How To Chase Away the Blues

Ladies – you consider yourself a happy person – most of the time. But what about those times you are a little off your game and a “blue” mood sneaks in?

This mood should not be confused with depression or clinical depression. If you are still feeling “down” or not in control of how you feel, fatigued, wanting to sleep but never feeling rested, having difficulty completing tasks, or having thoughts not consistent with how you have been in the past – and having all or part of these feelings lasting longer than a couple of weeks – seek help. There are many ways to identify and treat depression and no one should ever feel discouraged about seeking help.

But, maybe today is the day you got out of the wrong side of the bed, or your significant other looked at you the wrong way, or work has you so stressed it feels like your shoulders are carrying ten pounds of clutter, or you just don't feel like yourself.

Take a few moments for yourself to lift your spirits and chase the “blues” away. Consider these helpful hints:

1. Reality check. First of all, take a minute, or two, to “count your blessings.” We all have people, events, and surroundings to be thankful for. Concentrate on the good instead of focusing on the bad.

2. Deep breathing. By taking deep breaths and slowly releasing through your mouth, you enhance blood flow and oxygen working its way through your system. This will help to clear your mind of unwanted thoughts. You might start out with a couple of minutes of deep breathing each day, then work up to ten- or fifteen-minute sessions of meditation to reduce stress levels that could be working against you. If meditation sounds like something that would help you, check out How-To-Meditate.org for succinct explanations of how meditation might help you.

3. Exercise daily. Our bodies need to move; they were born for it. A 30-minute walk each day, especially outside where there is plenty of fresh air, will give you time to think, work through issues that might be preying on your mind, or even solve a problem that seems unsolvable. Once you are able to think of devoting thirty minutes a day to exercise, consider making at least two of those sessions strenuous workouts. You will experience endorphins, released through strenuous exercise, that help give a sense of well being. Check out DietAndBody for additional information on how the mind and exercise feed off of each other. Be sure to click on the additional information regarding endorphins.

4. Relaxation time or something special to anticipate. Days can start to run together in our busy lives, sometimes giving us the “doldrums” as one day starts to feel like the previous one. If you feel yourself slipping into this thinking, get creative. Make plans for something that you can look forward to that evening, such as a half-hour bubble bath or a quiet place to read something uplifting before you call it a day. At least once a week, schedule a feel-good movie to lose yourself in, or find a friend to give and get a manicure from, or find your creative self with a new hobby.

5. Light therapy. In the past few years, light therapy has increased in popularity, particularly in areas where daylight is shortened during certain seasons. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) has been researched, and in short-term studies, some light therapy has been shown to be nearly as effective as medication. That being said, if you feel the “blues” coming on, try shining a little light on yourself. There are bright light boxes available that can easily be found on the Internet or by checking with your physician. Search “light therapy” on any search engine for a number of choices.

6. Food for a good mood. Foods do affect our moods. Too much fat intake has been shown to affect hormone imbalances, not eating can trigger inappropriate behavior, and eating the wrong foods consistently can affect our health – which, once again, will affect how we look at the world. A blog called TheMoodFoodBlog has some great ideas and recipes. Consider that every food item you put into your body will cause some reaction, whether it be good or bad.

7. Yearly physical. Give yourself peace of mind. So much of our own psychological well being is intertwined with our physiological make-up. By having a yearly physical or a wellness check-up, issues may be found and corrected before becoming a problem.

Consider some contributors to the “blues” that you can have control over:

1. Watching television. Although some television shows are a great diversion from everyday life, think about what you watch. In this age of reality shows, over-the-top angst, anger, and backbiting are prevalent and may start to appear how life is to be led. Think twice about what you watch and how it affects your mood.

2. Overindulging. A possible side effect of the “blues” is trying to make yourself feel better with a quick fix – relaxing with a glass or two of wine or chowing down some junk food. You may feel better in the short term, but unfortunately, your regret may become a spiral that perpetuates a poor mood.

3. Shopping. This may sound like a weird one to avoid – but think about it. How often have you gone shopping, hoping that buying something will lift your spirits? This impulse shopping is usually regretted at a later date and the items purchased may no longer be deemed important.

So, ladies, take control of the “blues” that can sneak up on every one of us at various times of our lives. Being the caring, loving and nurturing women that we are, realize you may be internalizing feelings that need to be released before dragging you down.