We all have bad days. Days where we can’t think clearly and it seems like the best thing to do would be to go back to bed. And for creatives, these bad days are even worse.
Why? Because we rely on our creativity to serve us, 24/7. If we’re not feeling creative, it throws our whole world off-axis. We get frustrated at ourselves because we feel like our brain is broken. We try to push through the mental fog — to no avail — and end up worse than we started.
Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about myself as a creative. I’ve learned that the best way to cure a bad day is not to fight it, but to work with it. To figure out what you need and help yourself. So let’s do it together! Ready for YOUR NEW CURE?? It will make you feel refreshed and renewed, in energy, strength, and focus. LET’S GO.
STEP #1: STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING
If it’s not working, set it aside. I KNOW, IT’S SO HARD TO DO. But this first step is crucial. Like I said before, if you try to push through your mental fog, it will only tire you out even more. There’s a difference between encouraging yourself to keep going and pushing yourself past your limits. One is kind, the other is not.
Treat yourself like you would treat your best friend. If she was having a bad day, would you yell at her: “Oh, you’re so stupid! Just focus!”? Probably not. Instead, you would probably suggest she move onto something different.
STEP #2: MOVE YOUR BODY
Get a sweat on! It cures everything! Seriously. I just read a fascinating book called Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain — and wow, “revolutionary” is definitely the word for it. Not only does exercise get endorphins pumping in your body, it can also sharpen your focus, beat memory loss, stave off stress, and work as a natural antidepressant. Needless to say, it has become my first go-to cure for a bad day… or even a bad moment.
Whenever I feel my focus and good mood giving way to anxiety and obsessive thoughts, I hit PAUSE on whatever I’m doing, lace up my trainers, and go for a run. Practicing karate or busting out a HIIT workout is another way I love to get a sweat on — and it feels so good when you finish! I think another thing exercise does is give you a strong sense of control when you feel like you have no control on your day, mood, and creativity.
STEP #3: TAKE A SHOWER
Because now you’re all sweaty, right? Ew. But seriously, the shower thing is not just to wash off the sweat — for me, it’s like a physical practice of cleansing in general.
Make it relaxing! Play some chill music, wash your hair, sugar scrub, moisturize, the works. If you just finished exercising, your body should be feeling the calming benefits right about now. For me, showering is one of the nicest ways to “wash off” a bad day.
STEP #4: BRAIN-DUMP YOUR THOUGHTS IN A JOURNAL
If you still feel like you’ve got some bad juju trapped in your head…don’t just ignore it! Get it out of your system so you don’t have to think about it anymore. Feeling frustrated? Lonely? Upset? Tired? Left behind? Open up a journal or a word document and start writing your stream of consciousness. It doesn’t have to make sense or be grammatically correct. Just write your thoughts.
This isn’t something I do every day, but whenever I feel like I’m bottling up too many emotions, I know it’s time to brain-dump. Once my thoughts are down in words, I feel like I can set them aside and not worry about them anymore. IT’S INCREDIBLY REFRESHING.
OTHER HELPFUL ARTICLES ON SELF-CARE:
- Stop Feeling Overwhelmed: 5 Ways To Rediscover Creativity And Joy
- How To Take An ACTUALLY EFFECTIVE Hiatus And Come Back New
- 5 Things You Should Be Doing EVERY DAY To Stay Creative + Focused!
STEP #5: TAKE 30 MINUTES TO RELAX
Here’s the fun part: do something that relaxes you! Baking, coloring, watching tv, stretching, meditation — you know what your Thing is. I know you feel guilty just ABANDONING ALL RESPONSIBILITY to do something fun but… you need this. And if you do it for just 30 minutes, that’s no big deal!
Fun fact: when I’m feeling foggy and can’t write, just 30 minutes of high-quality tv* inspires me SO MUCH. Sometimes a little chill time is all you need! Sometimes it’s creative ROCKET FUEL. Sometimes those 30 minutes of R&R will save you hours in the long run.
*anything BBC Masterpiece
STEP #6: DO SOMETHING CREATIVE (BUT NOT WHAT YOU WERE WORKING ON BEFORE)
Now that you’ve sufficiently “reset” yourself, the next thing you should do is remind yourself that your brain is not broken, and you’re a very creative and talented person. But don’t go back to the thing you were working on before!! Because if you still aren’t feeling it, you might just wreck all the good work you just did to cure your bad day. AND WE WOULDN’T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN, WOULD WE?
So work on something totally different. Something creative, but fun. Maybe it’s a creative project that you’ve been putting off for a long time because it’s “not as important” as your other projects. Now is the perfect time to work on it! Just do something to get your right brain fired up again.
STEP #7: FACE THE CHALLENGE TOMORROW
If you have the opportunity to. If you’re on a deadline and must get that thing done, you should be feeling a lot better now to be able to approach it with a positive and healthy mindset.
But if you’re NOT on a deadline, why push it?! Remember: be kind to yourself. By this point your bad day should be cured and you should be feeling pretty darn good — don’t go ruining it by putting undue stress on yourself.
You’re in control here. You are never the victim of your day or the world or even your own thoughts. It might feel like it, sometimes — but feelings are only feelings. You know what the truth is. The truth is YOU ARE AWESOME. And talented. And creative. And tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it.
THE CREATIVITY CLEANSE CHECKLIST
If you’re anything like me, you’re very goal-oriented and have to be Getting Stuff Done even when you’re not. And that’s why I created the Creativity Cleanse CHECKLIST: a cute little printable you can print off and keep on hand for whenever you’re feeling burnt out and broken. You haven’t really cleansed until you can check off every item on this list so DO IT!! (Seriously, the printable is very cute. Grab it.)
TALK, BRO
What is YOUR go-to cure for a bad day? What makes you feel mentally refreshed + amazing? Share all your secrets in the comments below and we’ll all help each other to feel better!
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