Have you seen this adorable 2-year-old little boy who can shoot basketball hoops like a champ? It’s seriously crazy. He’s been on Jimmy Kimmel and the Today’s Show. His dad is also hilarious.
Here are 8 ideas to make yourself happy, when skies are “grey.” These are basically ideas on how you can help turn your mood around, when you need to. Here is the list:
1. Make yourself amazing food – such as ‘crostinis.’
If you are obsessed with food the way that I am (aka, your true inner-self is a gigantic fatso and good food makes you very, very happy), then I highly recommend these crostini recipes from Real Simple magazine. Holy. Party. That. My. Taste. Buds. Can’t. Even. Handle. Right. Now.
2. Take a hot bath (bring wine!)
Before bedtime, take a hot bath. Bring wine. Find a candle and light it. Turn off the bathroom lights. Oh yeah, and bring wine or water). I like to bring both wine and a tall glass of iced water for after my bath. I started doing this routine every night after I got my daughter into a “bedtime routine.” I used to have trouble sleeping, but as soon as I do my own, mommy, bedtime routine, I am out in 2-minutes by the end of it.
3. Don’t try to solve your life’s problems at nighttime. Wait until morning – when you are fresh.
Do not try to solve problems at nighttime. And do not argue at nighttime (See Top 35 Life Lessons to Pass On To Daughters, and remember this advice!)
4. Utilize the power of music – make a playlist of all the songs you loved when you were younger.
Make a playlist of the music that you loved while you were in Junior High (Middle School) and High School and listen to it. I’d be lying if I said that the song “Bye Bye Bye,” by N’Sync didn’t make me really, really happy.
5. If you are in a bad mood, consider the alignment of the “stars” (aka: could it be hormones?).
Ask yourself if you could possibly be PMSing, or if any sort of hormonal changes (fertilization drugs, pregnancy, miscarriage, menopause) could be causing your mood to change. Sometimes I forget how much PMS can effect me (no, “Mr. Mia,” this is not an EXCUSE…it is REAL!!!), and it’s not until my PMS is over that I realize why I felt like such a nut-case. Learn how to identify PMS (for instance, track your period).
If you are PMSing, then your hormones will have a field day reading You’re Gonna Miss This – A Reminder for Parents.
If you are a male who suspects that your significant other may be suffering from PMS, then I highly suggest that you consider tracking your wife’s menstrual cycles through an iPhone app (or any smartphone app) to arm and protect yourself with this information when the time comes (TIP: DO NOT TELL HER THAT YOU ARE DOING THIS…ESPECIALLY IF SHE IS ALREADY PMSing, OR YOU MAY BECOME HER NEXT VICTIM).
If you have irregular periods, like me, then if and when I start crying at a Subaru commercial, for example, then I try to make a mental (no pun intended) note to myself that I may be a bat-shit crazy person for the next few days. (SIDE NOTE and IN MY DEFENSE: the Subaru commercial that I am referring to has a young daughter that suddenly phases from a 7-year-old with pigtails into an 18-year-old leaving her home for college….all the while her dad is standing outside of the Subaru, with his loving father eyes – wanting her to be careful and she drives away in the Subaru). The commercial is adorable. See the commercial that makes me cry when I am PMSing below:
6. Put down your computer, and go outside.
Get away from your computer! Yeah! I’m talking to you! Put down your phone! Computers and the internet (Facebook) can make you feel like total poo when you compare yourself with “Mrs. Jones”…at the very least, you will probably end up with a cramp in your neck by the time you eventually emerge from the hypnotism of Facebook. If the weather doesn’t permit outside activity then try to get out; go anywhere (even Walmart). If it is nighttime and you need to stay at home, refer to my above idea and TAKE A BATH.
7. Get lost in a book.
Ask someone, whose taste you trust, for a book recommendation (I always ask my mom). Here are some of my favorite books that have, historically, captured me to the point where I always forgot whatever miserable occurrence was lingering in my life at the time at the time (e.g., first-trimester nausea, dark winter days, etc.):
8. Watch this video (put in on the “full screen” mode option…it makes it so much better.”)
This video will make you sniff-sniff with tears of happiness, and if you have a pet – you might want to go hug the little booger after watching this.
If by the end of completing these tasks you find yourself singing in the shower, then you have likely succeeded in your pursuit of happiness.
Things My Toddler Seems Indifferent About:
You May Also Like:
Life just isn’t that long. In the wise words of Trace Adkins, “You’re gonna miss this; you’re gonna want this back. You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast. These are some good times, so take a good look around. You may not know it now, but you’re gonna miss this…”. Thank you Trace Adkins.
MORE GREAT SONGS WITH SIMILAR THEMES:
“It won’t be like this for long…one day that little girl is gonna be all grown-up and gone.”
Grandma “Mia” sent us a message the other day, saying how much she loved the lyrics to the song, “My Wish,” by Rascal Flatts. I couldn’t agree more.
“I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens…”
“And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance…”
“It’s a new t-shirt saying, ‘I’m a Grandpa!'”
—————————–
You May Also Like:
What are your favorite educational videos or clips that you like for your toddler?