I’ve had some bad days recently. Days filled with fatigue and riddled with anxiety. Days where even the most basic of tasks has felt like an Everest to me.
It happens, right? It’s OK that it happens. I keep hearing people say “It’s OK not to be OK” and sometimes I say it too and I guess it is OK not to be OK, but it certainly doesn’t feel OK when it isn’t.
And after a few of those days go by, I find myself thinking “Man! I’d just like to feel better now.” and then after another couple of days I wonder if there’s anything I can do to help speed it along. And of course there is. There is self care.
But self care is hard and it is especially hard when you need it the most, so I asked Twitter for help.
Tell me your favourite low energy self care ideas – I need them today
I said. And, as always, you came through. Thank you. I did need them that day. The response was thoughtful and measured and exactly what I asked for. So I gathered up some of the best responses and stuck them in a blog post.
Credit to everyone who replied to me, because this isn’t really even my work. I just wanted to put it together in case it helped someone who happened to be passing through my blog. Thank you all for your contributions.
Here are more than 20 self care ideas for days when you’re too tired to self care:
Look at a plant – @SavannahEWooten
Sit under a hot shower – @jemmahoughton
Reading – @litgirl87
Hang your clothes to dry – @ecoherbgal
Watch an animated comedy – @gemlizard
Read columns/advice by mental health writers – @SavannahEWooten
Play a simple nostalgic game that is hard to lose at – @bumblebees_exe
Curl up tight with multiple blankets so it feels like a hug – @SteampunkGhosts
Audiobooks or a podcast – @anxietyaloner
Nap – @ElizabethIngram
Colouring – @alexkaywritess
Bed any time of the day – @GiSKW
Watching movies or a TV series – @tanja__eder
Watching some YouTube! – @Kyla74437612
Play games on a phone – @MHMegC
Deep breathing and a bit of doodling – @Vedica_Podar
Uber Eats – @SusannahBirch
A sheet face mask. You don’t even need to deal with the application and removal! – @JadeWatches
If it’s a day where I can’t shower, I’ll try to wipe my face and arms with a wipe as it makes me feel a bit fresher – @ge0kat
A bath. Once you’re in you don’t have to move. You can take a film or some chocolate or maybe a nice drink. – @applepiedash
Looking up pictures of baby animals – @themindthatlies
Cheese. – @frolickingfood
Staring into the pit of darkness – @MikesAlive
I hope you found one of the above suggestions useful. I actually ended up with so many responses that I’ve bookmarked the tweet so I can refer back to it if I need even more ideas. If you need more self care ideas, here are 50 things to try on an anxious day.
What about you? What’s your go-to self care for days when you have barely enough energy to move? Please leave yours in the comments below so we can all help each other heal and grow.
Stay safe. And, if all else fails, please try to remind yourself that these feelings are temporary and will eventually pass.
1
really helpful will bookmark !