Self Care For When You're Sad

We all have days when we’re sad because we’re dealing with a broken heart, depression, health problems, or even losing friends. We feel as if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, like it’s almost impossible to see the good in every day. Since we’re feeling sad, we don’t take care of our body, mind, or soul. We just let our body lay on the bed, look up at the ceiling, and don’t want to have anything to do with the day. When we don’t take care of our bodies, our muscles will grow weak and limp. We often are stuck in a slump that we know we must get out of. Personally, whenever I’m in a slump, I will turn off my phone for the day and watch TV, read a book, box, and meditate. Everyone is different and we should accommodate to our needs. For more self care ideas, I would turn to YouTube to see how I could incorporate other people’s ideas in my own life. 

A Sad Self Care Sunday by Amy Lee Food First 

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It also depends on what you eat. You don’t want to eat junk food first thing in the morning. Amy Lee loves to start her morning with a healthy breakfast. In the video she had avocado toast, acai bowl and water. Lots of fruits, vegetables and water can help give your body the energy it needs for you to work.Acai bowls tend to be cold so if your stomach isn’t used to having cold meals in the morning, warm up the avocado toast, have eggs benedict, or have rice and fish in the morning. At least you would have some protein in your body. 

Rest 

If you’re feeling very tired, have a headache, or your body is growing weak, go ahead and lay on your bed. There’s nothing wrong with letting your body rest under the comfort of your warm blanket. You can lay there for 10 minutes or even a couple hours. Amy Lee would lay on her bed just to relax and if she needs to, she’ll cry because she’s releasing her emotions. Once you let your emotions out, it will be easier to feel lighter and happier. 

Yoga 

After Amy relaxes on her bed and lets her emotions out, she’ll change into yoga clothes. She will work out since it can help make you feel better. When you’re sad, it might seem hard to be motivated to work out. You need to start small. For instance, do ten push-ups in the morning and at night. Doing 10 push-ups may seem like nothing but you worked out, didn’t you? A couple days later, try working out for 5 minutes then work your way up to 15 minutes. You could change your routine from push-ups to boxing. Work out the way you want to and have a routine. That way, you can look forward to working out. Also, be prepared by having a workout playlist. Whenever Amy Lee is physically tired, she’ll do yoga so she can relax her body. By doing yoga, she’s releasing any tension she may have and help her body, mind and soul relax. Amy Lee has a yoga mat she uses for yoga but if you don’t have a yoga mat, you could use a bath towel but make sure you wash it before and after you use it. 

Meditate 

After a nice yoga session, Amy will meditate with crystals. In the article, 12 Science-Based Benefits of Meditation, by Healthline, it’s been said that meditation can help decrease stress, control anxiety, promote emotional health, and increase self-awareness.  When meditating, Amy usually closes her eyes to really stay alert of the present. Whenever I tried meditating with my eyes closed, I’d fall asleep. Instead, I opened my eyes and focus on a spot and just meditate. I would also use an app called, Tide and Oak, both are free in the app store. 

Bubble Bath

Since Amy is a pisces moon, she feels like water is a healing element for her so she tends to have bubble baths. If you’d like, use warm water for the bubble bath, light a few candles, turn off the lights and play some classical music, or any genre of your choice. You could also sit in silence while contemplating about life. That way, you can feel relaxed and loved. It’s like the universe is hugging you during your bubble bath. Don’t forget to close your eyes and de-stress. 

Enjoy Your Errands

Amy had a couple errands to run but she also explored places to experience life. After Amy ran her errands, she treated herself to a cup of coffee. If there’s a cute coffee shop or store you’d like to visit, why not go there by yourself and explore? Don’t wait for your friends because if you’re feeling sad, you won’t want to interact with your friends. Instead, go to that store and try on new clothes or coffee. Spend some alone time with yourself, you’ll be glad you did. 

Organize Your Place 

Amy felt like her apartment was messy so she cleaned it up while playing a record of her choice. When you clean your place, you’ll feel a sense of happiness because at least it looks decluttered and spacious. That way, you can let your mind roam free and can remember where you put your items. 

Cook Dinner 

It’s easy to order pizza or postmates and just eat and relax but you won’t feel a sense of accomplishment for when you do. Amy made tofu cucumber spring rolls. When you go out to a grocery store to buy the ingredients you need and then cook dinner, you can say, “Yeah, I do know how to make (insert your food choice here).” After you finish cooking your meal, you can take photos and make a collage of meals you’ve prepared to show your family. At least they can’t say you don’t know how to cook your own dinner since the photos show otherwise.

Laundry

No one likes wearing dirty clothes. Why not wash, dry, and fold your clothes so you can feel good about what you’re wearing. You can also organize your closet by seasons or by shirts, coats, pants and under garments.

Read

By the end of the routine, Amy felt lighter and happier. She took a poetry book and went to the rooftop pool. She likes to sit in the hot tub while reading a poetry book. On a dark summer night, you can only imagine the warm breeze of the wind touching your skin. It’s really peaceful, especially if there’s no one around. If you don’t have a rooftop pool, you can also enjoy the weather on your patio, sitting on a chair with a book of your choice in your hands. Or, you could always sit on your bed or desk, open the windows while you read. That way, you can still feel the heat but in the comfort of your own home. 

Practical Ways To Incorporate More Self Care & Wellness Into Your Daily Life 

Here are a couple ideas from Rowena Tsai’s video. You can never have too many ideas! Like Amy, Rowena also likes to clear her surroundings so she can reduce stress, organized, and less dirt means less allergies. She tries to clean every Sunday. Since we use our phones very often, we should have reminders on our phones to remind us to declutter our surroundings. 

Fill Space With Inspirational Things 

What better way to help motivate you then by filling your space with things you love? Those things can remind you of what kind of lifestyle you want to live. For example, writing quotes on a notepad that remind you who you are. Rowena keeps No Face from Spirited Away because she said it’s a reminder of, “what I see in others, be it good or bad, is a reflection of what I see in myself.” The white rabbit reminds her that she needs to value time and be more punctual. She also recommends to add scented objects such as candles and essential oils, for they can be a reminder of a memory you’d want to bring back. These fragrance could also help with anxiety, depression and sleep.

Wake Up A Bit Earlier 

Rowena isn’t telling you to wake up an hour earlier but perhaps 15 minutes earlier from your usual time. That way, you don’t have to rush out the door and can have more time doing things you enjoy. For example, if you wake up 15 minutes earlier, you could pour a cup of coffee, work out, listen to music, meditate and stretch. When Rowena wakes up, she enjoys making matcha or tumeric latte. 

Skin Care 

When you take good care of your skin, you’re showing your skin that you love it. Rowena always makes sure she washes her face at night and day. She also uses the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Clay Mask from the Body Shop. It’s perfect for blemish-prone skin. Since it has the tea tree ingredient, it can help refresh your skin with a cooling, almost minty sensation. The price is $15.50 on Amazon with 3.85 oz. Skin care can help you achieve the appearance of clear skin but Rowena suggests you pay attention to the food you are eating too. Don’t starve yourself because it won’t be healthy for your body. Also, don’t deprive your body of food you really want to eat. There needs to be a healthy balance. Sure, you can have healthy food in the morning and a snack during lunch but don’t just eat one kind of food yet restrict yourself of another. 

Hydrate 

You’ve probably heard this a million times, but you need to drink water. It’s best to drink 4-5 glasses per day to achieve a healthy body and skin. You could also add ingredients like honey or sour plums to help with digestion. You could also drink tea. Rowena loves drinking corn silk tea and Yogi Organic Chai Green Tea. There are so many ways you can take care of yourself! You just need to find out what you enjoy most, take a deep breath, and just do what makes you happy, even when you’re sad. There’s nothing sad about doing things you truly enjoy. What’s sad is if you let your emotions determine how you live your life.