We have all had those days when we feel like we are just a jumbled mess inside. The days when nothing is clear and everything seems wrong and you just don’t know what to do. A messy, not so fabulous day, if you will.
I have these days now and then. They suck, I know.
But I have learned recently to take these days and learn from them and to see them as a sign that something needs to be done to change the way you are feeling.
So what to do?
In my experience, having more than one of these days in a week means I need a moment for myself. The world is busy and our lives get crazy and there is always something to be doing or seeing or saying to paying or planning or thinking about.
It gets exhausting. So when I have a messy, not so fabulous day, I make it a priority to find time for myself…pronto.
The worst thing is when you are having a bad time and you end up getting frustrated with others for no good reason. It is not right, and it’s rather embarrassing, too! They didn’t do anything wrong, and they don’t deserve to be treated poorly because you have had a messy, not so fabulous day.
I’ve learned to be constructive with these feelings and simply take some time for myself to recharge, reset, and just think.
This has worked wonders for me. I feel so much more in tune with my brain and my body and my life after taking just a bit of time to myself to figure out exactly what is going on.
Here are the reasons I think taking time for yourself is so necessary:
1. Truth Talks
Taking time to just be with yourself allows you to really think about why you have been feeling so messy and jumbled lately. What has been going on in your life to make you feel this way?
I often find that it is not until I am by myself that I can really break down how I have been feeling and actually figure out what is going on deep down…and how to fix it.
It is easy to blame others for trouble. It is harder to be truthful and look into ourselves for answers. But when you do it, you find the REAL reasons for feeling down AND just how to get back up again!
2. Free Flow
I’ve talked previously on my website about what it means to be in “flow.” To be doing exactly what you feel like doing at the moment and to be all in.
The easiest time to truly be in flow is when you are alone. This is the time when you can choose to do exactly what feels right at the moment with no input from others and no holding back.
Read if you feel like reading. Walk if you feel like walking. Turn left or right or spin in circles, all with you as the pilot of your life and no one else to influence you.
Being with others is wonderful most of the time, but taking a few hours to just be you can be SO refreshing and leave you more recharged than you can imagine.
3. Bold Brain
Being alone is a great time to encourage your mind to be truly open! You can think about whatever comes to mind and just see where your thoughts take you.
I often do this in the morning, even if I am around others. I just sit and close my eyes and think and have no judgments about where my brain wanders to, but just let it wander and ponder things in my subconscious.
Often, my brain will naturally work out things it had been worrying about or will think about things that are important in the moment and leave me more at peace with them.
This is even better to do when alone.
It sounds strange, but just take some time to sit or lay in bed on your own and just think. Don’t read, don’t listen to music, don’t look at your phone. Just let your mind wander freely.
You will be blown away by what you think about and how it makes you feel. Sometimes our lives are just too busy to allow our brains time to work through simple items, let alone complex thoughts.
Being alone can offer this sort of clarity and a huge sense of relief afterward.
4. Positive Planning
The BEST way to conquer those messy, not so fabulous days? Plan against them.
Time alone to be truthful, free, and bold with yourself is the best time to plan for a more positive life and more positive individual days.
I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather limit the number of messy, not so fabulous days that I face in my lifetime, but that can’t be the case unless you plan your positivity!
Take time to really think about what was going on in your life and what all played a part in making it messy and not so fabulous. Was it something with work? Was it a relationship conflict? Are you unhappy with yourself?
Think REALLY deep about all aspects of your life and how you feel about them and how you can take action to make them better.
What conversations can you have to improve relationships? What changes can you make to allow yourself to work in an environment that you truly enjoy?
These questions are SO important, but no one is going to change them until you do.
You are the only person that has that kind of supreme control over your life and you are held accountable to make yourself happy, or to keep analyzing and changing things until you are!
Life is too short to not be happy always. If you are having frequent messy, not so fabulous days, make it a priority to spend some time alone.
You deserve to recharge your body, your mind, and your life!
Take time to do things that make you happy. Take a bath, read a book, take a nap! Whatever it is that helps you feel recharged. You can schedule in alone time weekly if that works for you!
Just don’t forget to use this time to really allow your brain to think openly about the past and present, and to plan positively for the future.
But don’t be afraid to ask for it when the time comes that you really need a break. Those who love you and are close to you will understand and support you being happy and healthy.
With great enthusiasm,
Sarina Sandstrom
Originally published at sarinasandstrom.com