How To Survive An Overwhelming Day

How do you survive an overwhelming day? What do you do when you’re anxious? What do you do when…when you “Just can’t?”

I want to say, “It’s okay to take breaks and not get things done. It’s okay to take the day off from your long list of to dos and instead do nothing,” but I haven’t been able to convince myself that it’s okay…because tomorrow is Monday, so if I don’t do the things today, I’ll have to do them tomorrow.  Which honestly is a major bummer of a thought.

However, this post isn’t here to teach you how to be productive, or how to still crush your to do list when you have a bad case of the “I don’t want tos.”  I’m not here to tell you to suck it up or push through. I’ve come only to show you what has helped me today–via my husband.  Because some days you wake up feeling depressed and anxious and overwhelmed.  And sometimes no matter how many things you know you need to do, you just can’t…and there’s no explanation why.

So if you’re here, hey, hello…I’m here too.  I’ve accomplished a solid nothing today and I’m watching as midnight is rapidly approaching.  …Ideally, maybe you should read this at the beginning of your day.

If you or someone you know is having a bad day, here are 20 things to do when you’re having an overwhelming day. I hope these will help.

1: Self care

Start your day off with a little pampering.  Face masks, hair masks, massages, a good DIY body scrub–there are so many options to choose from.  Pick what gives you the good vibes!

A little extra attention to you and specifically making yourself feel relaxed and cared for can go a long way. So do this when you have nothing to rush off to, really take your time to take care of you.

My husband and I like to do hair and face masks and let them sit on our skin and hair while we prep food or watch a movie.

2: Do some cleanup

I’m sure this is the last thing you’d want to do on a bad day, but sometimes the mess adds to the stress.

Doing a few dishes really quick, taking out that awful smelling trash, or running a load of laundry and wiping down the counters can make a huge difference. Those little things that get in the way and cause irritants can really lead to big overwhelming moments later on. Try to take a quick pass at the mess early on in the day and then just walk away and forget it.

This mess got no stress on you.

3: Make a meal

Cooking can be therapeutic sometimes, but if it isn’t for you, order out.  Not having to cook on a bad day is a huge blessing–especially if the kitchen is a mess because we ignored tip #2. If this is you, I pass no judgement–pick your favorite comfort meal and just order delivery.

Today is not a good day to face hanger on top of everything else. Cooking can be great, but making sure you are nourished is more important! That being said, I shouldn’t have to repeat this–but remember to actually eat too! I see you you over there…saying you don’t want to or you’re not hungry or you forgot.  I know who you are.

If you’re up for cooking, I find a pasta dish or a soup is usually really good and easy to make on a bad day.  Share your favorite comfort recipe with me in the comments–I’m always looking for new recipes!

4: Ice cream

Get the ice cream–always.  Maybe a few honestly, and save them in the freezer.

When you’re having a bad day and are shutting yourself in or are in the middle of a self hate moment, whip this out. You can’t eat ice cream and stay mad…or if you can, maybe buy better ice cream.

Now don’t misunderstand me, I am not asking you to say nice things to yourself while you eat it or to think happy thoughts. Nope. Just sit there and eat the ice cream in silence. Try not to think about anything.

5: Drink lots of water

Hydration on a tear filled day is essential.

What’s worse than having a bad day?  Having a bad day AND having a splitting headache. So trust me when I say this, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

If you plan to cry and complain the day away, you’re going to need to drink enough water to empower you to do so. Because without enough water in your system, how will you be able to produce more tears?  So I mean, obviously, drink the water if for no other reason than so you can produce more frustrated tears.  Today is a bad day after all, it might call for constant streams. 

6: Bake cookies

Now this one I am serious about–bake the cookies!  I don’t care if it’s from scratch or from a roll from the store–bake the cookies!  The smell, the taste, it turns your frown upside down.

It’s easier to be happy when the house smells happy.  And fresh, warm cookies are the bee’s knees. I promise not to judge you if you eat them all.

My personal favorite twist when making chocolate chip cookies from scratch is to sub in white chocolate chips instead of regular chocolate chips.

7: Wrestle

If I were to give relationship advice–which I’m not trying to here, but this is totally applicable!  This is the one tip I’d give.  If you find yourself getting a little snippy with your person, wrestle them.

When my husband and I get a little snappy towards each other he usually says to me, “Do you want to fight me?” And I of course say, “Yeah!”  So we wrestle.

We don’t kick or bite or punch. There are no bruises by the end of it, no hurt feelings.  Because the goal of this is not to hurt each other, but to burn energy, bad, negative energy. My husband always says it’s just footwork. It’s not a real fight, only practicing some good-to-know moves.

Usually we do some type of Jiu-Jitsu escape moves. But of course he’s bigger than me, so I spend my whole time trying to escape. By the time I’ve run out of energy from trying to flip and pin him, I’m no longer in a bad mood.

8: Cat fight

You know how cats arch their back and hop around and swat at you?  Do that.  It’s hilarious and totally turns the mood around.

My husband and I will do this to each other when we get a little irritated.  It totally turns the mood around.  I can’t be mad at you when I’m laughing at how ridiculous we look swatting at the air around each other and skirting around the room.

Seriously, hilarious.  Also, mocking your cat a little never hurt anything.

This gets you giggling in a hurry, and you really only need to do it for a minute or two.

For best results, start with your angry cat face and try to hold it for as long as possible.

9: Piggyback rides

Piggyback rides, you need not actually go anywhere, just around the apartment or around the block. Take a few spins. Gallop around the house. Anything that gets you giggling.

Sometimes getting to play and be a kid again, if just for a moment, is all the escape you need.  Don’t take yourself so seriously all the time.

In a world where you’re an adult and it’s always responsibilities and to do lists-live and play a little, remember to escape. Now is the time to bring out all the goofiness you can!

P.S. Um…don’t ram your knees into the elbows of the person whose back you’re jumping onto.

10: Movies

Don’t waste the whole day doing nothing, or worse, being mad at yourself for doing nothing. Productivity can be counted by the number of movies or TV show episodes you managed to get through.

Just start watching something and escape reality for a bit. Try to bring yourself a little peace of mind and stop battling yourself. Do the things that are stressing you all need to be done right now? No. Why? Because your peace of mind is most important. So watch the movies.

This is a given on days like this, but whoever’s bad day this is, they should pick the movie.

For best movie viewing results, go all out! Get the snacks–chips, chocolate, canchita (This is known in Peru both as popcorn and like a corn nut, but popcorn didn’t rhyme with my “C” words).  Now hit play on the movie!

One to three movies is totally acceptable on a day like this.

11: Music

I usually recommend something upbeat that you can dance to, or that makes you feel strong and powerful.  But if that’s not your vibe, go for something more calming.

Rap music tends to get me all pumped up.  I blast it in my head phones, put my head down and just go.  Or 2000 and 1950s music gets me grooving, it really makes me want to dance.

What kind of music is your favorite for a bad day?

12: Dance

On that note–now get grooving!  A little wiggle makes it really hard for you to be mad and hating on yourself.

No I was serious about that, you try being mad while jumping and dancing and wiggling all over the place.  Try it, I dare you.

13: “Lame” jokes

This one is best done for someone else, unless you’ve mastered the art of cracking yourself up.

Knock, knock jokes and something punny don’t always lead to laughter, but an eye roll and a cracked smile are a good start!

Pull this card tactfully, perhaps over dinner while your person is throwing a tantrum about not wanting to eat or participate.

The part that got me smiling during this, was my Peruvian husband trying to make me laugh and smile with jokes he didn’t fully understand, and then me having to explain them to him. Cultural differences lead to special moments sometimes!

14: Ask questions

If the jokes bomb–ask questions. Keep going even when your person is only giving half hearted responses. Lame, goofy, shallow, no thought needed type of questions. Definitely don’t ask anything about their purpose in life…because that’s probably how this bad day got started in the first place. Kind of rude of you to bring that up again, don’t you think?

Shallow questions? For example?

• What do you like to do in the winter?
• Do you like the snow? 
• What is your favorite activity to do in the snow?
• Do you prefer the summer?
• Are you a beach or lake person?
• Have you ever tried any water sports?
• Can I come with you next time?

And of course…

• Do you want to make cookies?

You know, dumb questions that are not deep at all.  But they’re a nice distraction to have and focus on something that doesn’t need so much thought and effort put into.

15: Go for a walk

Fresh air does wonders for the soul.

Get outside. Take some deep breathes. Feel the sunshine and hear the birds.

Let nature speak to you and calm your anxiety.

16: Sit with your person, in silence

Be present.  With no distractions.  Just be. No conversation needed.  No noise, stress or pressure. Just enjoy the moment.

17: Cuddle with your person-or pet

Often and always. Hold them tight.

If you need to be the one cuddled, express that need to your person.

Cuddling brings your hearts together, which opens up your hurt to the other person.  Let them be your shoulder to cry on.

Just…embrace your person today.

18: Challenge the tears

This is something my husband does to me.  When I start crying he says, “Are those tears?!  I don’t see any tears!  Come on, if you’re going to cry you better cry!  I want to see tears!”

When I turn to him with a look on my face that says, “Dude, yeah, I’m crying.”

He’ll be like, “What? There’s only one tear there!  Come on, give me more tears!”

And right about this time is when I start giggling, because it’s not like I actually need to justify my tears to him, he can see them.  But something about him calling my tears out makes me laugh and I can’t keep my sad, grumpy look on my face any longer. Now I’m laughing and not crying.

If you’re trying to cheer someone up, challenge their tears.

19: Let it all out

If you’re the one who needs to be heard, go to your trusted person and just get it all off your chest.  Journaling works too!

If you are trying to help someone else–listen.  Don’t interrupt.  Let them cry and sniffle.  For best results they should get it all off their chest and you should nod along sympathetically.

Odds are there’s a lot on their heart and their mind, it’s heavy and it hurts, and as a result–it has overwhelmed them.

To help with all this heavy pain, let them vent.  Let them share their pain with you.  All they want is for you to help relieve some of that weight.  Your listening to them helps with that.

20: Be patient

Be patient with yourself.  You’re going through something–stop being your own worst enemy.  You of all people should understand how hard you’re working, stop tearing yourself down for all of your accomplishments or “Not good enoughs”

Be patient with others too.

It’s like a never ending loop.  You giggle, you cry, you tantrum.  “It hurts!”  “I hate it!”  “I hate myself!”  Around and around you go…it can get frustrating.

Be patient. Understand that you are not in your right mind.  You need time. You need understanding. You need love.

Don’t blow up on others. Just breathe.  You need a friend, a loved one right now. You want them…don’t push them away.

I cannot promise that these will take you or your person from sad and grumpy, overwhelmed and anxious, to happy and participating and productive, but I hope they will help at least a little.

I’ve been there before, having the worst day because of an overwhelming list of to dos…and having a horrible day because chronic pain has got me down. Neither are fun.  Neither are easily fixed.  But I hope this list helps a little.

What do you do when you’re having a bad day?