Bandaids for My Soul

When I'm feeling blue, or cranky and maybe even depressed, I find if I am "pro-active" I can control those dark moments. These aren't life-long habits but learned slowly over time. I've made a list of twelve of the things I do to feel better quickly. Maybe one or two will help someone on a cloudy day. If a person is seriously depressed though, I would reccomend seeing a doctor, these are merely bandaids but they work for me.

1) Give someone a compliment. I know that sounds odd since if you are blue you could use one yourself, but the smile on the face of the recipient will surely make you feel somewhat better.

2) Perform a random act of kindness. Same reaction as above only more so. This doesn't have to be complicated. Helping an older person navigate one of those snow hills next to a curb is a simple example.

3) Eat something sinful. Chocolate!!!! Chocolate does some chemistry thing to your brain that makes you feel happier. Pick your poison, chocolate is mine.

4) Walk on the beach in the morning before the sun is too hot. I've said this a million different ways lately, maybe because I no longer live near the beach, but there is nothing quite like a walk near the surf for reflection and just honest to goodness feel good qualities. Sand, salt air, a gentle breeze and the sound of the waves.....Happy! If only for the time being.

5) Exercise! Again, pick your exercise, mine is swimming. I went for a swim this evening and for no apparent reason found myself smiling.

6) Laugh. You know those jokes friends send to your email that can be so annoying? Read one. There is truth in that old axiom about laughing.

7) Have a comfort food dinner. No lean cuisine when you are feeling down. Meatloaf! Spagetti! Whatever floats your boat. Eat.

8) Call a friend who's easy to talk to or one you haven't heard from in a long time. About six months ago I was having a bad day, a bad week actually. Really feeling sorry for myself. I happened upon some really old photos of my first husband, last spoken to in 1977. On a whim I searched for this person on the internet knowing only the state I believed he lived in. I picked up the phone, dialed, asked for him and what followed was a really nice conversation, we laughed we mused and we compared notes. He even won the happiness score but it didn't matter. I felt instantly adventurous and ready to conquer the rest of the day. I swear!

9) Change surroundings. I'm not talking about a permanent move here. If you're inside, go outside. At the office, take a break. That sort of thing. Fresh air or air conditioning.

10) Pick up the pace of the music. Literally and figuratively. Nothing quite cures my blahs like listening to some good old fashioned rock n' roll. If you're not a music buff or music doesn't motivate you, then pick up the pace of whatever it is you're doing, get it over with. You're cranky, you're blue, so you need to move on and do something sunnier.

11) Sunshine. All of my sisters and I have the same devotion to sunshine. If we don't have it we crave it. Like a thirsty plant needs water. Vitamin D is good for you. Sunshine in the right amounts helps prevent depression. Twenty minutes a day in the sun without heavy sunscreen is supposed to be actually good for you, but not if you have the type of skin that will burn that fast.

12) A good cry. Somehow I always feel better after watching a very sad tear jerker movie. A three hankie one. If you're old enough think along the lines of "The Way We Were." Romance and tears works. Death and destruction is just depressing.

Have fun! Oh yes, I forgot, that's number 13. Do something fun every day.