Blah Days

 

Some days rule: You feel like the most productive person in the world, everything seems to go your way and life feels good; you're on Cloud 9.

Some days suck: They make you feel sad and all you want to do on those days is curl up into your blanket and wait for the day to end.

And some days, are simply, blah: The middle ground.
Blah days are ones where you don't feel your best - something just feels off; things don't seem to snap into place and the very idea of getting it into place leaves you with lethargy.

But why are they important? Why do most of us experience it, regularly?
Because these, unexpectedly, are the "scariest days": they make you question your current lifestyle, your environment, your life.

I don't like the above thought. Instead, I like to look at them as perspective days.
Blah days are those which help you realise what you're doing with life and what your goals are.

See, when you're in a state of enjoyment or morose-ness, chances are, you'll take extreme measures.
If you're super happy one day, you'll take an extreme decision like I'm going to go trek Mount Everest (when you can barely get through 4 flights of stairs without panting)
If you're really sad, you'll make a rash decision, like texting someone who hurt you something bad.

Blah days are grounding. 
They're days which help you perceive a day for what it is - and help you build a bunch of realistic goals to achieve in your life.

It's ingrained that we should be hustling 24x7 which leads to the unfortunate case of failing to recognise the fact that we're experiencing a blah day - let alone overcome one.

So..how do you overcome one?

These are a few measures I take that help me (sometimes - haha guilty!) and I hope they do for you too!
(Hint: it's not mindfulness!)

Step 1: Start Small.
Make your bed. Pour yourself a glass of water. Take a shower.
A major factor that contributes to blah days is the lack of motivation.
By taking the tiniest of steps towards making your day 0.1% better, you kind of wire your brain to start thinking productively. 

Step 2: Grab a sheet of paper.
And dump your thoughts in it.
It could be anything: a joke, random comebacks, doodles - ANYTHING in your head at that moment.
This helps declutter your head to move on to step 3.

Step 3: List your goals.
Again, they could be anything; ranging from what you want to eat for dinner to where you see yourself in 5 years, and everything in between. 
Jot down whatever comes to mind.
Remember, its YOUR list. You can edit them whenever you want. You can add, subtract, multiply, divide - anything with it.

(And if you already have a list, run through steps 1-2 and then look back at your list! Not at the very start.)

Step 4: Talk to someone.
It. Helps.
When you're feeling sad or dull, your brain keeps adding to that feeling - so its really difficult to just "start thinking about happy things" and "practising mindfulness."
Now if you're a pro at it, great! Do continue.
But for those with less experience (myself included), talking to a friend / family member reminds us of good moments.

Through all these steps, you're indirectly conditioning your mind towards "working", which will eventually help you feel better. Looking at a list of things you, yourself, want to accomplish or reminiscing on an anecdote fills your brain with a dopamine and serotonin boost - which is exactly what your day was lacking all this while.

You start feeling amped up.
Not amped up in the sense, "Okay I'll go climb Everest" but amped up, "Okay. I have a plan. I'm going to go for a run, come back and read 20 pages of my book."
Your brain starts looking forward to something.

Blah days happen to the best of us.
They can be triggered by a multitude of reasons, including burnout and hormones.
You're not lazy.

And, if you feel these blah days repeating at a fast-paced frequency, it is always advisable to speak to a professional, as there may be a deeper cause.

That was it for today! If you liked today's blog, don't forget to drop your experience in the comments below and share & follow for more content, every second Friday of the Month!

Signing off,

Kuhu :)