Is there such a thing as an instant pick me up?
When you've been feeling glum for a few days, what can you do to get your mojo back?
I'm usually a pretty positive person. For me the cup is always half full. But I'll be honest, of late I'm struggling a little. Politics and economics haven't helped. Some personal decisions to make have compounded it.
I'm also a person who feels deeply. It's useful for some things, like writing for example, but when it comes to a whole host of friends who are feeling let down, marginalised or scared about the current climate in the UK, I feel terribly sad for them too. Oh and then there's the fact that I suffer with anxiety. Not just a 'feel a bit worried now and then' anxiety but the sort that mushrooms into weird imaginary worries, usually when you are already feeling at your lowest ebb.
In short. Creativity is low and I feel a bit like Sadsack from the Raggy Dolls (80s UK kids programme if you are younger than 35). I've lost my stuffing.
So whilst pondering this today I thought about all the little things we can all do to get an instant pickmeup. And in the interests of sharing the love, I'm sharing them with you:
- Write down the five most important people in your life right now and remember how lucky you are to have them.
- Action three things on your to do list in this order: 1. Something that you keep putting off; 2. Something that's going to push your business forward; and 3. Something that's a bit daring. Pitch an idea to someone new or volunteer for an event.
- Arrange to meet with a friend who you don't see very often but who's energy you love. It's an instant pick-me-up.
- Schedule some social media and screen free time. Advertising is designed to make us feel like our lives are inadequate. Buy this thing and you'll feel better. But in truth - the happiest people are those who love what they already have.
- Write down three lovely things that have happened today. Focusing on the now makes you recall the golden moments, not the rubbish stuff.
- Go for a walk (or a run). Alternatively find a great holistic class like Pilates or yoga where you can get connected and make time for some self-care.
- Go somewhere different. Walk a different way to work or explore a new path. Get a bit lost, then find yourself again.
- Make a cup of tea.
- Sit outside and drink it or curl up in your favourite armchair.
- Have a mini de-clutter. A drawer or a little pile of stuff that's been building up.
- Go and pick some wildflowers or some foliage from your garden. Make a little display for your home.
- Get your favourite magazine or newspaper and read one article, start to finish.
- Make a vision board. Get a piece of card and add stickers, cuttings or mottos of what your ideal life looks like.
- Plan your ideal working day. That way you have something to work towards.
- If you are feeling low, see if you can figure out what's making you feel that way. Try the HALT method. Am I hungry? Am I angry? Am I lonely? Am I tired? Sometimes knowing you're just feeling a bit off because of one of these is enough to give you confidence that tomorrow will be a better day.
- Pick up the phone and call your best friend.
- Write a letter to a friend who lives far away.
- Send a message to someone telling them how much you admire them or have been inspired by them. Sending a little confidence boost to someone else can lift your spirits.
- Write a letter to yourself as if you were your best friend. Tell yourself all the qualities you admire in yourself and how you inspire others.
- If you have kids or animals play with them. Get outside and have a tickle fight or blow bubbles for 5 minutes.
- Bake cakes.
- Plan your next dream holiday.
- Then plan how you are going to make it happen.
- Then plan to make your next free afternoon a holiday zone. Do all the things you love to do on holidays. Read, explore somewhere new or try new foods. Go crazy and drink a cocktail in the afternoon!
- And if there's still something niggling away at you write it down. Then see if you can look at it from another angle. Is life telling you something? Have you over-dramatised a situation? Or are you entitled to just feel a little down. If so, have a little rant and move on!
If after all this you are still feeling low, talk to someone. Bottling it up or putting on a front will only work for so long.