Difficult days are inevitable. The thing is, we wouldn’t savor the joy of the good ones without them. Forcing yourself to turn the day around doesn’t always help and can add pressure. Instead, try acknowledging where you’re at, letting it be, and finding ways to introduce ease until you feel a shift. Here are nine ways to meet your experience with acceptance, patience and care.

1. BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF: It’s easy to fall into self-judgement, self-criticism, and frustration when we’re struggling. But this tends to make the experience more painful. Try cutting yourself some slack and accept that this is how it is right now. You’re worthy of your own kindness, so be tender with yourself.
   
   
2. TAKE THINGS OFF YOUR PLATE: Your priority is to carve out time for self-care right now, so do what you can to clear your schedule and avoid any potentially stressful situations. If canceling plans makes you feel guilty, remind yourself that you can’t help others unless you put your health and well-being first.
   
   
3. FEEL YOUR FEELINGS: We often want to suppress our emotions, especially if they’re unpleasant or intense. But bottling them up can lead to more pain in the long run. Your feelings are valid, and it’s important to acknowledge them.
   
   
4. ALLOW YOURSELF TO REST: Everything feels harder when we’re tired. So give yourself permission to get the rest you need, and notice how it positively impacts your perspective and capacity to cope. If you can’t physically sleep or nap, lean into stillness and quiet by doing something relaxing like meditating or reading.
   
   
5. HONOR YOUR NEEDS: Check in with yourself. What do you actually need right now? Rest? Connection? Distraction? If you’re unsure, ask yourself whether what you’re doing is helping you (doom scrolling — we see you!). If it isn’t, figure out what would be more helpful.
   
   
6. FIND POSITIVE DISTRACTIONS: It may be helpful to ride out the storm with some gentle distractions — your favorite tv show, a walk outside, cooking, journaling, listening to music. Whatever makes you feel comforted. The aim isn’t to try to make everything better, but rather to avoid making things feel worse.
   
   
7. LEAN ON YOUR SUPPORT NETWORK: The simple act of sharing our experience can make us feel lighter and less alone. So seek support if you need it and allow people to step up for you. They would want to help.
   
   
8. BREATHE... THIS TOO SHALL PASS! When we’re in the middle of a storm it can be hard to remember that it’s temporary. Take comfort in the fact that you’ve been here before and you got through it. Chances are, you’ll come out the other side soon. You just have to hold on! Deep breaths help.
   
   
9. TAKE NOTE (LITERALLY): Life is full of difficult days, but you can make the next one easier by taking note of what helped you through this one. Jot down the strategies that worked so you can refer to them in the future. This is how you build a mental health toolkit that’s designed uniquely for you.

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