January 22, 2016
Have you ever heard of Blue Monday?
I hadn’t either until I noticed it to the right of my Facebook feed earlier this week. One headline read:
“January 18: Blue Monday: The Most Depressing Day of the Year”.
There’s some controversy about the label – including the validity of the equation used to arrive at it – but I’ll spare you the debate. Regardless of whether it is the most depressing day of the year or not, the truth is this: low energy is a real thing that can strike anyone at anytime, and it is more likely in the winter months. In that spirit, I’m gifting you another 3 ways to uplift yourself this week:
1. Get creative! When was the last time you did something creative? How did you feel afterward? If you were truly tapping in to your creative storehouse, you likely felt alive, energized and happy. You may have also felt rejuvenated and refreshed, plus confident and light. True creativity feels like something magnificent is moving inside you – and you can usually tell you’re being creative when you lose track of time. If it’s been a while since you’ve tapped into your creative self, consider enjoying one of the following activities:
-Painting
-Drawing
-Dancing
-Writing a story or piece of music
-Designing
Artistic creativity, like the activities above, aren’t the only ways to work your creative muscles, though; any time you engage in building or creating anything new, solving problems or puzzles and looking at things in a new way, you are being creative. As you may know, I’ve been on vacation in the Dominican Republic for the past week, and I’ve been forced to get creative at the beach. Rather than dragging on each day or complaining because we’d done all the “normal beach things” – building sandcastles, playing in the surf, and soaking up the sun – we all put on our creative hats and created and adapted new games, like Beach Skeeball. We also enjoyed playing Ring Around the Rosie in the ocean, I-Spy on the beach and making ourselves into mermaids in the sand. Now that you get the idea, what are some ways you can add some creativity into your daily life to spice things up? Let me know.
2. Reach out. Feeling down or disconnected? Lost your mojo? Connect with a friend or family member or even a stranger; research says you’ll feel better almost instantly! If this sounds awkward or uncomfortable for you, you’re not alone; I used to have a difficult time doing this. In fact, I used to detest the phone. And calling someone to tell them my feelings? No way! For a long time, I actually believed I “should” be happy all the time; even though other people clearly didn’t operate that way. When I held myself to impossible standards and kept my feelings bottled up inside, I felt alone and unsupported. The thing was, no one knew because I hid it! It actually took me getting physically sick before I started trusting and sharing with my family and close friends. Although I try to maintain a positive, upbeat attitude all the time, I would not be as happy as I am without learning how to reach out and connect with people I trust. Today, I have no problem saying, “I’m going through some changes right now and could rally use your support,” or, “I could use some positive vibes today,” to my husband, mom or a close friend. If this isn’t something you do currently, are you up for giving it a try? Let me know here.
3. Try something new. Variety truly is the spice of life. So, the next time you find yourself in a funk, put this old cliche to work and change things up! Even the simple act of eating a new food for breakfast, taking a new route to work, or brushing your teeth before you wash your face may provide you just the boost you need during your morning or evening routine. What is one easy thing you can do starting today to change up your life?
Speaking of routines, I receive so many questions about mine – What time do you get up? What kinds of things do you do? What do you eat for breakfast? – that I’m giving you a peek into my typical morning routine very soon. And trust me when I say – it’s anything but normal.
Talk to you soon!