Pick Me Ups
If you were having a bad day, for whatever reason, what would you do to lift your mood? What do you consider to be your go to “pick me ups”?
When I am having a hard day, week, month, year, life…I will typically do a handful of things to lift my mood. The more “bad days” I have, the more I realize that these are the things I gravitate towards immediately for an instant mood lift:
- Music. There is nothing like listening to a playlist or a song that makes you smile, laugh, or think of happier times. I have always said that music is my therapy. I can get so lost in music that I lose track of time. Especially if I am creating a new playlist. Usually, music is the first thing I turn to when I need a pick me up.
- Old TV shows – Law and Order, Criminal Minds, One Tree Hill, Charmed, Friends, I love Lucy, Sex and the City – just to name a few. These are some of the shoes that I turn to first, before any others, when I need a distraction in life. It could be a bad day at work or a just because I’m moody type of day, and I’ll turn to what I call my “comfort shows”. My aunt will see me watching these shows and she will legitimately ask me if I ever get tired of them, my answer is always NO. There is just something about comfort in shows that you know you can turn to no matter what, and it’ll brighten your day.
- Movies – just like my comfort shows, I have “comfort movies”; these can be anything from A Walk to Remember (I know, such a depressing movie – but I love it), or maybe even the Fast and the Furious saga, the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy (I usually skip movie #1, and go straight into Darker and Freed), Sex and the City Movie is another favorite of mine, Crazy, Stupid, Love (I love this movie, specifically the quote at the graduation about his first love).
- Pinterest. When in doubt, PINTEREST. It is like a rabbit hole of inspiration. From quotes, to fashion, to beauty and hair, to life; you name it, you can find it on Pinterest. I can get lost for hours on this looking for something without even knowing what I’m looking for. I usually don’t go a single day without being on Pinterest. It’s that much of a pick me up!
- Coffee table books. Oddly enough, I find coffee table books to be pick me ups. I have a few that are Pooh-isn’s or books with different thoughts and quotes from Winnie the Pooh. I love them so much; there’s something about them that I find so much comfort in. Winnie the Pooh quotes are always inspiring, whether you realize it or not they are beyond realistic and relatable. I also have some coffee table books that are fashion focused and I love looking at the pictures and captions. It’s another instant source of inspiration.
- Lists – When I have a bad day or I am in a “mood” you can generally find me writing a list. It doesn’t need to even relate to the thing I’m doing for it to relax me. I make numerous lists a day to help me realign my priorities. Whether it’s for work, or a list of things I want to find, things I want to buy, quotes I find to be inspiring, etc. I love making lists. Although I have a list of books to read on GoodReads, you can usually find a completely separate list in one of my twenty-thousand notebooks. I’ll eventually transfer it into GoodReads, but they typically start on paper in a notebook from whatever moment I needed to take a mental break.
- Shopping. One of the more obviously pick me ups is shopping. They do say shopping is cheaper than therapy, although those people must not be into the same things I am cause my shopping habit can get pricey. My wishlist alone (see, another list!) is so pricey. I have a I want wishlist, an if I can afford it wishlist, and an unrealistic wishlist. Shopping is extremely therapeutic, especially when I find good sales. Nothing makes me feel better than getting a good price on something I’ve wanted!
