How To Reel In A Shitty Morning And Still Have A Good Day

Sometimes you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed… Sometimes you go to sleep on it.

SOMETIMES, you just wake up and feel an impending sense of dread that this is gonna be the worst day ever. Sometimes I need to reel in a bad morning so it doesn’t go off the deep end, or reset after a rough day…

Whatever the reason, here are some of my best tried and true tricks for getting your shit back together. I do this stuff mostly when I need to pause and take back control over myself throughout the day. I pick one or two, give myself 15 minutes or so to regroup, and then get back to it with a better attitude.

Life Falling Apart? There’s An Essential Oil For That.

I’m a very scent-oriented person, so I use essential oils a LOT. The best part is they’re portable and discreet and you can use them as aromatherapy and still get the potent benefits… You don’t need to put them on your body and smell like a hippie if you don’t want to. You can just take a whiff for a boost of energy, calm, focus, relaxation, etc.

My favorite oils when I need to get over myself are: frankincense, bergamot, lavender, peppermint, and a Doterra grounding blend called Balance… Check out my post on the benefits of essential oils for more.

Take An Epsom Salt Bath.

There is little alone time I enjoy more than a hot bath full of epsom salt, essential oils, and some bubbles – whether it be in the bath or in a glass. I have a huge bag of that I keep under the sink (it’s pretty cheap, too) and mix in whatever essential oils I feel like at the time. You’re supposed to make the bath on the hotter end and try to soak for at least 20 minutes to get the full benefits of soaking with epsom salt.

This is typically a nighttime thing for me as I don’t have time for this in the AM… There is a shower workaround for this: take a washcloth or a hand towel and close up a bunch of epsom salt in it, and let the warm shower melt it all over you as you scrub.

Sage Your Self, Sage Your Space, Sage Your Life.
Using sage to cleanse yourself and your space is the woo-wooiest thing I’ve come to love doing. Also, using woo-woo to describe the weird factor of what I do makes me feel like Vicki from Real Housewives and now I am seriously judging/hating myself…

ANYWAY, I used to only smudge (as it’s also called) for new/full moons but now it’s a regular thing for me because it feels good to do. Whole Foods has baby ones 2 for $10 in the vitamins/oils section of my store, and I also buy smudge sticks from The Hoodwitch and The Sage Goddess.

Maybe you think burning sage is super new age-y, but the technique is from Native American tradition. It’s a known “energy disinfectant,” so when I am very aware I’m in a bad mood or have bad vibes, you know I’ll do whatever I need to do to cleanse that shit out of my system. Plus, I really do like the smell – not to mention the aroma of sage increases oxygen supply to the brain, which produces relaxation of muscle tension. Peep this article from The Numinous to learn more about smudging and its benefits.

Shift Scents: Light A Candle Or Incense.
As I said, I’m a scent fiend and use it to help manage my emotional/mental health throughout the day. Incense and candles (or even room spray) always help to boost me up or calm me down because it makes my immediate space feel refreshed. Candles I’ve bought time and time again always make me feel good because I have warm memories associated with them… I could write an entire post alone on my favorite candles! I have one lit in my house at basically any point during the day.

Disclaimer: I work from home, so I can do this whenever I want. This tip doesn’t really work if you’re at work/work in an office. However, you may be able to get away with a mini-candle for your desk – Voluspa makes 4oz candles that are subtle and small but still smell great.

Incense can be a little pungent if you’re in a small space, but I love it feeling enveloped by a good scent. I use frankincense incense to feel more grounded, lavender to chill out or help me move past writer’s block, and my fave right now is this lavender and rosemary incense.

Meditate Or Listen To Binaural Beats.
Taking just 5 minutes to sit down and try to still your mind makes a massive difference when you’re going crazy in your brain. I just wrote about the benefits of meditation so you can read that for more info, but it’s immensely useful for me.

Binaural beats are something I haven’t used that often, but once I listened to one You need to listen wearing headphones, and can find them on SoundCloud or Youtube at specific frequencies that are targeted for stress/relaxation, creativity, healing, etc. Google solfeggio frequencies – it’s an interesting experience and worth trying.

Make Tea – Not Coffee.

If I’m stressed or anxious, I sometimes think I need coffee to power through my day but have learned it’s actually detrimental… If I’m already buzzing with nervous energy, coffee only makes me jumpier and more distractible. Making tea is one of my fave things I do to re-focus myself.

There’s something about making tea that is comforting to me. I have a proper teapot on the stove that I use to heat up water vs. the quick route with a microwave… I also have a huge tea cabinet in our kitchen because I go through phases with different flavors and now I have a massive collection. Right now, I’m drinking green, dandelion root – which is both grounding and great for bloating/digestion, peppermint, and ginger.

I’ve realized through personal experience that once I feel imbalanced or off in some way, whether it’s being stressed or rushed, feeling anxious or guilty, whatever it is – that my self-care is the first thing to go out the window. And it is what’s really important to keep me in my body and not just freaking the F out in my head.

And if I’m being totally honest with you – sometimes I have to legit force myself to do these things even though I know I want/need to… Especially when I can see myself mentally spiraling and need to flip the switch quick.

For example, I wasn’t feeling 100% this morning and was kind of having a pity party (those never go well for me) so I knew this day would go one of two ways: good, or really not good. I’ve had a few really not good days that are fresh in my memory so I feel more determined than usual to fight back… I lit some frankincense incense, burned a little sage, made tea and then sat back down and had the idea to write this post. I feel better having done something for myself, and because there are actual physical, emotional, and mental benefits from what I did.

Of course, you can’t take a hot bath at work, but you can make tea or sniff an EO or put on your headphones and listen to something that will help reset you… Or just put them on and listen to nothing at all besides the fact that no one will talk to you.

Hopefully these are useful for you guys, they certainly were therapeutic to share. Sometimes just talking about it makes you feel better, you know? Ps. You can read my post on managing your sanity for more life hacks and self-care ideas!

How do you calm down, boost yourself up, or de-stress? Please share your faves in a comment so we can start a “how to get over yourself” list! I’m not even kidding… But you probably knew that already.

xx