10 Things To Do When You’re Feeling Down is in collaboration with Cheer Up Treats. I was very kindly sent some wonderful goodies which definitely cheered me up! I am also a brand ambassador for Cheer Up Treats and you can get 10% off your order by using the code HICLEM.

When we are having a bad day and are feeling down, sometimes the best thing that we can do is to do different activities and the things that can really boost our mood and help us to forget about the things that have brought us down.  

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and it’s so easy for our minds and bodies to be overwhelmed with emotion which in return brings our mood down and makes us feel absolutely exhausted. As someone who has anxiety and OCD, this happens on many occasions. Which is why over the years, I have recognised the things that help me to feel better and to allow myself time to do these things when I’m feeling down.

Below I have listed 10 things to do when you’re feeling down. These are just a few of the many things that I like to do when I am feeling down. 

10 Things To Do When You’re Feeling Down

Get some fresh air.

When I’m feeling down, especially when my anxiety and OCD are giving me a hard time, I always find that my number 1 thing to do is to go outside and get some fresh air. Whether it’s going outside to get some deep breaths and fill my lungs with fresh air, or to listen to the birds and the sounds around me, taking some time out in the fresh air, really helps to clear my head, and helps me to feel relaxed and less anxious. 

I love being amongst nature, I find it very soothing. It helps me to feel more energised and awake. And when being somewhere surrounded by nature, I find it really helps to improve creativity. It’s just by being in a different environment, I find helps to give me a fresh perspective on things. 

I love the beauty that surrounds me when being outside. Being outside makes me feel so happy. The beautiful colours that are all around us during each season, the animals and birds, the tress, the fluffy clouds in the sky, are just a few of the many things that I love. 

Surround yourself with loved ones.

Whether it’s being amongst family, friends, friends who you talk to online, or even just by being with your pets, surrounding yourself with loved ones can really help a lot when you are feeling down. Having someone to talk to or to even just be near them, it’s nice to know your not alone and you have people around you who care.

When with loved ones, I always find that things start to become that bit clearer. It helps to clear my mind and to just be present in the moment with that person. It’s also great to have someone to talk to about any worries that you may have or concerns, or to even discuss any ideas that you have. Having someone there to listen can make all the difference. 

Maybe you and a family member or a friend could organise a trip out somewhere or even a short break away together. Or maybe just meet up for an hour or so and go for a coffee. It really does help a lot.

And if you ever need someone to talk to, know that I am always here. You can find me on my social media pages, or you can email me or even contact me through my blog. 

Focus on your breathing.

When life starts to get overwhelming and I start to feel anxious, I like to take some deep breaths. It helps me to put my focus into those deep breaths and brings an instant calmness to me and helps me to relax, whilst taking me away from the worries and thoughts that were going through my mind. It helps me to feel more connected to my body.

There are many different breathing exercises that can really help. This breathing exercise from the NHS website I find is really helpful. Whether I’m at home, at work or in town, I find that focusing on my breathing and doing breathing exercises, helps a lot.

Read a book.

Reading definitely helps me to escape from my worries and anxieties. Reading a book, even if it’s for just 10 minutes, transports me to all kinds of different places, letting my imagination take over whilst reading each page of a book, and putting my focus on to something exciting, wonderful and amazing. 

The time just flies by when I’m reading a good book. And also reading just before bed can help you to have a good night’s sleep, as you are not staring at your phone and TV screens! At the moment I am currently reading The Ingredients For Happiness by Lucy Knott. What books are you currently reading?

“Like eating right and exercising to maintain physical health, reading strengthens the muscles in your brain and can help you wind down after a long, stressful day, and it can even improve skills like memory and focus over time.” Bustle.

I personally love to read a good (sometimes cheesy) rom-com novel! There’s just something about them that makes me feel all warm and cosy inside. 

Do some of the things you love.

Doing the things you love is amazing at giving you a positive mood boost and helping to bring calmness and happiness. Whether it’s by getting creative, for example, painting, writing, taking photos, or playing an instrument. Or doing some other things that you love, such as watching your favourite show on TV, watching your favourite YouTuber or listening to music. It’s so important that we make time to do these things, even if it’s just for a little while each day. 

A few of my favourite things to do is to write, take photos, listen to music, play the drums and my violin and paint. By making time to do the things I love, it makes me feel happy. They can turn a bad day into an amazing day. And not only that but making time to do the things you love, it can help you to feel more motivated and inspired.

Write in a journal.

There are so many benefits to writing in a journal. A journal can be a powerful, magical and helpful tool for everyday life. It’s somewhere where we can write down what is on our minds, a place to reflect and somewhere we can write down our goals and achievements and to write down ideas. A journal can be used for almost anything.

I also personally love to write down the things that have made me happy during the week and the things that I am thankful for. Which helps me to focus on the good things that have happened and the positives from throughout the week. 

I find that a journal really helps when you don’t feel like talking. I can privately write down all of my thoughts and feelings. Writing in a journal helps me to recognise and identify why certain things have been on my mind and how I can resolve them. 

I personally like to write in my journal in the evenings just before bed, which helps me switch off from social media and technology for the night and helps me to reflect on the day and to write down what is on my mind. I also find it helps me to get a better night’s sleep. I feel less stressed and feel calmer. 

Listen to music.

I’ve been listening to music a lot more recently. I even created my own playlist filled with feel-good songs which you can check out here. Music just has that magical power to instantly make you feel good inside. (And maybe have a little dance around the room too!) 

The thing with music is that there are genres of music for any mood that you may be feeling. There is always a piece of music or song that will instantly make you feel happier and more relaxed. 

At University, I studied Audio Production and it was so fascinating to find out how music affects people. For my dissertation, I wrote about music and nostalgia, and for me personally listening to music that I loved when I was younger and music from certain points during my life, brings a lot of happiness and happy memories.

Do some gentle exercises.

I find gentle exercises to be very beneficial. Especially when I’m feeling down. My most favourite go-to exercise is walking. Having a chronic illness sometimes means that I don’t have very much energy and I’m feeling tired and sometimes in a lot of pain. But I always find walking to be a very enjoyable gentle exercise.

If it’s just for 10 minutes, 30 minutes or even an hour, walking helps to clear my mind, get some fresh air and put my focus on the sights, sounds and smells around me and helps me to feel more energised. 

I always find it’s great to have a camera on hand too as you never know what you might find on your walk. I’ve discovered lots of beautiful places that I didn’t know was there, just by going for a walk. It’s a great way to explore and find new places. 

A couple of other gentle exercises that are great to do is going swimming and going for a bike ride. There are also lots of gentle sitting exercises that you can do too.

Read the Bible.

There are so many Bible scriptures that I love to read. They are uplifting, inspiring and they definitely help me a lot when I am feeling down. Reading the Bible instantly helps me to feel a lot happier and less anxious. 

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. 

Reading the scriptures in the Bible really shows us how much God loves us, and how much God wants to and will help us during tough times. We are never alone, and God wants us to know that. He is right there beside us always. He will never leave us. The Bible is full of God’s amazing and wonderful promises. 

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Click here for lots of Bible verses to help and inspire.

Think about the things you are thankful for.

Thinking about the things that I am thankful for, no matter how small they may be, helps me to feel so much happier. When feeling down, it’s so easy to think about the negatives, but what we should be doing is thinking about all of the positives. It really helps to put things into perspective and helps us realise what we do have, rather than what we don’t have. 

As I mentioned above, I like to think about the things that have made me happy throughout the week, the things that I am truly thankful for. For example, this week I am thankful for my family and friends, having my own little space on the web where I can write and be creative, my camera, going for a lovely day out and having a weeks holiday from work!

Being thankful is so important. Why not grab your journal right now and write down some of the things that you are thankful for. It really does help a lot, especially when you are feeling down.

I would love to know what some of the things are that you like to do when you are feeling down. They may just help someone else. Please let me know in the comments.

Cheer Up Treats

Like it says in the name, these are definitely some treats that have really cheered me up! 

Cheer Up Treats is such a lovely and amazing idea created by Vicki, a lifestyle blogger over at missviclb.co.uk. Cheer Up Treats is a wonderful subscription box which helps and supports small businesses whilst providing the perfect cheer up treats! (See what I did there!) Each box is filled with fabulous treats and surprises, which are guaranteed to brighten your day. 

First up in my box are these two adorable badges by Cheer Up Treats. I already know where these two are going! I’ve got a denim jacket just waiting in my wardrobe for these little badges! On one is a cute picture of a llama. I do love my llamas! The second badge has got a sweet little bird on, with the words Tweet Me above it. 

Next up is this super cute miniature Origami Crane, which I just think is amazing! It’s been very beautifully made with such pretty paper. It’s one of those things, where as soon as you see it, it makes you smile. 

In my box, I got this awesome heart enamel pin by Punky Pins. Which is also definitely going on my denim jacket with my badges. I don’t currently own any other badges by Punky Pins, so this was such a nice surprise to get one in my box.

Next in my box, I got a really cool llama postcard, which is by Cheer Up Treats. Did I mention I love llamas! This postcard has a cute picture of a llama on it and at the side, it says Save The Drama For Your Llama, which I absolutely love!

I was very happy to find in my box a beautifully scented tealight candle by Yankee Candle. It smells amazing and it’s the perfect scent for Autumn/Winter. Definitely ideal for a lovely cosy self-care evening.

Next in my box are these adorable stickers by The Persnickety Co. Each sticker has an animal sitting in a teacup on it! So cute. One has a fox on it playing the banjo and above it says Good day. The next sticker has a cat on, another one has a lamb wearing a hat! And the last sticker has a pig wearing a woolly hat! They are such fun stickers. I’ve already placed two of them onto my MacBook! 

Lastly, I got this gorgeous handmade wax melt in the scent Fresh Blue by Scentual Scents, which smells so incredible. I was so excited to pop this straight in my wax burner. As soon as it heated up and melted, this wax melt filled my room with an amazing scent. I love popping it on after a busy day and having this beautiful scent fill my room. It really helps me to feel more relaxed. (Each wax melt by Scentual Scents are vegan and eco-friendly). 

Each item has been carefully and beautifully wrapped. And it was a real joy to open my box and find all of the goodies inside. Every single item that I received in my box is so wonderful. 

So much love and care has been put into creating these boxes and it really does show. Whether you are looking to treat yourself or treat a loved one to a box, they definitely make a perfect gift.

A huge thank you to Vicki from Cheer Up Treats for sending me these amazing treats. And don’t forget you can get 10% off your order by using the code HICLEM. For lot’s more pictures of Cheer Up Treats, head on over to Instagram and you can catch up with all the latest news and updates on the Cheer Up Treats Twitter page.

What things do you like to do when you are feeling down? What helps you?