Listen, we all have those days. You know exactly what I mean; those days when it seems like nobody can see you, or the whole world is out to get you, or your stress level is somewhere around Britney Spears circa 2007 and you don’t have an umbrella within reach. Sometimes- especially once classes start picking up speed- it can feel like you’re stuck in this place that feels like a mix between limbo and a middle school dance during a slow song, and it can feel like things are never going to get better. While it may feel good to sit alone in your room listening to all of the sad Bon Iver songs on your playlist and wallow in self-pity, here is a list of things to do to overcome those blues (because even Britney made it through somehow)…
1. Turn up your speakers to full blast and twirl around your room listening to 1920’s music…
Don’t question it. I’m not entirely sure why, but there’s something about it that just makes it impossible to sit still. The best way to have a good day is to have a great start- and music has such a powerful impact on your mood, so why not start off with a happy note? If you want to kick it up a notch, make a bangin’ cup of coffee and sip on it while twirling.
Side Note: My personal favorites are Lee Morse, Frank Bessinger and Ruth Etting. Listen to them first thing in the morning, and you’ll spend the entire day feeling like Daisy Buchanan.
2. Pick flowers…
I know this seems like a childish, but don’t knock it until you try it. You always hear people say “stop and smell the roses”, but do you ever actually think about it? How often do you pay attention to the world around you, let alone take time to appreciate the beauty filling it? Whenever I am out and about, whether it’s on my way to class, or hurrying home from town during a rain storm, or running to catch a bus or train, I always take the opportunity to pick flowers.
3. Give them away…
The only thing better than having flowers, is giving them away and making someone else smile. You never know what anyone is going through, and you could be the turning point in someone else’s day. Maybe someone feels the same way you do, maybe even worse, and maybe those flowers are exactly what they need to be reminded that they matter.
Give a flower to the old woman sitting on the corner with the weathered face and hunched shoulders, carrying her life in the bag at her feet: remind her that she is beautiful, and that she is important.
Give another flower to the business man who almost knocked you over rushing onto the metro, one to the girl with her headphones who is keeping her eyes on the ground, and another one to the old man on the corner in Georgetown playing “Under the Sea” on his steel drums.
Remember: making someone else smile is the easiest way to make yourself smile.
4. Buy Dinner for the Homeless People in the area…
Sit and talk to them, let them tell you their life stories, learn about them, make friends with them. Not only will you fill an empty stomach, but it will also put things into perspective for you, and give you a new appreciation for all of the blessings in your life.
5. Hit the Gym…
Work out all of that stress and anger that has been building up and boiling over throughout the day, or week, and let it escape your body in the form of sweat. Tons and tons of sweat. Release those endorphins, use it as fuel, rock those sets out and sleep like a baby at night.
6. Meditate…
Hit the pause button on your day, sit down, and just breathe. Set aside 5-10 minutes to just sit and relax and meditate. Don’t think about all of the things you need to finish that week, or the upcoming tests, or the drama you somehow got yourself involved in. Just sit and breathe and be.
7. Drink another bangin’ cup of coffee…
When in doubt, (coffee) grind it out. It might be the caffeine addict in me speaking, but smelling freshly brewed coffee gives me the same butterflies that a first kiss does. No, it’s not weird. Okay, it’s a little weird, but it’s definitely not the weirdest thing you’ve heard of. I once heard of a woman who had a “romantic relationship” with a tree, so I’m not the weirdest one out there.
(For the big kids out there: Wine works just as well. Hint hint, wink wink)
8. Make a list of positives…
Sit down and make a list of 10 things that you love about yourself- only rule: they can’t be physical attributes. Write down everything you like about yourself as a person, your skills you admire, and traits you’re proud of, anything that makes you feel good. Once you’ve written it all out, decorate it. Draw flowers, butterflies, ladybugs, anything, just decorate it so it’s nice to look at, tape it up somewhere you can look at it when you’re feeling down (I put on lipstick and kiss mine). Just do whatever tickles your fancy or saddles your pony, but the list is for you, not anyone else.
9. Stare at the Stars…
Honestly, this is the quickest and easiest fix. Leave your phone inside, shut down your laptop, turn off all the lights and lie down on the ground. Stare at the sky until you feel dizzy and breathless (in the best possible way). My personal rule of thumb is to find three shooting stars before I go inside- even if it takes hours to do so. Think about what those stars mean to you, how they make you feel and who else is sitting on the ground looking at the same exact star at that same exact moment.
10. Put on red lipstick…
Do I really need to explain this one? Just do it, and you’ll feel like a boss ass bitch on her way to kick a lyin’, cheatin’ man to the curb.