3 Ways to Survive the Week From H*LL!

3 Ways to Survive the Week From H*LL!

What determines a bad week can look different from person to person. For some, it may be catching up on paperwork you’ve been avoiding. To others, it could be getting stuck with the in-laws, a day where the kids are absolutely wired, or maybe you’re dealing with a particularly bad bout of mental health issues. Whatever a bad week means to you, it's valid. 

Here are a few ideas to help pull you out of that funk, or at least just make things feel a little less awful:

Don’t Forget Your “Me Time”

Easier said than done, I know. But I promise, it's a good practice to master. For ages, I would feel tension building, stress piling on stress, and my solution would be to grit my teeth and bare it, and somehow take on even more. Now, when I have a particularly tough day—or week—I make sure to take that time. Maybe it's 10 minutes, maybe it's a whole night, but I force myself, because me at my worst isn’t good for anyone, especially me.

What your “me time” consists of is totally up to you. Take yourself out for a work-free lunch break. Play your favourite game. Take a nice, long, hot bath. For me, I just want to lay in my bed, in silence. Whatever helps you re-group. There is only ONE rule, leave your guilt at the door. 

Let Yourself Enjoy a Guilty Pleasure or Two…or Three

Guilt can get us from all sides. Guilt about the food you eat. Guilt about spending too much time at work, or not enough time at work. Guilt for actually taking that aforementioned “me time”. I’d love to tell you to just forget about it and move on, but we all know that is an entirely different battle. Start small. Let yourself enjoy something small. You need that right now. You deserve it.

So, have that dessert. Do nothing but scroll TikTok for two hours tonight. Sit and play with your kids while your work emails go unanswered for a day. The. World. Won’t. End. Hard to believe, I know. The last thing you need during your week from h*ll is to fight an extra battle within yourself too. Be your own best friend, and let yourself love something. 

Disconnect, Literally

Yes, when we are down, we want distractions, support and the ability to reach out to those we need or love. But sometimes, we also need to be alone with our own thoughts and feelings. People need time to process, and the longer you avoid it, the longer this week from h*ll could last.

Get off the computer for the afternoon. Turn off your phone—or at least put it on do not disturb. Don’t scroll through social media. Don’t check your email. Just take the time to be with yourself, in the moment. Doing this will help push you to process the things you’re feeling, give you the chance to take a break from work, or maybe just let you forget about the real world for a little while. Take the time to recharge, reset and come back refreshed.

For some, these steps may be easy to follow. For others, they could be huge hurdles. These are some of the ways I take a step back and reassess my situation.

What works best for you?

Dayna Eileen

Writer and Executive Editor for CGMagazine, Dayna has built her career exploring family, gaming and technology, and how they all work together. Find her on socials @thedaynaeileen to see what she's up to next!

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