Today has been rough. Nothing short of a Monday, but way too short on caffeine. I woke up with a still-wicked cough, having to battle technological woes as I crammed in last-minute prep for an accounting exam and homework assignment due in T-minus 72 minutes. I had to lug a big Amazon shipment to my apartment, since it was mistakenly shipped to the wrong location initially, I tripped over a big pile of snow (is anyone surprised there, though?), and by 1:44 pm I STILL HADN’T HAD COFFEE WHAT.
Just one of those days. Are any of you feeling me today?
When a not-so-stellar morning/afternoon/night is on your radar, resort to these 7 tips to get happier in the moment.
- Close your eyes and breathe easy. Am I the only one who sometimes forgets to breathe? #whoops. When I’m feeling anxious and my blood pressure is on the rise, the first thing I do is shut my eyes on the spot and make a concerted inhale and exhale. For any yogis out there, this is no new concept. But some serious wonders can come from just stopping and re-connecting with your conscious self.
- Identify in one quick quip what your main problem or concern is. I’m a chronic snowballer. When I’m getting increasingly stressed, everything seems worse than reality would prove. Take a step back to pop quiz yourself, and be real.
- Eliminate what’s not in your control. How often do we FREAK OUT over things that we can do literally nothing about? Way too often, that’s how often. If you realistically can’t do anything about the pain point in the present moment, push it to your mind’s background and carry on with more practical to-do’s in the interim.
- Take a hike. Not up a mountain; just around your room (or kitchen, neighborhood, through the makeup aisle…whatever floats your boat). When I need to just clear my head, get centered, and re-focus on what I love, it helps me beyond words to just get up and walk around. If your pain point is coming from frustration over an email, an argument with a friend or family member, stress about your future – just unplug, disconnect, and physically remove yourself from the situation, even if just for a moment. Walk around campus, down a path with nice foliage or flowers, to the local coffeeshop…bonus points if you walk to Target, cos Lord know that’s gonna end with happiness. #retailtherapy
- When in doubt, write it out. Sometimes therapists get a bad rap for telling people to write down what’s bothering them. Maybe in the heat of a strong emotion, it feels childish. But it’s actually not stupid – it works wonders. If anything, it might make you feel like your worries are stupid.
- Ben & Jerry’s.
- Wine.
If I need to explain the last two to you, you need more than 7 steps. So go grab yourself a pint (can we talk about The Tonight Dough???) and a glass of vino, kick up your heels, and reflect on everything that you can (and should!) be happy about right here and now. Time to count yo’ blessings and call out what really matters to you in this life. And as Aibileen so sweetly said in “The Help”:
You is kind.
You is smart.
You is important.
…and you is happy.
To get me feeling uplifted and cheerier in this sub-zero weather, I picked myself up a new swimsuit from Target. And it worked so much, that it got me wanting to give YOU a new Target swimsuit, too. Or really, anything that floats your boat. Here’s the chance to win $40 to Target.
Hope you’re having a happy day! See you on the hump.
