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There’s not enough caffeine in the world to get me through some days.
As much as I want to be that ever-positive person, I have shitty days, too—where the weight of being an adult just feels like too much. But since I do want to be that ever-positive person, I try not to spend too much time wallowing in my misery. It’s tempting, I know. I have a whole pile of crumpled, soggy tissues beside me to testify to the fact that today was not a f*cking walk in the park.
When we don’t want to sit in misery but are genuinely struggling through difficult situations, we may be at a loss to know what to do to pull ourselves out of the mire. There are five life hacks I’ve found to be somewhat effective in boosting my mood.
1. Listen to upbeat music.
Kashmir by Led Zeppelin is one option. I once read a study that indicated that this song works as a natural mood booster. Clair de Lune by Debussy is another one that is proven to elevate one’s mood. Any happy or upbeat music will do, but these two are backed by science.
2. Watch something funny.
My favorites include The Golden Girls TV show and this video of drunk girls being surprised with puppies. Laughter really is the best medicine, particularly when we’re sick at heart.
3. Get some exercise.
Try to fit in a little athletic activity to get your endorphins up for a natural mood boost. A walk will do in a pinch. A walk in nature is an added bonus. Don’t forget that sex counts as exercise, too, and is also a natural way to boost one’s mood, assuming that it’s good sex. Bad sex would be a pointless exercise to boost one’s mood.
4. Meditate.
Meditation is a great way to calm the mind and elevate the mood, particularly if we choose a humorous meditation. My favorite guided meditation involves a lot of irreverence and swear words. It’s great when our mood is angry, exasperated, frustrated, or just plain over it! Try to get through it without laughing. I dare you!
5. Do a little art.
I prefer an adult coloring book to get out some of my frustration in an artistic, yet humorous, way. But there are other ways to do art. For example, I could smash the mug my ex gave me into tiny pieces and then make a mosaic. Or turn an old boyfriend shirt into shredded strips to make a prayer flag. I could write a poem or paint a canvas or even make a collage. Expressing ourselves in art form is a great outlet for our feelings that will likely help boost our moods as well.
I can’t magically make the frustrating parts of life go away. I imagine that you can’t either. But what we can do is make the best of difficult situations by choosing not to stay angry, sad, or discouraged. We can, instead, look for ways to boost our mood without comfort eating, drinking (let me just put this glass of wine down so I can type that with a guilt-free conscience), or sending unwise text messages into the universe.
We may feel like we’re at our wit’s end, but the truth is that we’ve come too far to give up now. We’re kind of badasses, admittedly flawed ones who sometimes have days where we just wallow. We can get beyond these bad days with a little effort.
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This post was originally published on medium.com, and is republished here with the author’s permission.
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Photo credit: Francisco Moreno on Unsplash