We all struggle with bad days on occasion. With the new spring schedule that doesn’t include a normal full week break, students are holding themselves to high standards more days than during a normal semester in addition to the continuing difficult conditions brought on by the pandemic. These expectations often mean that a bad day is made worse by feeling unproductive on top of anything else that may have happened. Here are some ways you can help turn your bad days around so that the next day is better.
Take a pause without feeling guilty
Not every day is equal. It’s okay to have days that aren’t as productive and it’s okay to need to take a break from your extracurricular activities for a day. When you’re having a bad day it’s important to take a pause if you need it. Taking these moments for yourself is one of the most important things you can do to look after your mental health. If things are bad enough that you don’t feel you’ll get the benefits of attending class, go ahead and send an email to your academic dean or your professor and let them know you need a moment to take care of yourself.
Practice self care
When you’re having a bad day one of the best things you can do for yourself to make tomorrow better is to take some time for yourself:take a hot shower, do a facemask, paint your nails, practice some meditation, or go do a workout. These things don’t take a lot of mental exertion and you can put on a happy ending movie to watch while you’re doing them to add to the relaxation. When you’re finished with that, head to bed early! Things almost never feel as bad as they did the day before after a good night’s sleep.
Call your family or your friends from home
One of the most helpful things you can do when you’ve had a bad day is to talk about it. Whether that means calling your family to talk or having a good old fashioned rant session with you friends from school or from home. Getting everything that’s bothering you off your chest can help you start to feel better for the next day.
Write things down
An exercise that can be especially therapeutic after a bad day is writing in a journal. Especially if what caused your bad day is drama with friends or family and you don’t feel ready to talk about it with anyone yet. Writing in a personal journal to air your feelings can help clear your head and help you to understand what you’re really feeling if things are hard to work through at first. Writing can also help you work through your day to find out if there are any changes you can make in the future to prevent a similar thing from happening again.
Make an appointment with the counseling center
If you’re having a lot of bad days and you need some additional support, the counseling center is a great resource. They’re happy to talk with you whether it’s one session or meeting every week if that is something that might benefit you. Sometimes getting help to take care of your mental help can provide you with the tools you need to begin making your days better and finding better coping mechanisms.