Getting Through a Bad Mental Health Day

Bad mental health days happen to everyone. On these types of days, you might wake up feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or sad. No matter their reason, bad mental health days can be frustrating. Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to make a bad mental health day a little better. 

What a Bad Mental Health Day Looks Like

Depending on who you are, a bad mental health day can be a rare or frequent occurrence. Unlike anxiety or depression, bad mental health days are typically shorter, lasting only a day or two. A bad mental health day can look a little differently to everyone; however, some overall signs can help you tell if you are having one or not. You might be having a bad mental health day if:

• You feel stuck:

  No matter what you try to do, your low mood never seems to change throughout the day. You feel unmotivated and may have self-defeating thoughts. 

• You want to lay in bed all day:

  Even if you are not physically tired, you find yourself wanting to stay in bed, safe beneath the covers, to avoid life. 

• You isolate yourself:

  On bad mental health days, you might not want to speak to anyone or spend time with your friends or loved ones. Instead, you isolate yourself, even if you feel lonely or in need of support. 

• You either have no appetite or can’t seem to stop eating:

  If you find yourself turning to ice cream or chocolate for comfort, you are not alone. On the other hand, you might have no energy or appetite for food and skip meals. 

• You neglect physical hygiene:

  Showering, brushing your teeth, and keeping your home clean may seem pointless on bad days. 

• You feel empty inside:

  Besides feeling fatigued, anxious, or depressed, you might feel an overwhelming sense of emptiness that you can’t seem to get rid of. 

While a bad mental health day might have no apparent rhyme or reason, it could be a sign that you need to rest or practice some self-care. 

Making a Bad Mental Health Day Easier

Getting through a bad mental health day can be challenging. You might feel like there is nothing you can do except wait for it to end and for a new day – hopefully a better one – to begin. However, there are some steps you can try to make a bad mental health day a little easier to deal with. For example, you can: 

• Practice self-compassion:

  Bad mental health days are not easy. Give yourself grace and compassion on bad days to avoid making them worse with feelings of shame or guilt. It is okay to take a break every now and then. 

• Take smaller actions:

  If you can’t bring yourself to shower, try to change into some clean clothes. If you can’t make yourself a full meal, try to make at least some of your snacks healthy. 

• Reach out to a friend:

  You can tell your loved ones or friends that you are having a bad mental health day. They might ask you what they can do to help. Even though it might be uncomfortable, allow others to help you so that you are not alone. 

• Do something you love:

  Decide to be indulgent and do something you genuinely love. Create something, take a long warm bath, spend time with your pets, or watch one of your favorite shows. 

• Get some exercise:

  Strenuous exercise might feel impossible on bad mental health days. Instead of doing these things with 100% energy, try easier versions, like walking around your house or stretching. 

• Let yourself feel bad for a certain amount of time:

  Sometimes, sitting with feelings of sadness or emptiness can help you process them easier than if you were constantly trying to push them away. 

Turning Bad Mental Health Days Into Good Ones

There are some days when you wake up feeling bad. The day has not even started yet, and you already feel like it is ruined by a bad mood. Instead of thinking that your whole day has been wasted and ruined, try thinking about a single day in terms of quarters: morning, afternoon, evening, and night. By breaking the day up, you can practice realizing that you can start a “new” day or way of feeling at any time during the day. A bad morning does not have to mean a bad afternoon, evening, or night. 

Bad mental health days can happen to anyone. Allow yourself time to practice self-care and ensure your basic needs are met without shame or guilt. Then, try giving yourself a chance to reset the day, leaving your bad “day” in the past and enjoying the rest of the day in the present. 

Bad mental health days can make you feel stuck. You might feel like there isn’t anything you can do except wait for the feelings of sadness, exhaustion, or emptiness to leave. However, there are small steps that you can take to make mental health days a little easier to get through. You can make sure your basic needs are being met by eating enough food or taking time for gentle exercise. Taking time to practice self-compassion and do things you love can also help you get through the day without shame or guilt. At SokyaHealth, we know that bad mental health days can be hard to get out of. We offer holistic therapy methods to help you find wellness even on bad mental health days. Our telehealth platform and self-care tools are accessible anytime and anywhere so that you can find support with ease. Call SokyaHealth today at (877) 840-6956 for more information.