Bad mental health day – 11 tips to get through them

Having a bad mental health day today? Just to make you less alone, we all have bad mental health days and sometimes they get worst.

But what exactly is having a bad mental health day? Have you ever felt low as soon as you wake up or totally unsure of what this day has planned for you?

Do you feel as if nothing is working out as per your plans and you’re unnecessarily getting frustrated, losing your mind over the silliest thing?

This is where we have entered the realm of bad mental health day.

The reasons behind having bad mental health days

Let’s be super real here, life gets hard and sometimes we lose all our hope. Everything seems to be falling apart and we literally have no control over it. This increases our anxiety and berries us under the pile of stress.

There are so many events from our past life that randomly flashes in front of our eyes and we are thrown back into the past tragedy.

These are the times when we fail to embrace the present and enjoy being in the moment. The negativity surrounds us and somehow we are not able to clear our mind and release from its cage.

Having a bad mental health day can be due to many factors and recent events. Things and events that trigger our mental health are mostly responsible for our bad and rough days.

We indeed try hard to stay calm and peace but all of a sudden and out of blue, something hits us hard and we are taken aback to such stressful times.

But the catch here is, we all face this, we all have terribly bad mental health days and we all have survived it most of the time.

If you’re here reading this, I am sure you’re a warrior and you want to improve your mindset and get help to pass through this bad mental health day.

I have listed out 11 realistic tips to follow when you are having a bad mental health day but if things get heavy, I always and highly recommend consulting the professional. They’re no shame in seeking help or going to therapy. ( I’ll only recommend the resources that I’ve tried personally)

Let’s get started and quickly get the toolkit to cope up with bad mental health days.

11 simple tips for bad mental health days

As I already said and will say yet again, yes we all have bad mental health days and you’re not alone. our journey may be different but we all have our highs and lows.

Let not the glitter of social media hide this reality from you. Not all days are the same but yes it is totally possible to feel better though not the best on your bad mental health day. There are days when I’m super energetic and ready to slay the day.

On such days, I show on my morning pages and practice my regular morning routine. But there are days when I don’t feel like getting out of the bed. No amount of work or creativity seems to attract my attention and I’m in some weird frustrated mood without any reason.

We really need to normalize having bad mental health days because initially even I felt so weird for my behavior and this total breakdown.

Everything around me would be pleasant and happening but this heart and mind had something else to say. On such days, no amount of mindful reminders or healthy eating could do wonders.

This is the time when I realized I was having a bad mental health day and I needed to do something about it instead of sulking in.

Helping yourself out is a willing choice you make and this is what makes all the difference. You need to be willing to take a step forward for your mental wellness and help yourself out.

This is when I listed out every possible thing that showed me hope and brought in the ray of shine even during rough days.

Something that works for me, may or may not work for you but I’m sure, you’ll at least find few of the following useful tips that you can implement when you’re having bad mental health days.

11 tips for bad mental health day

1. Don’t judge yourself

You seriously don’t want to be your own critic when you’re having a bad mental health day. I used to push myself hard during rough days and make some weird assumptions that it’s all happening because of me.

This situation isn’t because of you and though you try hard, you have your own limits.

It’s really frustrating when your mind works against you and throws all the blames. Be kind to yourself and let go of negative self-talk.  Stop being so hard on yourself especially when you are having a bad mental health day.

Sometimes, we are the ones who make the situation worse for ourselves by throwing blames and assuming things. Render yourself forgiveness on such rough days, you need yourself the most.

2. Communicate with loved ones

Being around the people we love not only lifts our mood but also makes us feel less alone. When we’re having a bad mental health day, we may not always feel like talking or sharing things with everyone but there are always few trusted beings who would listen to you whenever things get heavy.

If you’re someone like me who is introverted and cannot open up easily, you need to surround yourself with at least three closest people whom you trust. It is okay to admit that you need their help to pass this phase. Talk about your fun past moments or try a new DIY together.

Being alone during rough times will make you feel devastated and you will be thrown in the web of thoughts. Talking with your loved ones will always help.

They may not give assurance to get you through the bad day, but they surely will try the best to help you stay sane.

3. Practice self-care

Practicing self-care on a bad mental health day isn’t always necessarily having a hot bubble bath, though it helps. Self-care has many forms and staying away from toxic people, things, relationships are also its type. These are the days when I follow what my heart wants.

Taking a mental day off due to a rough day is also a type of self-care. Honor your worth and do the things that make you happy. Make a list of things that brings you joy and peace, now repeat them again.

Take yourself on a long nature haul and walk on the fresh green grass. Feel the touch of mother earth and ground yourself in its bliss. Sometimes, pampering yourself on the bad mental health day is all that you need.

I’m a big stationery addict, so whenever I experience a rough day, I buy some journals and color pens for myself. Do not judge yourself for this. Do what makes your heart happy.

4. Accept the current situation

Many times, we try to control the things that we cannot control and end up being miserable. This happens even during bad mental health days when we fail to accept that yes today isn’t my day and it’s okay. things really become easy and simple once we learn the power of acceptance, but as a human being, we always tend to oppose the idea when it doesn’t work as per our wish.

A few days ago, when I had a bad mental health day, I tried convincing myself that it was all okay and I’m happy. This was just a bubble of happiness that I created myself which obviously didn’t last for a longer span. In the end, I had to accept the current situation and allow myself to feel those feelings.

It’s okay to have a bad mental health day because we all have them but let’s not try to convince ourselves that we are feeling great if when we aren’t.

Just tell yourself, ‘ Today isn’t a great day and it’s totally okay for this too shall pass. Somethings may not have worked out but there always is a brighter day waiting for me’. When you practice acceptance, you give your mind the much-needed rest from the resistance and quarrel of the thoughts.

5. Journal your thoughts

Journaling is a mindful writing practice where you help yourself to pause for a while and write down everything that bothers you on these blank sheets.

The studies have shown that journaling can actually reduce stress and anxiety whenever you’re having a bad mental health day. Practicing this art for at least 15-20 mins can help you be mindful and present at the moment.

The only trick here is to be as you are. When you’re penning down your thoughts make sure that you are not being too harsh on yourself for this sacred space of journaling is your non-judgemental zone.

Journaling is my go-to tool for every time when life fails me. These pages have held me every time I break and fall apart. I write morning pages regularly now from the last six months and it has brought so much peace and clarity to my mind.

Also, I highly recommend grabbing your favorite notebook along with some stationery articles and start this mindful practice.

Here’s a detailed post on how journaling saved me along with some beautiful prompts for the beginners.

Ahh, how can I forget this, I have recently launched my free journaling course to give you a brief idea on how to get started. 

6. Practice mindful meditation

I know how daunting the word meditation can seem to you especially when you’re struggling during bad mental health day. But trust me, I was at the same place where the thought of closing your eyes could be super deliberating. It was only after learning the actual meaning of mindful meditation that I fell in love with this practice.

What I always thought was, meditation means you have to silent your mind and stop all these running thoughts. And when your mind is a big cluster of thoughts, there’s no end to it.

However, in actual sense, mindful meditation is all about allowing your thoughts to flow and feeling your emotions. It’s about going with the flow instead of obstructing it. Mindful meditation on rough days will make you aware of your feelings and the reason behind them.

Sometimes, we feel so many different emotions but we have no idea why we’re feeling so. This practice of mindfulness will make you aware of such reasons and when the next time you feel such emotions, you exactly know why you’re feeling them. Hence you can save yourself from everything that triggers you.

7. Create something you love

Having a bad mental health day signals in involving yourself in the activities that bring life into you, that fills you with utter joy. I personally love this idea of merging yourself and getting lost in the things you love.

Be it some art or craft or some soulful music, do everything that makes you happy, that brings you peace and joy. Also, you aren’t doing this to reach any perfection so refrain from judging yourself for making shitty art ( FYI there’s no shitty art)

Whenever I’m struggling with a bad mental health day, I write poems on hope, light, and everything that brings me peace. I allow myself to pause and just create for the love of creating. I urge you to give yourself permission to flow into the river of your passion.

You may have always wanted to play that musical instrument or paint your favorite night sky or draw some random doodles, do it now.

8. Take a break from social media

Sometimes, we are so flooded with the current happenings and news of all around the world that it becomes heavy and stressful. Imagine having a bad mental health day and hearing something heartbreaking!!

Social media undoubtedly is helpful in many ways and it can be quite difficult to have digital detox especially when you’re working through those channels. In such cases, I would suggest to limit your time on social media and reduce the consumption of the content.

We also need to understand that the pictures in these square boxes do not depict the real life of the person behind it. We may fall for all the glitter and sparkle but in the end, we really don’t know what may be actually happening in their lives. In such cases, we start feeling insecure and compare ourselves to someone else’s journey.

My dear, you are where you needed to be now. This entire universe is rooting for you and is always striving hard to let you grow. Set a time limit or reminder for social media usage and have at least one such day when you observe a total digital detox. This especially helps during bad mental health days.

9. Be in nature

Nature has a cure for everything. When I am feeling low or depressed, I just sit on the terrace and view the beautiful silent sky. Watching the changing colors of the sky makes me believe that this too will change that this bad day too will pass soon. I also love walking in the woods and being closer to everything green. Mountains lure me and living there is my ultimate life goal.

Go out and explore the wonders of nature, it has so many secrets yet to be uncovered. I’m so sure that you will bring peace along when you return.

10. Allow yourself to rest

Remind me, when was the last time did you actually take some rest and break from your daily work? And by rest, I mean giving break to your mind as well as to your body. We are so super busy in our daily routine and side hustle that we never have the time to pause.

I always used to feel guilty for not doing the work and resting when I had a bad mental health day. But I have learned this as a hard lesson to pause and give yourself some break from all the cluttering and mess.

I have found peace in being unproductive and I always find my muse while I’m not working, that’s when I’m resting. Your mind and body deserve this, be kind to them as well.

 Try pausing from this hustle and give yourself a moment to relax and feel the beauty of being alive.

11. Seek professional help

Let’s make it normal to ask professional help or go to therapy just as we’re approaching medical aid for physical illness. Sometimes, nothing works and even after trying hard and doing everything to help ourselves, we are still not able to come out from the dark phases.

These are the times when you really need some professional help and believe me, most of the therapists out there are super kind and compassionate. If you’re at the place where therapy is not easily accessible, try this super affordable online therapy. ( I will only recommend only after my experience )

There is no shame in asking for help when needed and it’s always good to talk to a professional.

11 ways to get through your bad mental health day – conclusion

Overcoming a bad mental health day could be mentally draining and you don’t have to force yourself to do anything on such days. Everyone has their own coping tools and it totally is your choice to check ou what works best for you.

I really hope that the above tools would help you bring peace during tough times, especially when you’re having a bad mental health day. I would love to know how you cope up during such difficult days, please do let me know your views in the comments.

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