Monthly Archives: January 2019

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Keep Ya Head Up

Possibly my favourite Tupac song, but more importantly, I’m sure someone out there needs encouragement today … and if I’m being honest, I’ve needed some over the last few days so it only makes sense to put some out into the world.

Nothing super-awful has happened to me; it’s just been a period of trying to do well in different areas of my life (even when they’re in direct competition with one another) and then feeling like a 360-degree-failure if the results are less than stellar (even though they’re in direct competition with one another). In any case, I figure it couldn’t hurt to share some of my strategies for dealing with a bad mood, bad day or bad week. And if you have any you’d like to share, please do! They’ll be gladly read and considered, and you might even help someone.

1. Take a bath or a shower . . . hot water can be so soothing that it’s usually worth the uncomfortable cold which those of us in a Canadian winter typically have to deal with immediately upon removing ourselves from the bath or shower. Plus steam is good for your skin, so this could help you look better than you feel ;-)

2. Take a nap . . . this helped me today. And definitely would have helped me on Friday. There are honestly very few times in my life that going to sleep hasn’t made me feel better in some measure.

3. Pray . . . but please make sure that your praying doesn’t turn into brooding. It can be hard as a mere human (who is vulnerable because you’re already feeling bad) to control the tendency toward wallowing in misery under the pretense of talking about it to someone who is more powerful than we are. Hint: if you feel worse after your prayer than you did before, you might need to change your praying technique (some other time, when you’re in a more productive state of mind).

4. Gift yourself . . . carefully. Listen here – don’t you go racking up crazy credit charges and then coming back to my blog to blame me for it! Sometimes a certain treat or accessory or even a major purchase can indeed brighten your mood and outlook (at the moment I’m honestly considering becoming a pet owner again), but the threat of making an unwise spending decision is a serious one. Can you maybe gift yourself with a Me Date to rewatch one of your fave movies instead? Or have a cup of a tea you really like? Or look upon that nap or that bath as a gift?

5. Talk to a loved one about why you feel bad . . . self-explanatory, to a certain point. All I’ll say on this is that I come away from these conversations feeling better 90% of the time, and 9% of the time if I don’t feel better I’m at least reminded that I’m loved. (As for the other 1%? Hey – sometimes the person you go to for help needs it worse than you do. At least this is a reminder that you’re in good company.) And on a similar note . . .

6. Talk to a loved one about why they feel bad . . . because perspective helps, and because knowing that you’ve helped someone else carry their load can make you feel much better about yours.

 

Here’s hoping we all feel better soon. <3