Some days, today being one, I feel very low. I never can quite tell what will trigger it. The change in the weather, bringing a seemingly endless season of chill? The end of a fun vacation when I need to head back to "real life"? That time of the month? :o) I find I'm very pensive during these spells and often catch myself lost in my own thoughts, which just exacerbates the downtrodden spirit. Its not the events around me that cause my moods in as much as its my reaction to the things around me. My own perception can be my downfall... This is something I easily recognize and readily admit to, but its during these moments I find I have the hardest time staying focused on the positive.
While I don't have a perfect cure-all for shaking the blues, I do have a list of steps that I perform to help try to lift my spirits.
I start with prayer and rinse/repeat often throughout my day. I am at my best when I keep my focus on God and not on myself. He knows what I am carrying as my load and I trust that He will strengthen me for the journey or remove the burden, as necessary to shape the me He wants to see.
With the internal nature of down times, its a good time for me to stop and journal. Sometimes I write to eject all the negative thoughts swirling around in my brain, and sometimes I just read what I've written in previous entries. Its amazing the things that come to light as a recurring pattern. I really need to revisit these journal entries more during the good times to actually try to figure out how to break the cycle? Obviously I still have some life learning to do! :o)
Along with writing just for myself, I also share some of my stories. Blogging is a release that allows me to connect to the world on a very intimate level, showing the parts of myself that often go unseen in the hurried manner of our lives. It also provides me a venue for sharing life's lessons learned in the hopes that someone else can also benefit from my experiences, thereby splitting the cost of the pain that went with them across more than just myself.
If I'm really having a bad spell, I find that exercise helps and make every attempt to bribe myself out the door. I've been very vocal on my penchant for running. I'm by no means a "runner", more a slow jog/walker - but my body doesn't care about the speed at which I go. There is something magical about endorphins. It is a gift from God that sometimes all you need to do is to step outside and start putting one foot in front of another to navigate yourself to a better place.
I reach out to loved ones when I am low. I invite them to my home or make plans to do something with a friend or family member. I am so very blessed to be surrounded by people who care about me. I hope they realize how much they mean to me and I hope that I can be there for them during their down spells too.
I keep positive messages around me and do my best to SEE them every day. One of the best impulse buys I ever made at Target? A box of positive quotes cards that I got for $10 which I keep on the window ledge in my kitchen. I change it every few days and I definitely spend some time really thinking about the message each morning as I pour my cup of coffee. I try to use that time to focus on the positive and the outcome I want to see for my day. This week's message?
"DON'T GIVE UP WHEN YOU STILL HAVE SOMETHING TO GIVE. NOTHING IS REALLY OVER UNTIL THE MOMENT YOU STOP TRYING" ~ Brian Dyson
I may be down today, but I'm not done trying. :o)
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