SHIT DAYS HAPPEN: NOW WHAT?


This might come as a surprise to you... but I have shit days too.

I'm like... human. We are all human, and we all have shit days. Our bad days can come for numerous reasons and some of us lucky SOB's (*raises hand*) who are born with brains a few wires short tend to have unexplained bad days that come and go whenever the fuck they want. Depression is a bitch, but complaining about it aint gonna make it better in the long run. So... now what?

Well. You make a list.

I used to keep this list on my fridge so that whenever I was feeling down I could mindlessly scan the paper for an easy redirection. My original list is no more, so this morning when I woke up feeling like the perfect embodiment of a shit storm... I decided to make another one. The following is what I came up with, and is very specific to me and my interests/brain chemistry. I would recommend that you make your own! Life throws all of us curve balls, and the quicker we can get to a list of things that improve our mental health... the quicker we bounce back.

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Things I can Do on a Shit Day to Make it (a little) Better:

Ride my bicycle around Downtown. I hate most forms of exercise, but bicycling is the one exception. Endorphins are magic. This gets them going instantly.

Get coffee at Cafe Passe and sit in the outside patio. Pause. I'm going to do this right now and then finish writing. 

Turn on music and dance with my cats. They hate it, but it does wonders for me.

Movie Theater Date.Yep.

Shower. As simple as that. A physical reset button.

Call Mom. For me it's my mom. It could be anyone for you; whoever is part of your support system. 

Peruse Tumblr. For some reason, my Tumblr feed is the perfect blend of fucking hilarious and empowering.

Makeovah. I rarely take the time to preen like I did when I was younger, but I still love it. Victory rolls, falsies, red lipstick... the whole gamut. 

Salad Bar Hour.This is several forms of self care for me: both the get-out-of-the-house part and the nutritional-boost part. I love going to the co-op and buying an eclectic basketful of spinach salad ingredients. I follow it up by going home and making a point to be mindful and enjoy creating my masterpiece. And then I devour it, of course.

Make a Gratitude List.I can actually do that right now... 
I'm grateful for being born into opportunity. I'm grateful for my three fluffy roommates. I'm grateful for my education.  I'm grateful to have a body that heals itself and lets me pursue my dreams. I'm grateful for Bath and Body Works' lotions. I'm grateful that I live in the same city as my family. I'm grateful that I write online. I'm grateful for bagels. I'm grateful for ending up on a path that allows me to love myself. I'm grateful for polka dots and stripes. I'm grateful for blooming orange trees. I'm grateful for air conditioning. I'm grateful for free speech. I'm grateful for being loved.

A day at the bookstore.Any kind. Forever.


Visit my favorite thrift stores for a half hour each. Making a day of shopping when I'm depressed is sometimes too much, but giving myself an excuse to get out of the house and into a store of treasure hunting possibilities for thirty minutes is perfect.


Greasy spoon breakfast and the newspaper.I don't know what it is about this combination that makes life worth living... but I'm not going to fuck with it. It's perfect.

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Since starting this list, I've already done three: shower, coffee at Cafe Passe, and the Gratitude List.  I really do feel considerably lighter, though getting myself to start them took a little convincing  Which is why I would suggest that you make your own list... right now. Take the hard part of thinking about what to do out of the equation when you're in a rut. And the next time you feel like shit and all looks dismal... peek at your sheet and force yourself to try just one.

You are your own best resource, baby. Put yourself to good use.

xoxo

11 comments

  1. This is a really great idea. Shit days are... shitty so making a list to remind me of the little things that make me happy (snuggle with cats and watch Disney movies) is genius.

    But what's a greasy spoon breakfast?

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    1. YOU LOVE CATS AND DISNEY TOO!?!?!? Girlcrushsohardrightnow.

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  2. a motivational speaker i saw once did something like this, he called it his "when life works" list. he said make a list of things that you do that make life feel great, like it is going well. and then he said do at least a third of the things on the list every day! i loved the idea, i just need to finally do it!

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    1. I wish I could have seen that!!! Is a version online?

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  3. what kind of bike do you have?

    sloan_gray at yahoo dot com

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  4. You're my fucking hero. This is brill.

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  5. that is such a cool idea, jes... but since nothing is safe on (or in!) my fridge i'll just keep my list in my notebook...all three guys know that THAT is a place of girliness best left alone, unlike the fridge! and i WILL be creating that list...great great idea...love from vermont!

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  6. ps you are cute as a bug in that picture!
    just sayin'

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  7. Shower, primp, and thrift are my top three ways to slay my bad days. If that doesn't do it, then sometimes ice cream and funny TV shows do the trick.

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