3 Ways to Feel Better Now
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
I’m not usually into quick fixes. But even I admit that an instantaneous mood-reset is often needed and welcomed in the midst of rushed days.
Many of us are feeling the weight of the world right now - be it from what’s happening in our own home and/or the suffering we are becoming increasingly awakened to in the world as a whole. Think about the mental weight you are carrying right now.
How you feel in this moment will determine how you act in the next one.
This is why a quick reset - a change of perspective, a switch of emotion, a full breath - can make all of the difference.
Here are 3 ways that work wonders for me (and hopefully will for you).
NATURE
Photo by Marius Spita on Unsplash
There seems to be few issues that a prolonged exposure to nature can’t lighten. Sitting by a tree won’t fix your hurts, but it can certainly make them feel less oppressive - which frees you up to take the next breath, the next step.
Some of us are blessed to live by a park or grove of trees or beach. In these cases, simply head outside, walk or sit, be aware of what is around you, and breathe.
Others might be surrounded by buildings and cityscapes. In those situations, you still have a myriad of options: Spend some time with a houseplant. Look at its details, feel the leaves.
Find a safe spot to stand and look up. Imagine expanding into the sky, whether that sky is a brilliant blue or puffy, cloud-covered grey.
In that same safe spot, close your eyes and inhale. Feel the temperature of the air, absorb the odors around you. Repeat.
There are energies that nature provides that don’t flow easily in our constructed environments. Tapping into those provides a delightful reset on the day’s rush-setting.
MOVEMENT
Photo by Emma Frances Logan on Unsplash
I, like many others, spend a great deal of my day in a chair. I’ll often find my attention wandering and my motivation, lacking. I’ve found that one little word can make a world of difference: “MOVE”.
When I remind myself of this, I stop whatever I’m doing, stand up, and just move. That movement might mean switching laundry, it might mean running that errand I’ve been putting off, it might just mean standing up and shimmying for a moment.
Movement is crucial to your well-being. It shakes up stagnant energy, gets blood flowing more freely, moves achey muscles and tendons, shifts around organs and bones. It requests that your mind re-attend to this moment, and invites you to drop that awareness back into your body.
If you can move for a 5, 10, or 30 minute walk - awesome. If limitations of time or physical nature prohibit that, even 1 - 2 minutes of conscious movement is beneficial. Stretch, twist, dance if you can. Let your ear fall to your shoulder. Wiggle your toes. Lunge on your way to the bathroom. Pull your heel back to your rear for a delightful stretch as you fill your gas tank.
That mental weight you are carrying? Some of it might just fall off with a little shake here and there. Move, baby, move.
COFFEE
There are countless jokes about the “necessity” of this pick-me-up. While I, myself, am a coffee-enjoyer, and while I acknowledge that it is the caffeine that most people are after, I don’t feel that coffee (nor caffeine) is the necessary point of consumption for a reboot.
You can choose coffee, warm tea, a full-bodied wine, a spicy iced drink … anything that requires you to sip slowly in order to fully enjoy the drink.
There is something about that moment when the first taste of coffee (or tea, wine, etc) slides across your tongue and down your throat. In that moment, there is that drink and nothing else. And right after that moment, a deep breath and a moment of contentment.
And right there: a beautiful reset.
Sip mindfully and let some of the weight of the day slide away.
***
Tell me - what ways do you have to provide an instant boost to your day? (We could all use more!)