First published on JustPlainMarie.ca on May 7, 2021.
Some days are just rotten. The kind of day that begins with bad news, spirals into dropped eggs and broken bottles, and ends with you wondering if anyone in the universe actually sees you. I’ve had those days – the kind where my returned brain tumor collided with my step-dad’s cancer diagnosis in the same phone call. (For the record, that day was worse for my mom. #nocontest.)
We joke about crawling into a bottle, demolishing a tub of ice cream, or blowing the grocery budget on “retail therapy.” Humor helps. But let’s be honest – those aren’t real solutions. They just add new problems to the old ones.
What you actually need on days like that is self-care. Not the glossy Instagram version with spa trips and boutique yoga memberships. I mean the kind that costs nothing and actually works when life goes sideways. Self-care won’t erase your problems, but it gives you the strength to keep standing when the floor feels like it’s disappearing under you.
Free Self-Care That Actually Helps
Watch Something That Makes You Laugh
Skip the dramas and the heavy romances – save those for when you’re already steady. Bad days need comedies, sitcom marathons, goofy movies, and even ridiculous cat videos. Laughter resets your brain chemistry in ways that grim determination can’t.
Get Out of the House
Even if it’s just stepping onto the porch or walking around the block. The change of scenery matters. Fresh air matters. If you can handle more, text a friend who doesn’t care if you show up in pajama pants and unwashed hair. That’s the friend you need on days like this.
Take a Long, Hot Bath
If you’ve got a tub, use it. Epsom salts, a drop of lavender oil, or just hot water and locked doors. Music optional. Phone not invited. Think of it as a reset button for both body and mind.
Spend Time With People Who Lift You Up
The temptation is to hide – ignore calls, dodge messages, stay invisible. I know; I’ve done it. But isolation feeds the dark. Choose the people who don’t demand a mask from you, who let you be tired or messy or quiet. Ten minutes with the right person can do more for your mood than ten hours alone.
Try Ten Minutes of Meditation or Prayer
You don’t have to sit cross-legged on a mountain. Close the door, set a timer, and breathe. Focus on a single phrase or image that calms you. Even a short pause clears space between you and the chaos.
Move Your Body
You don’t need a gym membership or new sneakers. Walk around your block. Climb the stairs. Put on music and dance badly in the kitchen. Movement shifts the chemicals swirling in your body. Sometimes the best medicine is to literally shake it off.
The Bottom Line
Self-care isn’t about luxury. It’s survival. It’s the difference between collapsing into despair and gathering enough energy to face whatever comes next. Your worst days will come again – they do for all of us – but when they do, you’ll know how to steady yourself without reaching for things that make the darkness worse.
Because at the end of the day, resilience isn’t about never breaking. It’s about bending, breathing, laughing, and walking forward – even if you’re still in your bathrobe.
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