Overcoming a Bad Mental Health Day
A bad mental health day, which can usually be described by a great deal of anxiety, sadness, or stress, or a combination of those three aforementioned states, is extremely common and can happen to anyone at any time. I’m writing this blog to not only raise awareness about bad mental health days, but to also provide insight on how to overcome them as well.
What can cause bad mental health days? Perhaps you have experienced a poor performance on an exam or a sports outing. Maybe you got into an argument with a friend or a significant other. Or to make matters even worse, maybe you just broke up with a significant other or cut ties with a friend. Bad mental health days also unfortunately result from grief or mourning the loss of a loved one.
While it is impossible to completely prevent a bad mental health day, just like it is impossible to completely prevent a normal sick day, it is definitely possible to mitigate the effects of one and ultimately overcome one. Below are some tips I have provided to help you overcome an inevitable bad mental health day.
The first strategy I find particularly effective in helping one overcome the anxiety, sadness, or stress of a bad mental health day is to take a series of deep breaths. Stop what you're doing and take several consecutive, deep breaths. You will immediately feel more calm and collected and less anxious, sad, or stressed out. And if a set of 10 deep breaths does not make you feel better, try taking another set of 10 deep breaths. I promise that you will definitely feel a difference in your composure after you take at least a few deep breaths.
Taking deep breaths is relatively feasible because you can do so anywhere. My next piece of advice, which is to meditate, is not as feasible as taking deep breaths because in order to do so, you would likely need either a mat or a soft surface. To be honest, meditating is more effective on a mat or a soft surface, but can be done while sitting in a chair. In addition, while not required, meditation music is recommended to be played while you meditate. Meditating is essentially a buildup of deep breaths because it involves deep breathing and relaxes the entire body while mediation music is playing. Also, as you meditate, allow your mind to freely wander away from whatever is the central root cause of your bad mental health day and to engage in positive, uplifting thoughts. Meditate for as long as you need to feel better and less anxious, sad, or stressed.
Another way to overcome a bad mental health day is to take your mind off it by exercising or going for a nice walk. I prefer that you engage in aerobic exercise such as jogging, running, or even swimming if possible. Swimming was extremely effective in helping me take my mind off a bad mental health day because it was such an intense workout and I had to focus on staying afloat while getting enough oxygen to keep moving forward in the water. Meanwhile, going for a nice walk also is effective because you get to breathe in fresh air while enjoying a change of scenery (outdoors), which will ultimately help you take your mind off your bad mental health day. While exercising or going for a nice walk does help you take your mind off your bad mental health day, doing so can also help you overcome your bad mental health day by promoting positive thoughts and blood flow throughout your body and muscles.
Note that there are other ways to overcome a bad mental health day and to take your mind off it, such as listening to your favorite music, watching your favorite sport or television show, or simply talking about it with a friend, family member, or an adult. I just focused on strategies that I find particularly effective in overcoming a bad mental health day. I’m sure there are also many more different ways in which other people use to their best abilities in order to overcome their bad mental health days!
If these strategies are not effective in overcoming your bad mental health day or you experience a series of bad mental health days, then you may need to see a therapist who can directly help you with your anxiety, sadness, or stress, or even refer you to a psychiatrist. Sometimes, a series of bad mental health days cannot be mitigated or treated without medication, which will help normalize the chemical imbalance in your brain that is causing the anxiety, sadness or stress during the bad mental health day.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog post about overcoming a bad mental health day. I’d like to reiterate that bad mental health days can happen to any person. If you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to email me at jessepliu@gmail.com. Please subscribe to my blog and share my site to your friends and family!
