Snap Yourself Out Of It! (Day 17)
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Sundays. Sometimes I wake up fully motivated to knock out the remaining items on my to-do list or chores around the house. Other days I wake up to the depressing realization that there’s only one day standing between me and the start of another work week. Some Sundays I want to curl up in the fetal position with a good book and not move all day. Other Sundays I feel like I’m bursting with frenetic energy and I need to go workout for two hours.
Unfortunately, this morning I woke up not with motivation nor with frenetic energy but with five hours of sleep and a 10 year old pug who would absolutely NOT lay down and go back to bed. So we got up. At 7am, on a Sunday after having gone to bed just before 2am. While I very much stick to my bedtime routine during the week, the weekend is fair game for whatever bedtime I deem desirable. I’ve been home alone the last few days and as such started watching this show, Siesta Key, which is the epitome of cheesy trash TV but it has me hooked. Suddenly one 45 minute episode becomes five and it’s 2am.
Anyway, after taking Coco outside I decided to just get up and read in bed. I knew that if I tried to go back to sleep I’d likely wake up when it was actually time to get up feeling more tired and groggy than I did when I initially woke up so I cracked open a fresh book, plopped that little pug in bed with me (she promptly went back to sleep after going potty and eating btw), and read for about an hour. I also had a mani/pedi appointment this morning so it was only a matter of time before I had to get up and get ready for that.
After my mani/pedi, I got myself coffee from one of my favorite spots in Austin (Austin Grind) and decided to head home. I spent most of the day out and about yesterday and by the time I got back home I was too exhausted to do much of anything so I figured I’d focus on getting stuff done around the house today. Well, that’s exactly what I did and my mood quickly shifted. After a few hours of checking things off the to-do list (not things I was particularly excited about mind you), I was feeling a bit down but not necessarily totally sure why. I was sitting at my computer, working on some other writing projects when I decided to close up shop and lace up my running shoes. It must have been about 4pm and 100+ degrees outside but I decided to take myself on a walk.
Now why am I bringing this up you may ask? Well, it’s a way for me to speak to a very important topic and that is natural ways to boost your mood. YOUR natural ways to boost your mood. Do you have an understanding of the things that uplift you when you’re feeling down? And no I’m not talking about eating junk food because that’s a temporary (and extremely unhealthy) solve to a perhaps deeper rooted issue, I’m talking about those positive ways to turn your day around. Perhaps you’re like me and find yourself feeling a bit stagnant or unmotivated one random afternoon - what is the thing or activity that‘s going to lift your spirits? For example, for myself I know that it’s movement, sunshine and/or creating something using my hands. Those are my tried and true methods to take myself out of my funk and make productive steps toward getting back on track and back in the right frame of mind. I know this to be true because I know myself and I know when I’m feeling blue and what I can do to pep myself up. I don’t have to depend on anyone or anything else, I am in control of my own mood and the direction in which my day will go.
Have you ever stopped to think about what those things are for you? I’m sure movement in some form will be on the list, of course, as it releases those happy endorphins for everyone but what else helps you regain control over your day and your mood? I want you to take some time and think about it to ensure that the next time you find yourself in a ’funk,’ you have the capability and the tools to snap yourself out of it and turn that frown upside down!
