For those in need of a little spirit boost, here are 5 ways to cheer yourself up!
When I look around this week, I see a lot of people in need of a pick me up (myself included). Sure, good and bad days fluctuate over time…but it seems like 2016 is on a mission to go on record as the worst year ever. Right?! I say this, because I just know I’m not alone when I tell you I’ve been desperately seeking a better mood.
As tempting as it is to just grab a bottle of wine, junk food and hide under the covers…that’s probably not the most productive way to cheer yourself up. Over the weekend, I made a personal goal to find productive ways that will boost my spirits and today I wanted to share 5 of them that truly help!
1. Get a Massage
It might not be practical to get a massage, but I petition that quarterly (if not monthly) massages be named preventative care and covered by insurance companies. For real, the physical and mental health benefits to a massage are immense! Over the weekend, I was a ball of tension and walking around with intense nerve pain down my right leg. After slipping into a comfy robe, lounging for a while by a fire with a glass of wine and receiving a deep tissue massage…I felt like a new woman. Here, here!
2. Breathe It Out in Yoga
On more than one occasion, I’ve felt deeply frustrated, sad or even angry when I hit the yoga mat. After an hour of deep stretching and breathing, those feelings somehow mellowed out – leaving me feeling recharged and surprisingly at peace. There truly is a shift that takes place when you practice yoga. Confronting and accepting your negative emotions, neutralizes them. Take a yoga class with a soothing instructor, or if you prefer solitude…watch one of the many yoga sessions available on YouTube.
3. Clean and Organize Your Home (Or, Pay Someone Else To)
A lot of times, when you’re feeling overwhelmed or upset, cleaning and organizing your space brings a sense of peace and control to the situation. Attack the dust bunnies under your bed. Straighten out your closet. Or, if you’re feeling like truly treating yourself — hiring a cleaning service to do the dirty work for you as you relax and kick back. Having house cleaners come in and give your home that professional spruce up will give you a sense of calm as well as order, you can’t go wrong with having a right old clean around the place. If you’re in the New York area, take advantage of apartment cleaning made easy by Handy. They’ll come on short notice, clean, leave – and it will be like magic.
4. Rely on the Classics
Sometimes, you just don’t want to think. Sometimes, you want to just turn your brain off and forget things for a while. When that happens, I turn to Gossip Girl, The Real Housewives of Anywhere, Clueless, Hallmark movies and Disney classics. Basically, if I’ve seen it before or if it has a SUPER basic plotline…I’m there. Carbs help a lot in this department, too. As does Harry Potter.
5. Help Someone
There is evidence that helping someone other than yourself is actually healing for the brain – and I believe it. Taking the focus off of what’s irking you and directing it towards helping others truly does boost your spirits. I work for a nonprofit and see the benefits of volunteering every single day. But if you can’t volunteer on a whim and just want to do something, offer to help a friend or family member. Organize their closet for them. Make someone a special dish or cookies. Get creative with it.
Of course, there are way more than 5 ways to cheer yourself up. But today, I wanted to cut straight to the point and not bog you down with a whole lot of rambling. As you may know, I can ramble. What I really want is for you to start feeling better. I hope you’re able to carve out some time in your schedule for any of the above options, or at the very least enjoy a relaxing bubble bath. A good bubble bath can certainly do WONDERS for your spirit!
Thank you for reading this post. It genuinely means so much to me to have you here and reading the things I spew out here on Dream in Lace. If you haven’t yet, be sure to follow me on Twitter and we can be social besties. Twitter’s where I share on the fly ramblings and bits of inspo…and tweet exciting things like The Real Housewives of Orange County reunions. Twitter’s the best!
If you liked this post, definitely check out my list of 10 acts of kindness that can help you give back, here. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, making it the perfect time to try and spread a little extra kindness around our communities.
As always, stay stylish and keep chasing your dreams!
XOXO
Kelly
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