Staying Up When You're Feeling Down

I wrote this article for my newsletter and my great friend Heidi said she loved it and I should reprint it here. I hope you all like it too!

We all have those days, days when we feel blue or stuck or otherwise not so good. Well, here are my best tips to feel better.

If you are tired, get some sleep!!! Many times life is soooo much better when you’re rested.

Focus on what you have to be grateful for. This helps me every time. (Think how lucky we are - hell, if nothing else, we're still breathing! And there is chocolate! and peanut butter and pumpkin!!)

Plan something fun or exciting. I believe we have to have something to look forward to. This does not have to be expensive; it just has to be something you enjoy.

Stop looking for want you want where you know you won’t find it. Keep trying to get someone to give you love who never has before? Go to someone else. Keep going to the job you hate looking for work satisfaction? Go somewhere else.

Have something in your life that NEVER fails to make you smile. This is probably not going to be a specific person—everybody has a bad day. I’m thinking of a movie or television show you love, (for me this is chocolate - writing about it, eating it, learning about it), a snuggly blanket, being outside—I don’t care what it is. Just find it and use it when you feel bad.

Stop trying to control what you can’t. Usually for me this is other people. I am always at my saddest when I’m trying to get someone to love me. Can’t be done. Let go. Do your best with what you can control.

Know thyself. For me, sometimes the best way to feel better is to get busy. Accomplishing something makes me feel better (it also gets my mind off my troubles). Maybe this would work for you too. Or maybe you need quiet time. Know what you need and give it to yourself.

Stop comparing—yourself to others, yourself to where you thought you’d be by now, blah, blah. Comparing never helps and ALWAYS makes you feel worse. You are where you are—focus on where YOU want to be—don’t let where others are concern you.

Remember the KISS Principle - Keep It Simple, Sweetheart. The holidays are coming - do what brings you joy. If you hate to cook, don't do it! There are no Holiday Police (including your Mother-In-Law). The only measure of a successful holiday is how much joy it brought you. When I start feeling overwhelmed, I ask myself what do I REALLY need to do now? Sometimes it's work, sometimes it's exercise, sometimes I need to sleep. KISS, KISS, KISS!!!

Candy Corn Kisses - very good, but awfully sweet! So damn fun & festive!!