5.5 simple pick-me-ups you can’t ignore on some bad days
a couple of days ago, i woke up to a familiar tune. it was a tune that told me that day was not going to be as pretty as the day before. have you had days when you wake up to some sort of premonition about how your day’s gonna go? rarely happens, really, but when it does it makes me want to push the fast forward button so tomorrow would slide in and kick today’s butt off.
there is no
fast forward button.
when i
opened my e-mail the first thing that i noticed was the absence of
notifications for new comments on “running in red stilettos”. when i checked my
stats it sure looked like a forlorn place, a playground for zombies. that stung
a bit. all the photos i took that day mysteriously turned out to be disastrous
as well. both my kids woke up on the wrong side of their beds and little people
who are unusually in a bad mood are like a 10,000-piece puzzle. when i sat down to continue working on a story on counterfeit makeup that i was developing for the magazine, my mind
went blank, dot dot dot empty. it was a situation not new to my bank account.
empty is my
least favorite word.
with a bad
day confirmed, i thought there was no
use fighting against nature. so i made me a cup of tulsi (the indian tea i’m
currently crazy about), went out to sit on the hammock in the balcony and
rested my eyes on the clear sky that sat on top of the blue mountains and the
not-so-distant lake. right that instant i was seized by a sudden pang of
conscience for allowing myself to complain even before i counted my blessings.
however, bad
days are real as real could be and none of us could really run away from them.
here’s me sharing my 5.5 pick-me-ups that i hope would work for you, too.
#1 kiss the
sun. we’ve grown to become “sunphobic”
over the years after getting more acquainted with studies that reveal the
harmful effects of the sun. there is, however, nothing that could replicate the
mood-enhancing effects of the sun. the
big yellow ball activates our endorphins, the neurotransmitters known to induce
euphoria. just make sure you keep it at a safe level, which means avoiding the
sun after 9 am and before 3 pm. 10 to 20
minutes out there will yank the grouch out of you.
#2 dance.
exercise does wonders to the body and dancing offers nothing less than miracles
to the mind and soul. it’s a way of reconnecting with your inner self, and
tapping unused energies so they don’t go to waste. if you’re quite bashful
about moving those heels and swaying your hips, find yourself a place where you
could not care about a thing in the world. play a tune you love moving to then
permit yourself to get lost in the beat.
i’d bet my blueberry cheesecake you’ll be smiling before the fourth
song.
 |
| photo by alexander young |
# 3 give
sweet tooth a chance. chefs didn’t name those luscious delights “death by
chocolate” for nothing. and well, some experts also said chocolate was better
than sex and i wasn’t ready to accept that until studies showed that eating
chocolates release substantial amounts of endorphins, thus giving you that much
needed “oomph!” when you’re stuck in the dumps.
# 4 lather
with lavender. when you’re feeling low and slow, a shower would do you good.
you’ll feel fresher afterwards with a renewed sense of energy. running water
over your body also symbolically washes away anguish and letting that water
flow away from you means you’re allowing negative energy to leave your body. choose a
scent that relieves you. lavender is known as a mood enhancer so you should
keep a bottle handy. now go, lather with lavender and don’t call me
grandmother.
# 5 dare
yourself and look for something new to do. it doesn't have to be anything
outrageous like skydiving or rappelling. i mean, who just suddenly goes out
through their backdoor to do that anyway? it can be as mundane as getting to
know a new author, experimenting on a new recipe, trying out a new restaurant,
exploring genres of movies you didn't think you’d ever like. if your bad day happens
on a weekend, then great. that means you have time to go out, get lost and
discover what’s around you. trust me, you’ll find something that’s been there
for the longest time and you didn’t know it because you were too caught up in
the real world to see that there’s actually a better side to it. two months ago i found
a withering row of plants and when i bent down to see through the lifeless
stems, i was whisked away to my own narnia.(will post that photo here as soon as i unearth it from the cavern i also call my files)
.5 remind
yourself that the purpose of your existence is not defined by the number of
virtual likes you get. you are a tiny speck in the virtual world and if you’re
able to put a smile to a few faces through your writing, that should mean the
universe to you because that’s what you intended to do since the beginning.
okay, so .5
is for me.
