30 Cheap Self Care Ideas For A Bad Day

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There are times you wake up in the morning, there’s this strange omen or feeling in the air and things just don’t seem to go your way. At times like these it’s best to reset your pace, and get back in the groove rather than dwelling on your mood. As usual, I’ve got you covered. Here are 30 tested and trusted cheap self care ideas for a gloomy day:

1. Try solving a puzzle

Puzzles are known for intriguing and captivating the mind. They never fail to deliver a good sense of accomplishment once they are completed, which is why you should try one out any day you’re feeling blue or wish your boss could just trip and fall.

2. Hydrate yourself

Staying hydrated can never be regarded as a wrong choice—there’s no such thing as drinking too much water (unless of course you’re drowning). Sufficient fluids in the body helps the organs work perfectly and delivers a general sense of well-being, so if you’re not feeling too good, try taking a glass of water. You could even try a sports drink but water is known to always get the job done.

3. Listen to music you like

Music is known as food for the soul and can affect you positively or negatively depending on the situation or moment at hand. Listening to the right music can boost your mood to a very happy state depending on if it matches your current mood.

4. Give yourself a makeover

So maybe you’re not feeling too good after you looked in the mirror. No biggie, you can easily walk to a cosmetic or barber shop and instruct them to perform a little bit of magic on you. Warning: Do not try this with a random, mediocre cosmetic shop. It may end in tears, I repeat, it will end in tears. However, when you look in the mirror after doing this you feel like a million bucks. Don’t go for a look that’s way beyond your budget since we are talking cheap here, but just something to give you a slightly different look will get the job done.

5. Napping

Take a long nap to get your body revitalized! Doing this daily will leave you feeling on top of the world (but doing it too much will have you feeling even more tired, so nap responsibly folks). Sometimes our bodies just need a break and I’m not talking about the regular sleep at night. Use this idea and add at least 1 hour to the chart.

6. Have some tea

In some parts of the world tea is considered a sacred source of energy which helps chi (your energy) flow amicably throughout your entire body, leaving you relaxed and feeling better. Try making some tea with warm water and see how relaxed you feel afterwards.

7. Burn incense

Okay, relax, this is not voodoo (or maybe it is, but who cares right?). There are different types of incense material out there and if you can find one that matches your personality or preference, whenever you feel down or distressed, just light one of them up in your room and take deep breaths in and out. This will clear your mind and remove any toxic thoughts. Works like magic!

8. Hangout with loved ones

Spending time with the people you love or care for will always have a positive impact on you as a person, be it your family members, lover (double wink) or just a well trusted friend. Spending some time with them will always boost the energy already within you.

9. Reminisce on the good memories

Thinking back on the good times sends a different kind of feeling throughout the entire body. This feeling can be referred to as euphoria and could leave you feeling elated for the entire day. The same way bad memories come back to haunt us is the exact same way the good ones too can come back and cheer us up.

10. Turn in early

Going to bed early aids your body in so many ways and helps you feel a whole lot better in the morning. If you often lack that revitalized feeling in the morning, then you’re probably not sleeping early enough.

11. Put your phone on airplane mode

I promise, you can survive it (and others will survive without you too). Basically I’m saying avoid calls for some time. You wouldn’t want any disturbing news right when you’re feeling under the weather. That’s the worst time to be dealing with more problems.

12. Seek inspirational quotes

Not feeling too good could be the end product of lack of motivation. Why not go online and try reading some motivational or inspirational quotes to get that extra push while going about your day like you normally would? Try applying the quotes you have just read to whatever you do throughout the day and I assure a wonderful and blissful day ahead.

13. Call a loved one

Family, friends, your boo (even if he cheated)—putting a call across to any one of these people can brighten even the darkest of days. As long as you have established a good relationship with them, just the sound of their voice alone will put you in a generally good mood.

During the call, try bringing up a fun topic or beautiful past memory. This would trigger the happiness in you and instantly brighten up your day. Or you could leave them to do all the work.

14. Watch funny clips online

YouTube is your plug for this self-care idea seeing as there are so many different videos and clips uploaded daily from different individuals around the world, whose job is probably to make sure you never feel bored on the internet. Watching a funny clip can instantly make you burst into laughter and raise your level of happiness to at least 95%, making your day much better. Just make sure you know the password to your neighbour’s Wi-Fi!

15. Cardio

Try doing some cardio exercises as they help strengthen your heart and reduce your risk of getting high blood pressure (HBP). Imagine being almost immune to things that are easily gotten by other people? Superhuman much? Surprisingly this doesn’t require much, all you need to do is get some instructional material from YouTube and a floor mat, and behold you have your own mini gym!

Now, you don’t need to do too much of this, it’s not like you’re training for the Olympics or something. However, a little will go a long way and help get you back on track. Not only will it help keep you fit but it will have you feeling better in no time. Definitely one of the often overlooked cheap (actually free) self care ideas!

16. Create some alone time

Have you ever had some me time? Because I have, and I tell you, it’s worth it! During this time, you get to figure out so many things you never even knew about yourself, you start getting new preferences and better taste in certain things, improving you generally as a person while still making your day a better one.

17. Organise a bookshelf or arrange a room

Does this sound like extra stress? Well, it really isn’t. Doing this will give you a sense of satisfaction, elating your mood and making your day all the more better. It’s easy to get a kick out of seeing something that’s out of order being put back into place especially if this is done by you.

Try this; fix up your room, step outside and walk right back in. The feeling you get will be way better than whatever mood you were in before finishing the process.

18. Walk around

Feeling gloomy? Come on, it’s really not the end of the world (hopefully), so why not take a walk and walk it off? It can be either a long or short walk but longer is always better…

While you walk around, move to different areas and observe the scenery, feel the fresh air around you (even though the world is running out of true, fresh air) and pay close attention to your body motion. This is a sure fire way to recover from a bad day.

19. Breathing exercises

Try out different breathing styles. You could try the pursed-lip breathing style, lions breathing style or even the breath focus technique. Google these styles (I’m not going to give you everything on a silver platter fam!) and try them out because they would definitely help you get in your groove.

20. Fantasize often

Open up your mind to endless possibilities (yeap, your favourite celebrity may actually fall in love with you). Imagine without boundaries on how you really want to be fully set up in the future. Doing this occasionally will inspire you to start doing something about it now.

21. Eat something healthy

Eating healthy will keep your body from misbehaving…that’s one less thing to worry about on a bad day.

22. Visit a beach

This idea expels negative energy because the beach is a lively and fun place to be. While you’re there, you could even try some daring activities like surfing. Who knows, if you weren’t already good at it, you might just pick it up as one of your hobbies. The feeling of other people around you all doing fun things will definitely put you in a better mood.

23. Present someone a gift

Why don’t you perform a good deed; think of someone and give them something nice? Sometimes making some else happy is just what you need to cheer yourself up. It doesn’t have to be something on the expensive side, just a little gesture like paying for lunch can lift your own mood.

24. Make breakfast compulsory

Breakfast is undoubtedly one of the most important meals of the day, if not the most important. This first meal of the day ends the overnight fasting, replenishes the supply of glucose in your body and provides other essential nutrients which keep your energy levels up throughout the day. So remember, no breakfast = cranky day.

25. Play video games

Video games help improve coordination and enhance multitasking skills. This will keep you alert and sharp for any incidents that may occur during the day. Just imagine catching a falling vase or glass cup. The feeling you would get out of that experience will be mind-blowing and definitely give your day that boost it needs.

26. Pull off your Sunday best

It’s a known fact that looking good will have you feeling good. Get the very best from your closet, put them on and feel like a star for the rest of the day.

27. Go on a date at a park

Try going out with that special someone and see how that makes you feel—good I bet. Now the cool thing about going to the park is that it’s free (very important if the reason you’re feeling down is because you’re broke). Plus, it can be a fun place to relax and have a proper conversation!

28. Try getting a flower

Flowers are known to calm people down in different situations; just a sniff of the right flower can set your mood straight. Try getting flowers like camomile, lavender, jasmine or gerbera as these flowers will give a relaxed vibe to your muscles and put you in a good mood.

29. Complete a task you halted

Procrastination is a known enemy of all mankind. The words “I’ll just do it later” have stopped so many great things from progressing any further. If you’re feeling down, why don’t you handle a task you never completed? After finishing it up, check your mood and all you will find is sweet, sweet satisfaction.

30. Take a bath

Please note…this shouldn’t be something you do only on a bad day! Stay clean people!

However, on a particularly gloomy day, you can do this in two main ways. You could simply pour some water on your body, dry up and head out, or you could set the bath water just right, fill up the bathtub and lay in it while thinking or just listening to some good music.

Both methods work but I recommend the second because while the first one will leave you feeling refreshed, the second also helps to clear your mind and get a general sense of well-being.

Each of these cheap self care ideas can be used to give yourself that extra boost you need on a bad day. Follow them as best you can, and just trust the process baby!

Hope you enjoyed these free and cheap self care ideas. Remember, it’s 100% OK to spend some time with yourself. Self care isn’t selfish, and it doesn’t have to be expensive.

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Don’t forget to pin these 30 cheap self care ideas for later!

Remember to pin these 30 cheap self care ideas to your self care board on Pinterest. That way you can easily come back to it later when you’re having a bad day!