Let's Talk: Hard Mental Health Days

April was an up and down month, it started happy but towards the end I've been having a few tough days, so I wanted to discuss and hopefully share some of my ways of coping!

Trigger warning: I'll be talking about my own mental health so if that may be a trigger stop reading or go in with caution and be safe.

So we all get hit with those prolonged periods of tough days, like you think it's just a bad day but it keeps going. I've been feeling so down and some days I just don't get out of bed because I'm so drained and anxious. I know that it will be ok again soon and time will help but for now I wanted to share some things that have helped me.

1. Self Pity.

I think it's easy to indulge in self pity, your mind can consume you with such negative thoughts and sometimes it's easy to just agree and stay in bed, listen to sad songs and eat shit food. I've been there and to be honest I spent all day yesterday doing it. I think you need to break the cycle of self pity sometimes though because it only brings you down. It's find to have an off day when you get consumed but don't allow it to take over. Get up and get out of bed, even if thats just to sit outside or on the couch. Talk to people, watch youtube videos, just anything to take your mind away from intrusive thoughts. I know for me I've made a happy playlist, it's full of chilled out happy songs that put me in a good mood. It's easy to listen to sad songs because the lyrics help but sometimes that can be bad and it just sets you back; you need to take your head out of that space in anyway you can.

2. Fresh Air.

I mean fresh air in more ways than one. 

It's coming to spring, the air is fresher, flowers are out and the weathers brighter. It's the perfect time to just take a walk or sit on the grass for a few hours. Getting out of the house and just breathing the fresh air can help so much. I also find that being out in the sun (if you have any) can just lift your mood and make you feel a little better. Walks are also great for giving you room to think and clearing your mind.

Fresh air can also mean taking a break. It's easy to settle and be in an overwhelming situation, it's toxic for your mental health. It's best to just take a break from life, in anyway you can, just sit think about things and get a fresh mindset. I find that sitting in my garden and just focussing on everything else around me instead of my issues really helps. Sometimes when you take a break from people you can breathe the fresh air you never got; I know that after my break up, I realised I was so much more than I thought and there's so much more and I was able to breathe fresher air after taking myself out of negative situations.

3. Trust Yourself.

This is one tip that I've had to drill into my own brain. There's so much talk on social media about people going 'psycho' to try and invalidate their feelings towards a situation and that's such a toxic mindset. Your feelings towards anything are valid. If something makes you anxious or sad, even if it's meant to be a joke, it's ok. You're allowed to express your emotions in anyway you need and it's ok if thats taking time to yourself and being alone for a bit. It's perfectly fine to react to people in any way you need to, obviously as long as it's for a reason. You need to tell people when they've hurt or upset  you or when you just can't be around them. Don't feel bad and don't try and justify the hurt you feel, it's ok to be upset.

4. Be Selfish.

I hate the word selfish because it implies that caring for yourself is wrong and it's often used as a tactic to invalidate someones feelings. However, I think in this case it's ok to say that you need to be selfish. Bad mental health days can really drain you, especially if it's a prolonged period. You need to focus on yourself, don't take on other peoples issues and stop caring for those who don't allow you to bloom. It's ok to take your time and focus on you. Learning to love yourself, every part of you, takes time and until you can you need to make that a priority. You're the priority. 

Hope this helps. How are you feeling, I'd love to know?

How do you deal with bad days?