I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the best at self-care. It's not that I don't think I deserve it. It's just that I don't really think about it at all. I'm a very high-functioning person with a tendency to push myself past my limits to the point where I'm not even productive anymore. When I have a bad day, I don't think to myself that I need to slow down and reboot. I think to myself that I need to ignore whatever's slowing me down and keep going as if it doesn't exist.

Not only is it unrealistic to think that your body and mind are going to be functioning at 100 percent capacity all day every day, but it's really harmful as well. If you're like me and somewhere deep down you've internalized the need for constant achievement to feel good about yourself, being held back by something like the flu, menstrual cramps, or even just plain old exhaustion can make you feel like a failure. You feel like that because you can't do whatever you want or need to do as well as you feel like you should be able to. It's not that you don't recognize what it is that's slowing you down, it's that you don't care. You don't see it as a reason why you shouldn't be functioning like you would be on any other day.

But even I - the queen of always needing to be productive to avoid losing my mind - see how bad this is. There's nothing wrong with having off-days. It's just life. It doesn't make you any less of a person.

So here are some tips/ideas on self-care activities for when you need it.

1. Take a shower.

Showers are my go-to for anytime I have a bad day. Something about sitting in the shower and letting warm water run all over my body seems to fix almost any problem I have. Drama at work? A shower can fix that. Woke up sore from being curled up in a ball all night? A shower can fix that. Feeling sad for no apparent reason (admit it we all have those weird moody days)? A shower can fix that.

2. Eat your favorite food.

I don't like to think of food as a treat or reward, but there's no denying that we all have those foods that we really enjoy. They make us happy because they taste good. Sometimes they make us happy because we associate them with a specific person or memory that's attached to feelings of joy and comfort. Maybe it's German chocolate cake because your grandma always used to make it for you when you saw her on the weekends. Maybe it's linguine alla pescatora because that's the first meal you and your significant other ever cooked together. Whatever it is, thinking about and eating that certain food makes you happy because you have an emotional connection with it. If it's going to make you feel better, why not eat it?

3. Do something extra to care take of your body.

Use one of those fancy skin creams or face masks that you only use on rare occasions when you feel like you "deserve" it. Exfoliate your face and body to feel extra clean. Take your time when you're shaving (but only if it's your personal choice to shave).

4. Listen to your favorite music.

Make a playlist of your favorite songs and put it on shuffle.

5. Spend time with a friend.

Maybe it's someone you haven't seen in ages, or maybe it's someone you saw two hours ago. Whoever it is, call or text them and ask to hang out. It's easier to get out of your own head when you're with another person.

6. Write your thoughts down.

As ironic as it is with me being a writer for Odyssey, I've never really been big on keeping a journal or a diary. I just always forget, but the times that I have sat down and written out my feelings, I've noticed I do feel better after. It helps to take what's in your mind and put it on paper because it almost feels like you're storing it somewhere else. It's like the thoughts and feelings aren't in your head anymore. They're on that piece of paper where you don't have to worry about them.

7. Watch television or a movie.

I spent an entire day watching Netflix once. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is indeed possible to pass an entire day by watching Netflix. I didn't have anything going on that day and I just felt sort of empty. I wasn't upset, but I wasn't really happy either. So I laid on the couch in my sweats and had a day-long movie marathon. For someone like me, who constantly feels the need to be up and about doing things, it was really nice to just kind of do nothing all day.

8. Go with the flow.

If you're having a bad day, there's no point in making it worse by feeling ashamed or by trying to fight it. I know it's easier said than done, but the best thing you can do for yourself on a day like this is just accept that this is how you're feeling in the moment and ride it out. This certainly won't be the only bad day you'll ever have in your life, but that doesn't mean the negative feelings are going to last forever. They'll pass, just like everything else. As cheesy as it sounds, life is like a rollercoaster. It's full of ups and downs that you can't always control. But as long as you keep holding on, you'll make it to the end.