Whether you're struggling through a tough day or just looking for a way to make a good day even better, here are some tips that I love for how to find strength in the middle of the everyday (it might be a tiny boost of energy, or it might be like jet propulsion for your afternoon).
1. Make a list of things you're grateful for. Make them small or big, things about the world around you or things about your own body, mind, and spirit. Maybe you're grateful for dreams and ambitions - jot them down and get started on making them happen! Write your list down in pencil on a post-it note, type it up in an e-mail and send it to yourself, or get out the markers and stick the finished product to your fridge.
2. Stretch your muscles. Go for a walk and enjoy the cool air, or pick up a shampoo bottle and do some bicep curls. Head to the gym and run until you can't run another step. Put on your favorite playlist and dance around the living room, pumping your arms and spinning until you're dizzy. Just get moving and enjoy how far your body can carry you.
3. Hunt for positive influences. Call up your most cheerful friend and ask for a pep talk. Go to the kids' section of your local bookstore and pick up a picture book that makes you smile. Write down the wonderful qualities of a person you admire, then come up with a strategy for how you can emulate that person.
4. Turn your next task into an adventure. Whether it's taking out the trash or writing a grant proposal, the next item on your to-do list can be an adventure. Homework time? Put on your birthday tiara (what, you don't have one of those?) or your fancy socks, and now it's a homework party! Need to hit the grocery store? Challenge yourself to be a cart or basket organizing superhero - do not smash the bread! Put the cans in rainbow order! Seriously, there's no better way to get an energy surge than to turn the ordinary into something extraordinary in your own head.
Did you take a moment to try one of these? How did it go? Any other tips to share in the comments?
3 comments:
what a great idea! I can recommend 2 excellent kids books I LOVE, walter the farting dog & the paperbag princess.. I think its so important to have positive people in your life, I work with someone who is very much a downer, always negative sometimes I feel like I need a pick me up after work just from listening to her, I always call my mom on the way home for that! *hugs*
Ooh, I really liked the Paperbag Princess, too :) Thanks for the reminder!
I am on Pinterest and love the eye candy . It relaxes me to work on pinterest...does that count as a way to be strong???
Sometimes I work very hard to let the day HAPPEN and not make it happen, you know?
Post a Comment