How to Take Care of Yourself on an ‘Off Day’

Ya know when you’re just having one of ‘those’ days?

It’s like… every. single. thing. goes wrong, everyone is annoying, everything is horrible and you just want to do some combination of cry, sleep, & eat all at once.

Yep. We’ve all been there.

Well, I had one of these days last week. I felt like a was dying a slow, painful & dramatic death. Okay… irrational, but it felt real-ish in the moment.

In the midst of all of this misery, I decided to take a ‘me’ day.

I said fuck school, fuck work, fuck my daily to-do list, and I just gave up ( not in a sad, pitiful way… but in a ‘this bullshit isn’t worth it & my sanity depends on this‘ kind of way ). I don’t recommend doing this daily or weekly, but every so often, everyone needs a little break.

And nothing is better than relieving yourself of all of your ‘to-dos’ on a day where you feel like you are legitimately going to 1) assault someone, or 2) cry ugly tears in public.

Don’t get my wrong, there is nothing more satisfying ( for me, at least ) than fulfilling a hefty to-do list. But some days, you just can’t.

It is SO important to take care of yourself and love on yourself when you’re feeling stressed/irritable/overwhelmed/etc. I’ve been trying to make this whole ‘self love’ thing a prominent facet of my daily life as of late, and I must say, I’ve become a lot happier and more confident. I feel like I’m starting to understand what ‘being at one with yourself’ actually means. Cheesy, but true.

So, here’s what I do when I’m having a mini mental breakdown… that’s right people, I’m going off-schedule. On purpose ( WOAH ). I’m taking a mental health day.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU QUIT LIFE FOR THE DAY/HALF DAY/WHATEVER:

♥ Actually decide to ‘quit’ & be okay with it. Obviously, if you have something that you HAVE to do ( like really, really have to do ), do it. But, otherwise, postpone all of those little tasks & things to a later date/time. Prepare to take some serious ‘me’ time without thinking about what you need to do every 5 seconds, because more-than-likely, you don’t really need to do it. Warning: this is harder than it sounds. The perfectionist/control-freak in me is cringing.

♥ Clean & Organize. Okay, this may sound weird, but when I decide to quit life for the day, I clean up all of my shit in preparation for not doing ANYTHING productive, in that sense, for the rest of the day. I put away all of my laundry, do the dishes, hide away my school & work, fluff up my bed all cloud-like, and turn on some candles.

Another thing I do? I take all of those ‘to-dos’ that I am postponing, and I write them down on my list for tomorrow ( or another day of the week ). For me, this helps to clear my mind & de-stress me. Staying relaxed & feeling clean is of utmost importance on your mental health day.

♥ Treat Yourself. I always do some kind of online shopping when I’m feeling like shit. If I’ve had something in My Cart ( i.e. this jumpsuit that I bought last week) online forever, if I’ve been eyeing some revolutionary beauty product, or if I feel the need to order some new, cute home decor items, I take the leap. I buy that shit.

♥ Have an At-Home, Mini Spa Day. When I need to chill, I take a hot shower, put on my favorite face mask, lather on some heavenly body butter, paint my nails, etc. Then, I lay in my bed ( in, preferably, clean sheets ) and bask in my fresh happiness.

♥ Order/Make/Go get some GOOD food. SUSTENANCE. You need SUSTENANCE. If you’re already having a horrible day, I don’t recommend going to get something huge and nasty to eat, because that will leave you feeling fat, bloated, and gross. Instead, think of a food that you LOVE that doesn’t make you feel SUPER fat. Let’s not have a Thanksgiving feast today.

Instead, I’ll order a salad from Chipotle ( i.e. the only salad I will eat: chicken, rice, medium salsa, & cheese ) or sushi. If I make something at home, I’ll make my mini zucchini pizzas or an egg-white omelet of some sort. Also, I drink mint, passion, or chamomile tea. Always drink tea ( unless it is after 7 PM… then drink wine ).

♥ Do something that makes you legitimately LOL. There are only a couple things that can actually make me laugh. Out Loud. By myself. These things are:

1) Watching The Office on Netflix. I have never laughed so hard/much while alone in my entire life… It’s an addiction ( I have watched The Office in its entirety 3 times…. so, yeah ). I recommend Season 7, ‘Classy Christmas’ Part 1 or 2 ( to be extremely exact, HA ). Gets me every time.

 2) Perusing Vine. Some people are just hilarious. This one and this one are making me LOL just thinking about them. You can find more funny AF Vines here.

Identify a show/movie/etc that genuinely entertains you, and take a mental health break to immerse yourself in it.

♥ Take a Mini Nap. If you must. Yeah, Life is hard, but don’t waste your whole ‘me’ day sleeping! That’s no fun.

♥ Do something that makes you calm & happy. This is different from watching a funny show or being entertained in that way. There are a few things that I like to do that make my mind quiet and make my whole being at peace ( think: relaxed &…. grateful, almost ). I really enjoy running at night when it is cool outside, driving/listening to classic country music on deserted backroads after it gets dark, & going crazy browsing inspiring quotes & pretty pictures on Pinterest ( <<< LOL this sounds like a crazy girl’s profile on a dating site ).

But really, these things make me happy & ‘at one with myself’. *Ahhhhh.*

♥ Reflect & Be grateful. Okay, I’m really trying to NOT sound like a Hallmark card here… & it’s challenging. After a day that goes from being miserably-miserable to being relaxed, happy & peaceful, I can’t help but think about how amazing my life is. YOU should reflect on this too. More-than-likely, as you’re reading this on your iPhone/Laptop/Tablet, you’re one lucky person. Take a second to think about your family, friends, pets ( HA… but really.. my pup is my love ), boyfriends, girlfriends, etc. and how lucky you are to be surrounded by so many freaking inspiring people.

Soak that in…. but, really.

Really think about.

At the end of the day… I’ll be kinda sneaky and answer a few emails or write a short post or something. Blogging is one of my favorite things to do in the world ( though it is stressful at times ), so I don’t think this really counts as cheating on my mental health day… right?

So, what do you like to do on your day off?

Gimme some ideas people!

Also, this serves as your encouragement to take your own day off from life. Do it & thank me later.

Biiiiii, Babes.

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