6 ways to beat the blues
Lower your expectations
Many of us focus deeply on what we feel we ‘should’ be doing. We expect that our days should be filled with productive tasks. We believe that we should be perpetually gorgeous, with perfect relationships and successful careers. In reality though, it’s incredibly difficult to accomplish all these things at once.
You’re going to have evenings when you opt for take away and telly over a healthy meal and work. And that’s O.K. Lower your expectations to a more realistic level, and feel the tension shift.
Change the way you talk to yourself
It’s hard to feel good about yourself when your inner voice is talking trash. Carefully consider the way you speak to yourself. Pepper your self-talk with words of encouragement. Speak to yourself the way you’d talk to your closest friend. Click To Tweet
Make a ta-da list
A major symptom of the blues is feeling overwhelmed by a never- ending to-do list. When you always have a list of tasks you’re yet to accomplish, it can seem like you’re not getting anywhere. I combat this by making a ta-da list: a list of what you’ve accomplished that day. This will illustrate how much progress you’re actually making.
Disregard other people’s expectations
Often, focusing on what people expect of us can generate anxiety. We can begin to feel crushed under the weight of expectation. It’s important to disentangle yourself from these pressures. In your life, the only person you have to answer to is you.
So, next time you feel caught up in what another person thinks of you, ask yourself how you feel about the situation. Always remember that in your life, your needs are paramount, and you are the person who best knows how to meet those needs.
Treat yourself
When we have so many responsibilities, it can begin to feel like we’re losing touch with ourselves. Make the time each day to do something especially for you. It could be wearing a piece of jewelry that makes you feel incredible or taking a wonderful book to read during your lunch hour. Whatever it is, carve out a bit of time each day to do something that makes you feel like ‘you’.
Related: 23 ways to treat yourself without buying or eating anything
Be patient
The best things in life take time to develop. When you’re feeling down though, you might just wish these things would hurry up and get here already! Be patient, and remind yourself that things that happen over time tend to last longer than instantaneous changes. Reassure yourself that each day brings you closer to that coveted dream.
But I want to hear from you! How do you deal with temporary bad moods?
P.S. 101 ways to cheer yourself up!
When I'm sad I pretend like I'm Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation. It makes my melancholy kind of fabulous. From a more psychological perspective I would say it's a good way to observe my emotions without becoming consumed by them.
When I'm feeling blue, I feel exhausted and have to drag myself through the day. I usually find being a little indulgent and letting myself have a lazy weekend involving lots of sleep, sad films to make me cry, happy films to cheer me up and some reading or baking (a small achievable project) tends to put me at rights. I also like to tidy small pockets of my flat or finish small tasks that have been on my to-do list for too long so I feel like things are fresh and new again. I love the idea of a ta-da list! I might try that one tonight for fun 🙂
This is perfect timing. I was sitting frowning at my to-do list that is getting longer and longer. A Ta-Da list sounds like a brilliant idea. Remind myself that I am in fact achieving stuff! Beat the blues!
I Done This (idonethis.com) is a great way to keep track of your ta-da lists on a day-to-day basis. It feels so good to get an email reminder every evening asking me to list what I've done, and then being able to go back as many days or weeks as I want and see all the things I've done lately. Really helps with the "what am I doing with myself? I'm accomplishing nothing!" blues.
What a brilliant post, really resonates with me right now. We put ourselves under so much pressure to be great at everything, do everything, look good all of the time that it's so easy to get down and feel like we're burning out.
I love that this advice is simple and practical – it can totally be achieved without adding extra pressure to daily life. Small changes are often the best.
And I really like the idea of a ta-da list!
Thanks Sarah and Vanessa 🙂
Zoe xoxo
A ta-da list!! I LOVE this idea.
Thanks, this is exactly what I needed.
xxMelissa @ Melicious
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