21 things you can do right now to shake off the blues

How to shake off the blues

You can shake off the blues you just need to take focussed action.

Sometimes it’s really hard to know where to start though isn’t it…so I have compiled a list of suggestions for you. I do hope they help. Feeling down is rubbish so let’s get to work on feeling up (beat) instead.

1. Make a simple super healthy snack..it will make you feel virtuous and will give you an energy burst. You may think you fancy a bar of choc but you will get that energy slump soon after and will feel a  rubbish about your choice so make it a HEALTHY SNACK time and give yourself an energy burst!
2. Exercise -getting moving works every time. Anything will do..a quick bike ride, a walk around the blog, a quick workout to a DVD. just do it!
3. Fresh air always helps, so taking your next tea break outside and taking some deep breaths will chase those blues away.
4. Call a friend – reconnecting with the world when you are feeling pretty lost is a good idea. You can share your worries, they can tell you what’s going on for them and there is a good chance by the end of the call you will feel loved,  supported and important.
5. Play your favourite happy song, you can either do a search on you tube for your faves or create a happy list somewhere like Spotify so you can always access it when you feel in the need! here are 100 happy songs to get you started!
6. Write a thank you note (and then go and post it straight away.) It can be to anyone or anything,  even a thank you for a happy memory. It will give you both warm fuzzies.
7. Begin a gratitude journal – it will really help you focus on the positives in life and to write down 3 things you are grateful each day will build up  huge bank of happiness in your heart. Lovely to look back through in down time too.
8. Have an invigorating shower – an invigorating shower with zesty shower gel a goo scrub and a hair wash too can shake off feelings of lethargy and could carelessness and help us feel fresh and zingy. takes mere moments but has a big impact
9. Go to your happy place, whether physically or by closing your eyes and going there in your memory. Rest there a while and take in the colour, the sounds, the people and the place. Fill yourself up with happiness.Keep that feeling with you on your return.
10. Play a game – any game will do. It will take your mind off things for a while, draw forth a level of competitiveness which can make you feel energised and hopefully be fun too!
11. Share your worries. Worry dolls, a diary, talking things over with your partner or a family member can really ease the strain. If you don’t express what is bothering you and bottle it up it will make you feel tense and stressed. Sharing your worries helps give them clarity and eases the load.
12. Dance – dancing gets us moving and is a guaranteed way to make us smile, either on your own, with your child or with your partner a good dance fast or slow, makes us bodies and minds happy. Put on your favourite music and have a good old dance. I like to re-enact the ballet moves of my youth to a bit of Swan lake and then have a good old bop to Dancing Queen!
13. Look at some old photos – happy memories transport you to another time and remind you places and people that fill you up with love.
14. Create your life list – goals are good and help up  feel energised and motivated. Mine is a work in progress you can have a look here
15. Make something – I think being creative fulfils a deep need in all of us. I love to bake and to create from nature. One of my favourite things to make is name stones with inspiring words upon them.
16. Read something you love – perhaps a poem, a chapter form a book you love, a children’s book that makes you smile. I love the Owl and the Pussycat..it always cheers me up!
17. Take some photographs – taking photographs help us in many ways. they help us be still, really see, pause, be quiet and appreciative, they also take us outside of ourselves. It all helps.
18. Hug someone for 20 seconds – deep long hugs help our heart beats steady and make us feel cocooned. grab someone close and let them feel your love
19. Declutter a drawer – de-cluttering may seem like a chore but it really does help you feel good. it helps you feel organised and lighter and both these things increase happiness levels, not just immediately but for a good while after!
20. Get a date in the diary – having something to look forward to really helps us  from sinking into a funk. So book in a trip to the cinema or lunch with a friend, even a visit to the bookshop. Whatever you choose is fine but do have something new and fun in your diary  and book it in today.
21. Have a good laugh – it never fails.. ask Siri to tell you a joke, watch some Morecambe and Wise, pop on a rom-com on Netflix or ask a kid to tell you their best joke  Nothing like a good laugh

 

Hopefully just doing even one of these things will work to shake off the blues for you and bring you a smile x