Ever since returning from our road trip, we've been in a funk. Well, more or less, the adults in this family have been in a funk. It's the time of year, the way we came home (via friends and a tow truck...), and probably a million little things that seem to add up when winter seems never ending and all the ways of being a grown up confront you at once. It can make you feel... stuck.
It happens. But, sometimes you have to do the work of getting yourself out of feeling bogged down by it all.
Tuesday is blog post writing day, and then I schedule these posts for Wednesday morning. This week I woke up dreading writing a blog post, I didn't have anything positive to say about anything, I've been having major difficulty getting back into my morning routine, and life just felt slow and hard and heavy. So I asked the folks over on Instagram stories for ideas - what did they want to hear about? And then after connecting with a few lovely people, I answered my own question, and got myself unstuck.
The following is the list of things I did that helped me to feel lighter, less frustrated, and all around in a better mood...
- Talk to someone. Even if it's not about the thing you're grumpy about. Connect. Laugh. In whatever manner is best for you. Today for me it was Instagram messages and a phone conversation with my mom.
- Yoga. It ALWAYS helps. And not just yoga (though that's my exercise of choice) but movement of any kind. Today I did a quick 16 minute stretch with Yoga with Adriene, and it ticked all the boxes.
- Play some hip swaying, spin inducing, dancing music. Right now we're all loving Meghan Trainer radio on Pandora...
- Bake something that smells and tastes like spring and hope. The kids and I whipped up a batch of Mini Meyer Lemon Bundt Cakes. With the following substitutions: regular lemons, gluten free flour, earth balance 'butter' and coconut yogurt.
- Create. Collage. Write. Paint. Knit. Make something from nothing and marvel at the magic that lies at your fingertips.
It didn't take much, even though lying in bed this morning it all seemed impossible, but all of the above helped tremendously. Once I got my butt in gear, it all flowed and one good thing led to the next. Maybe something small could help you today? What do you do when you feel stuck, when getting out of bed in the morning feels tedious, depression is knocking at your door, or you just have a case of the early spring - where's the warmth! - blues?
One of these days I'll write about writing again, though from where I'm sitting with my editing hat on it doesn't feel like I have much to share... are there any topics you, my dear reader, would like me to write about in regards to writing, or anything else? I'd love to know as I'm having a tough time finding my footing in this blogging space this go around...