Turning Blah into Joy

We all have days when we wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Everything is wrong, the skies are overcast, and nothing that we do will change this. We could spend the day feeling sorry for ourselves, or we could take action to make the day better.

The first and most important thing to ask yourself is, what internal challenges are you facing? Are you tired? Hungry? Upset about something? Burned out? Or any number of other things. When I take the time to do an internal inventory every day, I learn a lot. For example, on days when I feel blah, and I cannot do anything to shake it, there is a good chance my allergies are flaring up. No matter what I do, sinus pressure makes me cry and feel blah. But if I know this is the cause of my blah, then I can change my perspective and work within the parameters of my allergies. Owning something that bothers you gives you the power to control its effect and control.

The easiest way to get over feeling blah is to do something for someone who cannot pay you back. For example, buy someone’s coffee, make a donation, pet an animal. The secret is to do these things because you can and not to tell people about it or capitalize off of it. For me, taking time to play with my dogs, rubbing their bellies, or even just napping with them is a sure-fire way to cheer myself up.

Exercising is another way to improve your outlook. The release of chemicals in your brain will always cheer you up. I am not the biggest fan of exercising, but I love the way I feel after. I exercise to have good days. More often than not you will find me in the gym because of how I will feel after, not because I enjoy the workout. Taking a walk is also a great choice. When I don’t have the time to get sweaty, I go for a walk and count all the things that make me happy. I look for flowers or animals, or anything that will make me smile.

Volunteering is another great way to beat the blues. I never pass up the opportunity to volunteer because I know how good it is for me. You may think this is a selfish viewpoint, but I would argue otherwise. There is nothing wrong with participating in an activity because it makes you feel good. It is wrong to participate in an activity when it makes you look good. See the difference? Just like there is nothing wrong with doing something for someone who can’t pay you back because it cheers you up, but there is something wrong with doing that because it makes you look good.

Everything we do to cheer ourselves up, to invest in our wellbeing, should be done in secret. We should never talk or brag about it, we should never show it off. The point is to feed our souls, our hearts, not to create a great social media post.

Communing with the universe, praying, and/or meditating, will always help you beat a case of the blahs. We are part of something much larger than ourselves. When we connect with that, when we connect with creation, we can recharge and find joy. For me, I believe in God, a simple prayer or simply looking at what He created, always cheers me up. For those who are not Christian, you still need to connect with something larger than yourself. You must develop your spiritual side.

Feeling blah is part of being human. If we accept that and work to overcome it, it will never control us.

Sincerely,

Sara O