Hey guys.
It's Lay.
How are you today? Honestly, I haven't been the best and I've been really overwhelmed so I decided to take a day this week for myself because of how much negative feelings I've been having towards myself and towards things I love doing. I've been feeling so heavy lately. Maybe it's because it's August and I'm trying to prepare for back to school. Maybe it's because I'm trying my best to make this semester better. Maybe it's because I lacking creativity because I draw inspiration from the world around me and lately my world has been my room and computer screens.
If I can put how I'm feeling lately into a metaphor, it would be: I am an actress without an audience nor a stage crew.
What I mean by this is I am doing something I am passionate about without anyone listening and behind the scenes, I feel as if I don't have no one really supporting my passions. Both are heavy pills to follow and ultimately makes me feel discouraged. On days when I feel like quitting, like a failure or just any negative feeling, I like to take a day for myself hence the term "Reset day".
What is a "Reset Day"?
The way I think about it is a more in-depth "Self-care day". I think of it as a day where I completely try to realign my self and search in my soul for what's been throwing me out of balance lately. I reset my negative emotions, I put things into perspective and I just do things that re-energize me. I like using the term reset because I feel like the term self-care is getting to be every saturated and for the most part when I think of self-care days: I don't think of "what can I do better" or call myself out when my thinking is one track or trying to gain perspective on things. A self-care day is like a bandaid to my emotional wounds because I'm just trying to cheer myself up and make me feel good. A Reset day is like actually treating those wounds.
When and how often do you have "Reset Days"?
I like having them once a month, either at the last of a month or the beginning depending on how the days line up. In the middle of the month, I like to have a regular self-care day to boost myself until my next reset day which is either used to reflect on the past month or mentally prepare myself for the upcoming one.
What do you on "Reset days"?
Cut off energy-draining activities for the day
This is a general statement because what is draining for me won't necessarily be draining for you. That is why introverts need time away from people to restore their energy while extroverts need the complete opposite in order to feel energized. Notice your patterns and what makes you feel negative and make it a point to avoid it on your reset days.
Communicate with someone you trust or respect about your current emotional state
Communication is key to pretty much anything. Sometimes a person can be so caught up that they don't see things other ways, can't come up with alternative solutions, etc. If the issue is how you are feeling about you're feeling about school or work, it makes sense to go to a trusted mentor. If you are feeling something about friendships and you have other friends that aren't attached to the situation, it's okay to confide in them. Communication on topics is good because sometimes you need honest perspectives to pull you out of your feelings and see things from another view.
Complete a pamper routine
I am not going to talk too much about this because this is a saturated one. I feel there is many post about this because there was such a big boom when speaking about "self-care days" that many people mainly write the physical aspects of wellness. The difference between a pamper day on a reset day vs a pamper day on a self-care day is basically on a self-care day, I'm not thinking. My only concern is making myself look good so I can boost my confidence. During reset day, I am actively thinking. I watch motivating youtube videos like "how to be a girl boss" or watch videos on things like editing, SEO, or anything I want to be better at. I listen to people stories and perspective on things. On a self -care day, I just listen to some music to hype myself up and enjoy the moment to myself.
I also did a youtube video on Pamper day essentials so be sure to check that out and subscribe because I mainly made the channel to give more of a visual representation and to make readers feel more connected.
Read a self-help book
This one is self-explanatory but again this is something that makes you think in a new way and give you ideas on what to do improve or help you reflect on things. For book ideas, I like to watch youtube videos of Wellness YouTubers or Book YouTubers to find some ideas. My favorite videos to watch were specifically from Kalyn Nicholson. She is the one who introduced me to You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero which has been a huge motivator to my lifestyle.
Drink some herbal tea
Herbal teas are often noncaffeinated and help you to relax. I specifically enjoy chamomile teas if I'm trying to wind down. I usually have it after my pamper routine because when you're more relaxed, your thinking is a lot more rational and realistic. So drinking this as I am doing an activity like reading or watching videos makes me think why that may be a good answer to my situation.
Watch videos and read articles that give you more insight
This is self-explanatory and a bit repetitive because of how much I mention it throughout the post but I'll still give an example. When I feel discouraged about everything I want to do with blogging and my youtube I watch videos on productiveness and what it takes to be a girl boss because that gives me the motivation I need to think of new ways to grow my passions. Then after getting tips, I look up things pertaining to the tips. For instance, in a video I watched the girl topics about how being organized is essential to being a girl boss so I looked up organization tips and methods on ways a person can stay organized.
Journaling
Journaling is the perfect way to get out your emotions by venting. You can also write down ideas that pop into your head. Journaling is also the perfect way to re-motivate yourself because when you write journals you talk about everything and anything. You can talk about how you felt let down by friends or family so you can move on from the negativity. You can talk about a business idea you had. You can talk about new habits you wanted to start. A journal is a reflection of mindset and you can look back on your way of thinking. If you had a similar problem before, how did you solve it? Is the problem with the same people? Maybe it's time to take a step back from them. You feel discouraged about your passions? Read why you wanted to do it in the first place. Journals show growth and have answers like no other.
Have a nap and pay attention if you have a dream
This is more of a personal belief. I do believe dreams are pathways from our subconscious giving us more insight about ourselves and messages. From a psychological standpoint, we only use a percentage of our consciously (I believe it's said to be around 10%, however new discoveries happen and that can be debunked in the future as technology advances). The subconscious is the part of the mind that's not fully aware but influences one's actions and feelings. Dreams are this thing where many people have different interpretations of it. So believing that there is a message in it, helps me piece together what I don't always notice or see. In my own personal experience, my dreams have either foreshadowed events or made my emotions clear on people.
Be honest with yourself
I feel like there's a stigma where people say things like " be kind to yourself " or "be gentle with yourself" and people take that as a way not to be completely honest with yourself. A person needs to hold themselves accountable for their actions and the things they say and learn to grow from it instead of having a one track. Look at yourself. Reflect on yourself. Just do the best you can to open growth. Welcome (non-toxic) criticism and use it to your advantage.
That's all for today. I hope you enjoyed this post. If you enjoyed this post share it on Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, or Pinterest. Send it to friends and family on Instagram. Don't forget to subscribe to never miss you a post and remember to always do the best you can. Have a good day, evening, or night and I'll be back with another post next Saturday. In the meantime check out other posts or even my Youtube channel.
Until next time,
xoxo Lay 💋
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