Photo by luizclas
Not every bad day needs a 12-step healing journey and a green juice.
Sometimes self-care looks like brushing your teeth and then lying horizontally for 7 hours.
If you’re having one of those days, here’s a list of mental health day ideas that actually feel doable — not like another item on your never-ending to-do list.
You deserve to feel better without feeling like you have to “earn it.”
1. Set the Bar at “I Did Something,” Not “I Fixed My Life”
- Simple self care tip: If all you did today was brush your teeth and drink water, you still participated in the world. Gold star. :)
- Lower the bar. Then lower it again. Ok,…lower one more time. We’re doing microscopic wins today, baby.
2. The Famous Shower Cry™ (Or Just a Hot Shower)
- Get in the shower. Cry if you need to. Or just stand there dramatically like you’re in a music video.
- Hot water = tiny reset button.
3. Pick a “Comfort Show” and Rot a Little
- Rewatch your favorite trashy reality TV or cozy sitcom.
- Self care on bad days sometimes means letting your brain marinate in something soft and familiar.
Somtimes my self care on bad days include watching the X Files, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Please do not ask me why because I dont even know. They just make me mellow out, which I’m very gratiful for.
4. Make a Lazy-Girl Snack Plate
- No cooking required.
- Slice some cheese, grab some crackers, plop down some fruit.
- Congratulations, you are now a “charcuterie board enthusiast.”
5. Get Sunlight Like You’re a Houseplant
- Stand by a window.
- Sit on the porch.
- Step outside for 90 seconds.
- You don’t have to go on a 5-mile hike to feel better mentally — you just need a little bit of light.
6. Text Your “Safe Person” (Or Send a Meme Instead)
- Text the friend you don’t have to explain yourself to.
- Or skip the heavy stuff and just send them a meme.
- Connection counts, even if it’s 0.3% effort.
7. Romanticize Doing Absolutely Nothing
- You’re not “wasting time” — you’re “giving your soul space to breathe.”
Said every poet ever, probably
8. Make a “Comfort Movie” Playlist for Future You
- Start a list in your Notes app: movies that feel like a warm hug.
- When another bad day hits, you won’t have to think — just hit play and try to relax.
9. Move Your Body Like You’re Shaking Off the Drama
- No full workouts, no high expectations.
- Stretch like a sleepy cat.
- Dogward doggie
- Dance in your kitchen.
- Wiggle it out like you’re trying to reset your Wi-Fi signal.
10. Remember: Feeling Crappy Isn’t a Moral Failing
- You’re not broken because you’re struggling.
- Needing a day to fall apart a little is 100% part of the human experience.
- Being kind to yourself is progress, even if it doesn’t look Insta-worthy. Be patient with yourself.
Bad days happen — you’re not broken, you’re just human.
The next time a mental health day sneaks up and body-slams you into bed like WWF, pull up this list.
Simple self-care tips that don’t feel like homework = the ultimate form of self-love.
Because you, beautiful soul, aren’t a mess — you’re just a human doing your best, and you are so, so worth taking care of.