Today, the first day of dead week, things didn’t go as planned for me. Sometimes they don’t. And that’s okay, as shitty as it can be. But that doesn’t mean nothing can be done.
First, the second you feel that your day has gone sour, stop what you’re doing and take a few deep breaths. My mom tuned me in to the power of deep breathing when I first began struggling with anxiety, and now I use it every day. Breathing in through your nose, for six or so seconds, and breathing out through your mouth. Doing this a few times ago, makes a big difference in regard to anxiety and stress levels.
Second, make sure you have taken care of all your basic needs. Drink some water if you haven’t, remember the last time you ate a meal, and if you haven’t in a while, try to put something healthy together. It’s easy to indulge in sugary sweets when you aren’t feeling your best, but processed sugars will only bring your energy levels down and make you feel worse. Indulge in a food you like. Some things I like to treat myself with include: Smoothies, Fruit, Nutella toast, avocado toast etc.
Then, you should address what is making you feel bad. Whether you got a bad grade, argued with a friend, or just felt bad for no specific reason. Ways to address your feelings include: writing about how you feel (like I’m doing), venting to someone you trust, or asking for advice.
Once you have the basics covered, you can treat yourself. Take a hot shower, escape into the world of Netflix, listen to some hype music, anything that could potentially inspire, or motivate you.
The most important thing to remember when you aren’t feeling top notch, is that things will improve. Whatever the situation may be, it is temporary, and it will pass. You will be okay.
When I went through my first heartbreak, I genuinely thought that I was never going to feel better. But I did.
Like before I started writing this article, tears were streaming down my face, and I was texting my friends telling them about how I was “having a shitty day.” Now that I’ve written it, I feel productive, accomplished, and motivated. In some cases, you can transform negative energy into positive energy, and this is one of those cases.