself, and relieve some stress.
Here are some ideas of creative things you can do.
Watch your Favorite Show or Movie
I already touched on watching your favorite movie or show when I talked about doing something relaxing, but I think this needs emphasis.
I see a lot of people equating self care with doing productive things (I talk about that sometimes too), but what we really need is time to just sit down and enjoy ourselves.
I feel like a lot of us feel guilty if we sit down and do something like that when we have other things that need to be done, but we shouldn’t feel guilty about having a little time to ourselves.
Take a Bath
One of my favorite things to do to relax when I’ve had a bad week is to take a bath.
I love either using bubble bath or a bath bomb and bringing a book in or some relaxing music.
Make a Gratitude List
Last but definitely not least, one of the best self care ideas for when you’re having a bad day is to make a gratitude list.
When you have a really bad day or week, it’s easy to just focus on everything that went wrong. That’s okay because that’s just how we process things.
But we also need to take time to recognize the things that are going right in our lives, because we tend to forget about that.
Make a list of some of the things you’ve been thankful for the past week.
Self Care Ideas When You’re Having a Bad Day
The next time you have a bad day, try out some of these self care ideas to make it just a little bit better.
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