If there’s one thing that years of life, study, and therapy has taught me, it’s that I have the power and responsibility to shift my negative energy at any time.
I can’t control the triggers, but I can direct my response. Sometimes the simpler, the better.
Here are 11 short tips I’m using right now to reclaim my calm:
Breathe deeply. Inhale (4 seconds). Hold (4 seconds). Exhale (4 seconds). Repeat.
Queue up a song or radio station from a bygone era. Think VHS tapes, mom and dad’s music, cleaning the house on a Saturday morning…adult contemporary-soft rock-smooth jazz realness.
Donate to a cause or person in need, be it $5 or $50. It could be as easy as app-switching from Instagram to Venmo. Generosity is generative (what goes around, comes back around).
Take an internet inspiration trip to your favorite museum or music festival via YouTube.
Experiment with a guided meditation.
Put something on your calendar to look forward to - like a live-streamed DJ set, virtual 1:1 with friends, or a date with yourself to eat noodles over the sink while no one’s watching.
Call someone you know and ask, “what’s your favorite thing that happened today?”
Micro-journal. Without judgment, set a timer for five minutes and free-write the first thing that comes to mind. If it gets a little dark, switch gears and write 3 things you accomplished today (rolling out of bed and getting dressed counts).
Stretch your limbs. Lift something. Hold a plank. Do a pushup.
Practice single-tasking by taking the same “wax-on, wax-off” method you have while washing dishes and applying it to something else. Endeavor to keep just one (1) tab open at a time.
When in doubt, back to basics. Scroll some images that make you smile, and get to know your favorite feel-good ABCs (animals, babies, and cartoons).
What other quick-service methods have you been using to handle the heaviness this season?
Let me know via comment, mail, or message.