#SelfCareFriday: Bad Days
Friends—Right now and always, we need to give ourselves permission to take care of ourselves. Self care is how we build resilience and wellness, little by little each day. In our weekly #SelfCareFriday series, licensed social worker and NAMI Chicago Clinical Manager Jessica Zaehringer, MA, LSW, will share new ways each week to take care of yourself.
Self care might be hard for you. If you need a little more help, call our Helpline at 833-626-4244 or check out a virtual support group.
Self-care is important for mental health every day of the week, but it’s especially important after a bad day. For many people, there have been a lot of bad days recently. We feel it too.
Bad experiences have a substantial effect on our mental health, consciously or unconsciously. We all have bad days no matter where we are on the mental health spectrum. These days can be a result of built up stress and/or an unplanned/unfortunate circumstance. They don’t have to have a specific reason for being bad, however. They just are.
Bad days can come up as mental health symptoms, physical health symptoms, or both. Some of these symptoms include feeling weepy, having very little energy, finding it hard to find joy. Bad days can make you feel hopeless, alone, drained, defeated. Bad days can even introduce unhealthy coping mechanisms that stick with us for longer, such as seclusion.
Seclusion is different than physical distancing-- it’s emotional distancing, putting space between ourselves and the people who support us, and our feelings.
Bad days are a perfect opportunity to see what self care can do for you. Just taking one day to prioritize yourself can make a huge impact on your mental health.
Sometimes a bad day can be a few hours, sometimes they can seem to go on forever. If you’re experiencing bad days that feel neverending, make sure that you are not only performing your self care, but consulting with a mental health professional.
Here are some self-care tips for bad days:
Get some movement
Spend time with family or a close friend (over the phone works, too)
Take a nap (or go to bed early)
Drink water
Journal (write down or record all of your thoughts and feelings)
Read: get lost in a novel, or even an article
Meditate (there are lots of apps to help)
Listen to your favorite song
Have a good cry
Carve a pumpkin (Okay, okay, we know fall isn’t for 5 more months. There are other gourds available.)
Remember: this is YOUR self care. Our suggestions are a place to start. This is a journey that needs to work for you, and for your heart and mind.
In friendship,
