In my last post, I wrote about why it’s okay to take a day out of life when you need it.
When you’re suffering with depression, it’s amazing how difficult even the smallest of tasks can seem. On really bad days, I find it difficult to even leave my bed. I prefer to stay under the covers hidden away from the World. Everything seems a bit more manageable there.
However, hiding under the covers all day isn’t particularly beneficial to my mental health; so I try to do small things to improve my mood. Below are all the little things I try to do on days when I feel really bloody depressed. The best part? Most of them can be done from your own bed!
- Be kind to yourself – allow yourself to put everything to one side and take a day just for you, guilt-free
- Sleep – depression can wreak havoc on your sleep patterns so catch up on some much needed ZZZs
- Shower – just a five minute shower can make you feel a hundred times better
- Get dressed – even if it’s just into another clean set of pyjamas
- Watch a movie – ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘The Hundred Foot Journey’ are my favourite feel-good movies for bad mental health days
- Listen to music – have a ‘Happy’ playlist ready to go for days when you feel like crap
- Open the curtains – if you’re struggling to leave your bed, simply opening the curtains and letting some natural light in can do wonders for your mood
- Do ten minutes of meditation – I love using Headspace for this
- Cook a nice breakfast
- Eat chocolate – and don’t feel bad about it!
- Read a book
- Listen to a podcast
- Go for a short walk
- Or if you can’t make it outside, do ten minutes of yoga at home – Yogaglo is great for this
- Or if that’s too much, do a little bit of stretching
- Plan a trip
- Try some new recipes
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Talk to a friend
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