Sometimes everybody has a bad day. Even Pollyanna.
There is no use bemoaning its visit; the point is how do you send it packing? Also, how do you keep it away...especially if your moods tend to swing with the weather in a state where the year-round saying is "If you don't like the weather, give it a minute, it will change." Not funny.
There is a lot of discussion these days about gratitude, and I am the first to agree that sitting down and listing out what you are grateful for can certainly give anyone a boost in their spirits. I always tell the kids when they are frowning..."turn that frown upside down...." and they hate it, but they can't not smile. :) A smile is great...don't kid a kidder, but what I am more interested in exploring is what can truly turn your frown into a giant grin the size of your head? Bounce you out of your seat, and maybe even make you do a double fist pump in the air with a little "WooHoo!" (or is that just me?). :)
I started wondering if maybe I shouldn't develop a Top 10 Go To List for when I was, for lack of a better phrase, not 100% Pollyanna Perky. I have decided to share mine with you below...my hope is that it will inspire you to develop your own.
- Find your IPod quick...make sure you have your favorite "go to" songs on their own "shuffle".
- Go outside and sit in the sun, talk a short walk (or longer if you can), inhale and exhale...deeply and then slowly while you count to 20.
- Dial up your best friend. The one who knows whether to listen, yell, cry, or laugh (at or) with you.
- Grab your to do list and do the one item on your list for the day that you dread the most; once it is done, you lose 10 pounds of pressure instantly.
- Cry. I have a lot of people that think this one of mine is NUTS. Cry?? That makes you feel better? Yes, yes it does. Crying can be the ultimate stress reliever. If you are feeling completely whacked out, shaking, stressed to your maximum....ask yourself, when was the last time you went and had a good long cry? Gotcha. There is only one person on the planet that I have met to date, that disagrees with me on this after trying it. I'm sure there are more...but give it a shot.
- Go read your favorite verse in the Bible. I call it my "Go To Verse" and for me it instantly calms me.
- Go take a bubble bath.
- Stop, pick up your calendar and pick out a day that you can spend just on you...a massage, the gym, a facial, a hike, a day on the river canoeing...whatever a day about you looks like. Mark it as vacation or just for you on your calendar. If you have a boss that tracks it, e-mail your request NOW. Don't wait.
- Go find a quiet place and pray, meditate...find your inner peace. Shut up and shut out the world for 15 minutes.
- Smile. :) Yes, it is that simple.
What do you think? Sounds toooo simple right? Try it...look at it as the double elimination round of the Glad Game. :)
Sunshine Dreams to You ~ Today and Every Day! :)
