Life Hacks for a bad day

I've finally finished all my year 12 exams and the relief I feel is incredible! You don't quite realise how much pressure you are under until it goes away! I am so looking forward to long holidays and the time to get back to blogging.

Today I wanted to do a post about bad days because I had quite a few of them over the past year and found a couple of tricks that really helped me to get through them. I suffer from depression so when I have a bad day, it can easily extend to weeks and weeks if I'm not careful. These are some of the tricks I use to make them that little bit more tolerable.

Create a digital wardrobe
On a good day when you chuck on an outfit and admire yourself in the mirror, take a picture and save it on your phone. When it comes to a bad day you are standing there in the mirror feeling horrible, it can be too overwhelming to choose an outfit, especially when you feel ugly and gross in everything. By having some of your killer outfits saved on your phone, you can flick through and pick one that you know looks amazing, even if you might not feel that way at the time. Though it may sound a bit silly that a bad outfit could ruin your day, when you're feeling dreadful, clothes you're unhappy with and feel horrid in can honestly make everything ten times worse.

Cry!
I think in our society it really isn't accepted that people cry, which I find silly because sometimes a good cry is exactly what you need to let all the yuckiness out. Of course, it's not ideal to be sobbing all the time out at the shops or out to dinner, but don't feel that you have to hold it all in because it can just make you feel worse.

Go for a short walk
Despite the fact that exercise is the absolute last thing I feel like doing when I am feeling sad, a short walk can do wonders. When I walk I find it clears my thoughts, removes from the immediate situation I am in and puts in perspective a little. It's also good to get your blood pumping when you're feeling a little down.

Find a puppy to cuddle
If you have pets, this is the very time to get out there with them and spend some quality time. If you aren't in a talking mood, they are the greatest because they give cuddles and there is no expectation for you to reveal your innermost soul. Animals just seem to have this therapeutic feel about them and it is pretty difficult to feel sad after hanging out with a dog.

Talk, talk, talk
This is a bit of an obvious one, especially for women, but talking is so.freaking.useful. Sometimes I feel guilty for what I feel is 'dragging others down with me' but we all know that's what friends are for, to be there for you in the good and bad, and another person's perspective can usually help. Friends are also just magical at cheering you up, or at the very least providing the chocolate fix desperately needed.

Chuck on that killer lipstick
It's hardly a solution to big problems, but if you just wake up feeling a bit flat, chuck on that lipstick that you know is stunning and it will brighten your day just a little bit.

Save up your compliments
When someone says something really lovely about you, make a mental note of it for the tough times when you're feeling a little unloved. It is at these times that past compliments are of their greatest worth.

Go back to that book
Being a bookworm, I have an ample collection of books that I turn to for different occasions whether I'm feeling lonely, lost or just sad all round. There is nothing better than revisiting one of my favourites and finding the characters I once fell in love with. Not only can a book transform you from your world, you can learn sooooo much about life in them!

I hope some of these help you out and I would love to know what you guys do on a bad day.