Monday, January 14, 2013

10 Activities to Give Your Mood a Boost

January and February often seem to just.drag.on.

(This year, in our house, January is anything BUT dragging.  And February will be 3/4 of the way done by the time we are back on US soil again. But you know what I mean.)

Christmas hoopla is over with. And the weather tends to be rather gray and dreary. After the busyness and suspense, life seems a bit dull.

Now, is the time to focus on the little things. The things that bring extra joy and smiles to your life. Add some color to your day, and watch your mood lift up! up! up!

1. Buy flowers. Even if the rest of the year you consider buying fresh flowers a splurge, do it this month for your sanity. A colorful bouquet speaks life, and is a guaranteed mood lifter.


2. Bathe a baby. If you don't have a baby, you can borrow someone else's. The important thing is to hold them after their bath. When they smell of clean baby and baby soap. Inhale deeply and hug tight. Tickle them and laugh with their giggles.

3. Read a book. Or 10. I am currently in the middle of

Bringing up Be'be' by Pamela Druckerman
Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman
All the Money in the World by Laura Vanderkam
Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

Reading books transports you to a different time, different world, if you are reading fiction. And it improves your mind if you are reading non-fiction. Either or is a good thing. Oh, and lots of libraries have free winter reading programs for adults. You can sign up and read to win great prizes.

4. Pour yourself a glass of wine. Or brew a cup of tea. Or mix up some cocoa. Or get yourself a cup of jo. Whatever you poison, enjoy the warmth flowing through you.


5. Maximize the January thaw. Our temps are in the 40s and 50s right now, which is very odd for MI in January. But it also means there is no snow and sidewalks are clear. Make it a point to get outside.

6. Make it a point to get outside in the snow too. Run. Ice-skate. Go sledding. Walk. Breathe in the crispy air, and thank God you are alive.

7. Attend a concert. At your symphony. Or at a church. Or a bar. Google concerts in your home town this month, and go soak up your brand of tunes. Plan B would involve cranking up the tunes at home. Plug in your iPod, or dial up Pandora, and bust a move with your favorite people.


8. Buy fresh fruit. Apples. Oranges. Kiwis. Mangoes. Strawberries. They taste like summer and are full of good vitamins. And, speaking of vitamins-take them. A daily all-purpose. Vitamin B complex. Omega 3s.


9. Get your nails done. Hands and/or feet. Professionally or home spa. Scrub off the calluses. Paint the digits a merry color. And for that matter, light a candle, dim the lamps, and play some spa-y music while you do it. This would not be bust a move music of #7.


10. Watch "I Love Lucy." Or "Hogan's Heroes." Or "Leave it to Beaver." Wholesome humor. Guaranteed laughs.

#11 is a bonus...do that thing that married couples do-if you are married. It's great for the soul.=)

What do you do when the January blues come knocking?