I've been feeling really down this last week or two. (A bunch of stuff happened all at once and I started to feel overwhelmed and haven't been able to pull myself back up again.)

All I keep thinking about is wanting to re-paint the house, and put in hardwoods, and buy a new car, and get a whole new wardrobe, and get some jewelery .... I could do some serious damage here if I let myself. I know I'm having these thoughts because of the emotions not because I have legitimate needs. How do I pull myself together without going shopping?

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All I want to do is EAT.

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Shaking in my boots (well, if I was wearing them in the middle of summer!), but glad to be back!

I can relate. I gained 10 lbs this winter.

I just want to eat and shop. And I'm trying not to do either!

I went for a looooong walk but that didn't help.

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Man, you sound like me right now!! I am so crabby and down, but I know if I went shopping I would feel even worse, especially since money is one of the things that has me down right now!!! I am hoping all this beautiful weather and hopefully some well behaved kids (I can dream, can't I?) will help snap me out of it.

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~Happiness is a large family~

Start a journal? Write down your dreams. If life isn't perfect now, write about your perfect life. What would you house look like? What kind of car would you drive? What kind of wardrobe would you have? Feel free to rip up magazines (that you already have in the house) to put pictures of your ideal into your journal. If you have the talent, draw what you want.

When I'm down, here is my formula for improvement and I recommend it to everyone ...

1) Get back to basics: eat healthy foods, get some exercise (walking or dancing are two really good choices), make some time every day to meditate and/or pray, and set aside a little bit of time for yourself to either simply relax, read a book or pamper yourself.

2) Be grateful: write or say a gratitude every single day. When we express gratitude we are subconsciously acknowledging that we have been graced by something nice happening in our life. LOOK for opportunities to say 'thank you' as much as you possibly can. It is really hard to be depressed when we are telling the world we appreciate being here.

3) Laugh: This is right up their with dancing. If you have to rent a comedy, do so and watch it. Listen to comedy tapes in your car. Watch the comedy channel. Read the comics in the newspaper. Laughing is excellent exercise and it releases hormones that elevate our mood. Ever watch a really scary movie and laugh right after a really spooky part? Well, getting scared can give us the same reaction so if you enjoy scary movies you can mix in a few of those, too.

4) Reach out: See if you can volunteer in a soup kitchen for an evening. Maybe the local woman's shelter needs someone to organize their clothes donation or read to the children. Whatever you do, it doesn't have to be a long term commitment but it does help to reach out and do good. Volunteering reminds us that we have a lot to give to this world and seeing the difficulties others are experiencing gives us perspective about our own situation.

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"Poor people work for their money. Rich people make their money work for them."

When I start feeling that way, I do a few things to get myself out of the "funk":

1. Focus on eating well and working out.
2. Play music in the house to bring up my mood.
3. Set my alarm and get up in the morning at a "set" time so I feel on top of the day (rather than the day got me before I was ready...)
4. Get back to my basic Flylady routines (this really helps me...)
5. Read about other people's lives --- people who are REALLY in dire straits, people who really are suffering and struggling. It puts things in perspective.
6. Read about other people's dreams. I recently read about several different couples who were "living their dreams" and it was inspiring! It made me get out of my own little personal bubble of sadness/worry/stress/boredom and opened my eyes to the larger world out there. Sometimes I get so hyper-focused on our little lives that I forget the beauty of the whole wide world...
7. Get some sun each day -- this is very good for the mood.
8. I drink tea (instead of coffee) when I need a mood lift. Somehow the tea is calming and soothing and just the ritual of making the tea is relaxing to me.
9. I let dh know I need some time to myself, or out with some moms, whatever I feel I need. I usually just need quiet time in a bookstore. That way I can sit for 2 hours and read, but not buy the book.

If I think of anything else, I'll come back and add them!!!

Hugs

Get out and get some sunlight. It really does make a difference.

Maybe go to a lake or park if the weather is nice enough

Watch a movie you love that is happy and funny

Do something from your childhood that made you happy, waterguns, bubbles, sidewalk chalk

Whenever I'm feeling down I go for a drive and blast some good music. It usually helps me a lot.

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Proud mommy to adorable Kinsley

MY BLOG!

Yeah, I forgot that one ... get plenty of regular sleep. Sleep enough but not too much.

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"Poor people work for their money. Rich people make their money work for them."

I used to eat my stress away- but now I exercise a lot more (kick boxing is a great destresser! I do that at least 1x a week- but this week thanks to my MIL- I have done it the past 2 days- when I throw a punch I think of her! Sorry for that rant!). One other thing I have been doing is taking stress out on my household- yes underneath the clutter my family adds on a daily basis is spic and span! One nice thing is that the pounds are dropping off!

Why don't you visit your doctor. You may be depressed or you may have mild manic depression (bipolar). What works for me when I really want to spend but I don't have much to spend...I take $5 or $10 to the dollar store and spend the money there...much better than a $100 trip to Target.


Jen