I’m not feeling so hot today. With perimenopause and my period kicking my butt, I have to admit it – I feel like crap. Sleepy, tired, crampy – all the things that suck about being a menstruating person in the summer.
Maybe you feel like crap for other reasons – stress, frustration, financial troubles, the world’s problems (these get me often!) or being a person of color here in the US. There’s a lot in life right now making it so difficult, it’s hard to know what to do to help yourself.
But, you CAN help yourself. Here are some things to try to feel a little less crappy and a bit more like yourself. Please note, I’m all about free99 and doing kind things for yourself doesn’t have to cost a penny. Try them and let me know in the comments how they helped.
- Take breaks. If you have sick or vacation days, see if you can take the day off. If you can’t, because I know not everyone has the privilege, make sure to take your lunch break. Let’s be real, you don’t get paid for lunch and working through it only stresses you out more because you haven’t had a chance to clear your mind. Taking regular breaks helps us decompress, re-energize and re-focus. Make it a priority to take a break everyday.
- Eat! I can’t say this one enough! In my dayjob as a therapist, I often find that folks will skip a meal thinking that whatever else they are doing is more important than eating. Nope! You need fuel and energy to keep going throughout the day. School, work, raising kids, running a business – all of these things require energy and clarity. If you can, focus on eating foods that won’t lead to an energy crash later like fruits and veggies.
- Rest. So many of us think that the best way to get through life is to keep doing and pressing on. And with so many responsibilities, it’s easy to skip the opportunity to slow down. Resting can take many forms though most important is sleeping. According to the CDC, healthy adults need at least 7+ hours of sleep, more depending on your specific needs. For me, I felt best when I get at least 8 hours of sleep. Does it always happen? No, sometimes I get in my own way and am scrolling on my phone too long. But, I pay for it so hard the next day when I’m feeling sluggish and foggy in my brain. I’m also a huge fan of naps! In my culture as a Latina, napping can be a revolutionary act, because a napping person is seen as lazy. That’s what my mom would say about me if I decided to nap on the weekends. Even 10 minutes of laying down or closing your eyes is enough to reset yourself as needed.
- Hydrate. Drink some water people! A lot of us run around doing all that we do dehydrated. I used to be one of these folks – having frequent headaches, memory lapses and brain fog. If you feel any of these, check in with yourself to see when you last had a cup of water. Here are some benefits to drinking water.
- Go for a walk. One of my favorite things to do when I’m stressed out is going for a quiet walk. As a highly sensitive person, non-talking time is SO healing! I stay off my phone and notice the sights and sounds around me. Lots of city noise because I do live in NY, but I also hear kids laughing, wind blowing through the trees or the birds chirping. See how many things you can tune into and notice how your stress goes down.
- Ask for help. This one may be the hardest one to do. As a POC, I find it hard to ask for help because I’ve been conditioned not to. I’m supposed to be able to figure it out. What I’ve done now as a parent is to model this for my sons. Today, I asked my son to order lunch (since he’s on vacay from work) and asked my partner to cook dinner. I’m feeling like trash and have no energy to move my body. So I asked and received. It matters who you ask, though. Make sure when you ask for help, it’s from someone who is open to help and has the bandwidth (ie have the capacity) to do it. “Hey, can you help me do this?” Be specific and direct. That way people know what you’re asking for and it’s clear.
- Write. One of the handiest tools we can possibly have in our well-being toolkit is a notebook. Feeling crappy brings up a lot of negative thoughts. Putting them on paper gets them out of your head and frees up space for you to do other things that can boost your mood such as watching tv, reading or listening to your favorite podcast. Journaling is so healing for the mind and spirit. Try it and see how you do!
I rotate through this list of tips regularly when I feel like crap. And I can tell you, they’ve worked wonders for me. It’s okay not to be okay and with these ideas, you can recover sooner. Let me know in the comments which ones are your go-tos and how they helped you feel better!
Heiddi Zalamar 