I’ve been down in the dumps. We all have. If there’s one thing you need to know about being deep in the emotional trenches, it’s that you always have the power to get out. You just gotta do it! Here are some things that will help:
#1) Cook something while listening to your favorite album
Music and cooking force you to stop thinking about everything else in the world so you will focus only on happening on the stereo and in the pot. I love jamming to Melissa Etheridge and/or Alanis when I’m pissed. But you can never go wrong with a good Motown playlist—trust me on that one.
#2) Make a mimosa and watch T.V.
F*ck it. It’s all about forgetting whatever is bothering you. Making a mimosa and kicking your feet up on the couch basically tells your anxiety to take a back seat. Sometimes slothfulness can be your best friend. In this case, it is.
#3) Open all the windows and let the light in.
Light is important for sadness. When you’re feeling down in the dumps and all of your windows are covered with curtains, you’re basically letting the world reflect what’s in your heart. Try flipping it—let the light in and perhaps you’ll let a little joy back in. Enjoy the sun. Get out of the darkness.
#4) Remind yourself what your lane is.
Too often we get sad because we try to be someone else or try too hard to be something we’re not—in our career, our personality, our body etc. Every now and then you need to remind yourself who you are and why you chose the lifestyle you did. You can always change it, but never forget the soul that’s inside. It’s where you’re most authentic.
#5) Look up all the places you want to visit in the world.
Take out your laptop and google all the places you want to visit (or revisit). Venice, Rome, Dubrovnik, Amsterdam, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Brazil, the Caribbean, whatever and wherever. Let the fantasy and dream fill you back up again.
#6) Go through all the people in your life and say, “I love him… I love her… I love him.”
It’s easier said than done, believe me, but if you think about all the people in your life—your parents, friends, roommates, strangers you just met or worked with the night before—and smile and say “I love ____,” it will refill your heart in an emotional way. It also heals. If one of the people isn’t necessarily a good person, telling yourself that you love them anyway can actually heal a bit of bitterness or resent you never knew you had. It also gives you strength and empathy to recognize positivity in people moving forward.
#7) Tell yourself you’re doing a great job.
You’re doing a great job. You really are. You’re doing the best you can, which is more than what most people in this day and age can vouch for. You’re doing it, man! Keep on going. Give yourself a pat on the back.
#8) Take a damn nap and forget about it.
Something happens when we take a nap. For a short moment, it erases all the emotional imprints we feel so we arise feeling a little clearer. It might be short-lived but if times are tough there’s nothing wrong with waving your hands in the air and saying, “I give up! Going to bed.”
#9) Take a bath with candles.
If you don’t have candles, trust me, buy them. There’s something healing about the flames that seems to pull out whatever funk you’re feeling. Add a bath to it, and you’re golden.
#10) Go buy something you need.
I’m not talking about clothes or tech stuff. I’m talking about something you can use and benefit from—like a new pillow or new bed sheets or a new chair for the living room. Redoing something in your home can be therapeutic, sort of like shedding an old skin. But you better make sure the new skin is fabulous.
