I am having one of those days where everything just feels “flat”, struggling to work up any motivation or inspiration to do anything, and wondering whether I should have just stayed in bed for the day instead! These kind of days don’t come around often, thank goodness, but when they do, it’s a reminder to be thankful for the “good” days. What I find keeps me going in these times is something to look forward to, such as a holiday or an exciting event on the horizon, and to focus on this to get some of those happy chemicals flowing again. I find that it is also in times like this where a good self care plan is important, be it taking a relaxing bubble bath, watching one of my favourite TV shows, or reading in the cosiness of my own bed. I will be doing all of these things later for sure!

Getting caught by surprise

What irks me sometimes is the apparent randomness of these moods. One day I could be feeling fine, having a good day and feeling motivated to achieve everything that I need to. The next day, it’s as though I have fallen completely flat on my face, finding difficulty in getting enthused for anything, and having a real mope around the house! Wouldn’t it be nice if we could foresee these “off” days, and prepare for (or even mitigate) these in advance! I will always make myself get out of the house when I am feeling like this, to at least get some fresh air and a bit of exercise, however, sometimes I am not sure whether this really helps all that much on the particularly bad days! Perhaps it is just a case of taking the day for what it is, in the knowledge that the next day will be better, and that there are far more “better days” just around the corner.

Mental health & wellbeing

One thing that I am very much grateful for now is that these off days are the exception rather than the norm. Having had depression before, multiples of days like this build and compound over time to create a really tough path in life. We are all predisposed to having these days every once in a while, but when they become near constant, that is when professional help should be sought. The sooner this help is sought out the better, as it will help you to bounce back to your usual self faster, so long as it is caught early on. I am also glad that the stigma surrounding mental health issues is gradually lifting, and I really hope that this trajectory continues throughout my life and beyond.

Travel guilt

I have been feeling a little guilty as of late, with the sentiment that I should be making more of my time out of work. Since my career break started in mid-November, I haven’t been on any travels or even a single mini break! Part of this has of course been due to me wanting to rest and recover from a bit of burnout, however, now I am feeling a lot better, there is part of me that is pushing to get another holiday or break away booked up! I am not sure whether I will be booking anything up pre-Canada yet (time is running out!), but I do feel as though I should at least do something more before I eventually end up looking to get back into the world of work again. It may even help me avoid more of these off days! Any suggestions are welcome!

So what is your plan of action when you wake up for the day feeling off? Do you have a form of self care routine that you follow, or do you ride it out and accept that it is just one of those days? I recognise that not every day can be a good one, and that we need to have bad days to truly appreciate the good ones, so perhaps it is just a case of accepting this as part of the balance of life as a human being. One thing for sure is that I will keep both plans and memories of my travels front of mind today, and take just that little bit more time to make myself feel nicely comfortable and relaxed 🙂