By LISA SWAN
You’re feeling rundown and worn out. With all that is going on these days, it’s easy to get as negative as the world seems to be. But you don’t have to live that way. Here are some tips to get your groove back:
- Stop beating yourself up for being human: You are not alone. Even the most motivated, creative people in the world go through rough patches. You’ll get through this.
- Do something for yourself to relax: Why not take a little time now to be good to yourself, and do some activities that will make you feel better? Taking a warm bath, enjoying a spa day, or even just sitting around reading something you enjoy can make you feel better.
- Change your latitude, change your attitude: In the Terry McMillan book and movie, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Stella got her groove back by taking a Jamaican vacation and falling in love with a man twenty years younger. You don’t need to go to that extreme, but a temporary change of scenery can do you good, even if it’s just a day trip, just to get you seeing new things.
- Take great care of your health: Things like exercise and eating right can help you feel better. Instead of sitting in front of the TV eating bad food and being miserable, why not go for a long walk in the park, and have a healthy meal afterwards? Feeling healthy can help make you happy.
- Try something creative: Just the act of listening to music, being inspired by art, or trying to do a creative activity, whether it be trying to paint or just cooking a new dish, could get you inspired. You might find a new hobby out of it.
- Learn about others’ struggles: There is a reason that inspirational and self-help books sell so well. They tell us about how others have gotten stuck in a rut, and gotten out of it to do great things. Why not read and learn from their comebacks?
- Stop the negative self-talk: If we talked to others the way we too often talk to ourselves, we would never have any friends. Why don’t we treat ourselves the way we would treat others, instead of being so negative and critical?
- Act as if: Sometimes, simply putting on a happy face and acting as if we are happy can actually work as far as changing your mood. Give it a try, and see if it gets your mood going.
- Make small – or big — changes: It could be that it will take small things to get your groove back. These changes could be as simple as allowing more time for yourself to do things you enjoy, instead of working like a mule all the time. But maybe the problem is bigger than that. Perhaps it is time to look for a new job, because you have outgrown your current one. Whatever your issue is, don’t be afraid to at least consider making changes.
