11 things you can do when you’re feeling down in the dumps

4am conversations.  Sometimes it is the only time hubs and I have to talk. Really talk. 

It was 4am one morning and we were both awake dealing with baby things. We had become a family of four a mere 6 weeks before, and we were in the thick of it. He put his hand on my back and asked me how I was doing. For half a second my mind screamed, “lie, just say you’re fine,” and while I was actually feeling “fine,” I was also tired, stressed, and overwhelmed. 

He was reaching out, and in that moment, it was perfect. I needed to be reached out to. Here’s what I said - “I don’t know really, I feel kind of numb.” (Side Note: I’ve been trying to use words that actually describe how I am instead of “fine” or “busy”). And in that moment my word was NUMB. Numb wasn’t good or bad - it was just neutral. I woke up the next day feeling so much better. Just because I said the words out loud. It’s amazing how just naming a feeling can give it life and it can move on.  

here is a list of 11 things you can do when you’re feeling down in the dumps (not in any particular order):

1. Name your feeling and say it out loud and describe how it feels (to yourself in front of the mirror, or to someone in your life)

2. Listen to your favourite song (and maybe break out in dance)

3. Savour a hot drink

4. Make sure you’re properly hydrated

5. Eat chocolate

6. Get outside

7. Watch an uplifting move (like a chick flick)

8. Take a nap

9. Journal

10. Call someone you love

11. Book a check-in appointment with your therapist, reiki master, massage therapist, or whoever you feel will help you acknowledge the funk you’re in and help you un-funk yourself

You’re the only one who can tip the scales back to something not so neutral - take it back to the basics and nourish your soul with something you love.

So, I leave you with this… How are you today? Can you come up with a word other than fine or busy? How does this feeling feel in your body? How does this feeling feel in your thoughts? What do you need to acknowledge this feeling?

Until next time,

Kayla