1. Clean your space.
I know, homework. Do you feel like your life is in the gutter and now you are expected to muster the energy to do the housework? Okay, yes. You can’t find anything when you need it, you’ve been eating out of pots since you don’t have any more clean plates left, and what the hell is that smell? All of this adds unnecessary stress to your life. Your external environment is a direct reflection of your internal world. Cleaning is a productive way to start taking your mind off of problems, and the result is an organized, easy-to-navigate space that’s both welcoming and comforting. A clean house has a calming effect that you could definitely use if you are feeling down.
2. Take care of yourself.
Have you noticed how when people’s lives get out of balance, their personal hygiene and eating habits are always the first to go? Prepare yourself a big, healthy meal. Take a long hot bath or shower. Wash your hair, shave, wear a face mask, put a multicolored bath bomb in your bathtub, and de-stress. The way you treat yourself is a direct reflection of how you let others treat you. Taking good care of yourself is also a reminder that you are worth much more than you admit to yourself on a regular basis. This kind of self-confidence is necessary to let go of life’s problems.
3. Take a break.
You need to spend time doing nothing. It doesn’t have to be all meditation and namaste either. You can literally sit on your couch and do nothing for 10 minutes a day. No phone calls, no television, no company, nothing. Life is always bombarding us with constant distractions and endless to-do lists. So it’s important to balance that with periods of absolute relaxation, even if they’re short bursts.
4. Practice gratitude.
This can happen while taking a break or not. It’s a matter of changing your mindset. What is going well in your life? What is exceptional? What is happening exactly as it should? Train your mind to see things differently as they happen. Life is full of surprises, so count your blessings and make a list of the beautiful things in your life. I’m sure there is at least one. It could even be “I woke up this morning and I’m happy to be alive.”
5. Exercise.
Let the adrenaline and endorphins make you feel like you are on top of the world. Your body and mind will benefit.
6. Find a new hobby or something you enjoy.
Sometimes you just have to change things up. Find something fun in your area to do where you can meet new people. Meetup.com is a good place to find lots of fun, free (or very cheap) social activities. Trying new things can open up your world more than you think.
7. Create a list of short-term goals.
Short term goals become long term success. Always remember this. Take your mind off your problems and focus on moving forward. I like to plan month by month. I only plan to complete what I know I can complete in 4 weeks. Next month, I’ll have a whole new list of tasks to complete. Before you know it you are making steady progress. I consider monthly better than daily or weekly because planning over the span of a few weeks at a time allows you to plan for some downtime, which brings me to my next point.
8. YOU NEED TO PLAN fun time.
This is different than taking a break. You can do whatever you want during this time, as long as you find it fun. During my downtime, I like to watch TV. In fact, I grew up in a household where we didn’t watch TV, so it’s not something I’ve been used to. As a result, as a child, I had to come up with creative ways to keep myself busy, and as an adult this meant always working on something, always being busy. Now, I allow myself up to 3 hours of television per month. With each episode at about 30 minutes, that’s about 1-2 episodes of TV per week. I’m currently following Game of Thrones and watching a show called The Borgias. After a long day/week, it’s also nice to have a little treat to look forward to. I even have a TV partner who I love watching GOT with.
9. Write yourself a letter to pull out and read whenever you feel overwhelmed.
Make sure that in that letter you tell yourself everything you would need to hear if you were contacting a close friend. For example, mine says “It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to take time to process your emotions. It’s okay to pace yourself and go with it. You’re a good person with a kind soul.” Update this letter as much as you want. Include and remove things, just make it perfect for you.
10. Do something nice for someone other than yourself.
Volunteer for a weekend at an animal shelter, help feed the homeless, take your dog to their favorite park and watch how excited they get. Other people’s happiness rubs off on you. When you are miserable, you attract misery. You have to present positivity to attract her and this starts with doing what you can to make interactions as positive as possible. Both positivity and negativity are contagious. Choose.
Always remember, you are the earthly embodiment of strength, love and joy.
Namaste.