This time of year we focus on giving thanks and being grateful-which is marvelous.
But.
Sometimes it can be hard to feel gracious.
Sometimes (or often) something can happen at work, we can look at the news or someone in our family is being kind of a jerk and then we can feel shitty.
If you think about it-especially in these insane political times- there is always always always a reason to feel shitty.
Therefore, our practice is actually to take the steering wheel of the bus that is our inner life and turn it around completely.
There many really deceptively simple ways to grab that wheel.
The biggest task in taking that wheel is staying alert to how you are feeling.
So, when you realize you are feeling foul and ruminating about why and justifying why – you can just stop and ask yourself if you want to feel another way.
And sometimes for whatever complicated reason we might not want to, but usually we do want to feel better.
Then you can go through some simple steps:
1.Realize you have choice over how you feel and you can choose to feel a different way.
2.Take some deep breaths. 10 breaths. Count them.
3.Pick a song or some music that is a bit more cheerful than you are feeling. – (See, I told you it was deceptively simple.) You can’t pick anything too rowdy and cheerful if you’re feeling really foul. But you can pick something that is slightly more energetic and cheerful than how you’re feeling and listen to it. With attention. Even let yourself dance a bit.
4. Essential oils. Take a sniff from some of the oils you bought 2 weeks ago after reading my inspiring newsletter about essential oils. 🙂
5. Move your body. Keep dancing, take a walk, go to a yoga class – anything to get your body moving.
6. Get outside. As I said last week – this is magic. Just a few minutes can really switch things up.
7. Grab your journal and give yourself some time to really vent and problem solve. Miracles can happen when you put pen to paper.
8. Cry. Crying is such good medicine. It is such a release that if a client (or I) start crying I don’t try to stop it- let it come! Even if I stub my toe. Use it! Keep it coming. It is a powerful way to move energy and clear out enough to get to a new starting place.
9. Tap! I’ll write more about this soon-but most of you know I am a big fan of the powerful technique of tapping. Quick way to TOTALLY shift a feeling state,
10. Find a therapist. Get help. If you find that you can’t shift your mood on your own and you are feeling upset/miserable/crabby most of the time – find a therapist who gets you and get support through talk therapy and/or medication. You deserve to be happy and sometimes we need help in shifting our lives.
There are so many things you can do to help yourself feel BETTER.
And each of these ideas can really shift your mood.
They can save the day. They can undo the angst and let you actually enjoy an evening with your family instead of ruminating and feeling bad.
The first step is really to notice how you are feeling and then make a choice to change it. Speak to yourself like you would speak to a dear friend.
Check in with yourself and try to comfort and reassure yourself.
It’s so simple but I find many people don’t bother they just keep rolling along in a bad mood- believing that they have no control over their inner life.
But, when you realize how much power you actually have over how you feel and you know some simple steps to feel better – then that is definitely something to feel thankful for.
Have a happy holiday!
