Everyone’s had at least one day where they swear can feel the little metaphorical rain cloud hovering over their head. For some, these days end up being weeks, but it’s always hard to get out of an emotional slump no matter how long you’ve been in it. Usually in our attempts to find the one great thing that’ll kick us back into the world of sunshine and rainbows, we overlook the small things that can act as little umbrellas to temporarily keep us dry until the raincloud moves on.
1. Get out of bed.
I love my bed as much as the next person. It’s the only place I know of that I can become a human burrito free of judgment. It’s a struggle, leaving that warm and comfy little oasis, and I know you’re tired, but do yourself a favour and get up. As with any type of love, distance makes the heart grow stronger, and it’s just going to feel that much more comfortable when you crawl back in at the end of the day.
2. Perform some sort of (basic) hygiene routine
Take a shower. Or a bath. A bubble bath maybe? Why not use that new bath bomb that’s been sitting in the cupboard for a month? Wash your face, brush your teeth and hair, put on deodorant, etc.
3. Do something extra
Shave, moisturize, do your hair or makeup, whatever. This is completely up to you! Whatever it is that’ll give you a bit of an extra boost, do that thing.
4. Eat food, drink water
This should go without saying, but with everything going on in your life, it’s easy to forget to feed yourself every once in awhile, so here’s your reminder. Go eat something… It doesn’t matter what it is, whether it’s a bag of chips or a bowl of fruit, whatever it is, it’s better than nothing. This is also your reminder to drink some water. Stay hydrated out there, friends.
5. Put on clean clothes
It doesn’t matter if you’re having a sweatpants and slippers day or if you’re going to your favourite restaurant and it doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you last changed. There’s something about the feeling of fresh clothes that instantly makes you feel renewed, and not to mention your skin will thank you.
6. Put clean sheets on/make your bed
Again, a clean set of sheets can make you feel completely refreshed, and the small feeling of accomplishment that simply making a bed can bring can do a lot for your motivation.
7. Clean up a little
If you can’t see your floor but you can clearly see a layer of dust building on your side table, maybe start with those. You don’t need to scrub down your whole house but putting your clothes either back in your closet or in your hamper won’t hurt, and cleaning off your work space will make it a bit easier to plow through the schoolwork you have to finish (because let’s be real, we all know you have a lot).
8. Do something you enjoy, or something that will distract you
Read something by your favourite author, play a relaxing video game, start to marathon that show you’ve been meaning to watch… or more productively, catch up on some course readings or call a friend. Even just aimlessly browsing the Internet is a good idea. If you’ve gotten this far into this article, you’ve already got this step mastered and hey, you’re not staring at the wall or ceiling so you’re doing fine.
9. Give yourself permission to not feel great.
Nobody likes feeling like crap but give yourself a break. You’re human. You’re not going to feel “up” 100% of the time and your brain isn’t always going to cooperate with you the way you want it to… and that’s okay. Accepting this probably won’t make you feel better but the outcome of acceptance is a lot better than the outcome of beating yourself up over not being perpetually happy.