10 Things I Do When I'm Having a Bad Day (or Week!)

by Terri

You know those days when you’ve got the blahs?  They happen to all of us and since my post about Finding Myself Again, I’ve found that it helps to have a whole arsenal of things to turn to when the need arises, so here are some ideas if you are ever looking for a little something to brighten up your day.

1. Do some Spring cleaning. I can hear you groaning and thinking, "Is she crazy? That's the last thing that would cheer me up!" But think of  it as starting with a clean slate. And you can take out a lot of aggression while you’re doing it. Once it is done and you look at the results, believe me, you will be happy you did it. 

2. Bake some cookies.  I didn’t say these were lo-cal ideas! But really, just the smell alone will cheer you up.  Make one of the cookies you loved as a child or check out Pinterest for some new ideas. Then hope that the rest of the family eats them before you have a chance to indulge too much.

3. Read a good book.  Find a book and get lost in it. It will take you outside of yourself and you can dwell on somebody else’s problems! The most recent book I read that did this for me was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I absolutely couldn’t put it down! 

4. Have a cup of tea.  While you’re reading that book, unwind and relax with a cup of your favorite tea.  If you’re not a tea fan, coffee or a smoothie will work too. 

5. Take a long, hot shower or a bath.  Use some of your favorite bath products and enjoy the scent. Relax and clear your mind. Maybe even combine this with #6 below.

6. Meditate.  If you missed Leigh’s post about meditation, go immediately and read it.  Then do it. You won’t be sorry.

7. Take a walk or just spend some time outside.  There is nothing like being out in nature that is guaranteed to lift your spirits.

8. Do something nice for somebody else. There's nothing that will get you out of your own head faster than doing something nice for someone.  Compliment a friend, send a note to someone, tell your friends and family how much you love them. When you're thinking about other people, you make it harder to focus so much on yourself.

9. Write.  Write it all down on paper, get it all out and then crumple it up and throw it away. Symbolic I know, but it really works. Or make a list of what you need to do or buy. Make a list of people you want to write to or even start on your Christmas list (there are only 275 shopping days left, you know!)

10. Do something that makes you happy. Go shopping and buy a new outfit or maybe just some new make-up or your favorite coffee drink. Meet a girlfriend for lunch. Or, my personal favorite, and I’m sure it is for many of you, grab your camera and spend an hour together. It works every time! As you can see from the blooming cactus photos above, all taken this week, I have been following my own advice. :-)

I think it’s good to have a list of “go to” ideas to turn to when you’re just not feeling up to par, a little low or even downright blue. If you’ve tried any of these things in the past, let me know how they worked for you.  If you have something you’d like to add to my list, I would love to hear it!  Now I’m going to go brew a cup of tea, grab a couple of freshly-baked cookies, hop in a hot bubble bath with a good book and do some meditation.  Yeah, it’s been that kind of week!