I AM GRUMPY!

And Yes I Know It is Friday

7 more days until I can rip the damned calendar page off. March 2019 when my babies will turn 15 and 17, when the days will lengthen and spring will come.

As we walk through the world, we are surrounded by people who are sick of the weather, who are depressed by politics, who are struggling with cabin fever, who have the flu or are cleaning up the impact of having sick little ones.

As a therapist, as a blogger, I often hide the crappiest moods. You don’t need to hear me complain but if I don’t share the crap then I give people the impression that there are people out there who don’t struggle.

So in honor of all of our struggles I will share a few tricks I am using to get through this God forsaken month.

I heard this on NPR this week and found it helpful. You know how we’re supposed to drink something like 64 oz of water a day? But you can’t get up in the morning and down half a gallon. You have to sip it throughout the day. Self care is like that. Vacations and spa days and massages are great but more importantly, sip a little bit throughout the day.

Walk outside for just a few minutes.

Google vacations or gardens or retirement or silly cat videos or soldiers reunited with their kids or people seeing colors or hearing sound for the first time.

Blast oldies or love songs or the Hamilton soundtrack. Sing. Singing in the car is very good for your mental health. Do not sing with kids. Critics are not good for your mental health.

Wallow- have all the feelings. Be fiercely sad or deeply disappointment. Rage, cry, sulk, pout, resent. There are no bad feelings. Stop beating yourself up for how you feel and trust that having the feelings is the healthiest way through them.

Wear your pretty clothes. Colors or silly socks or big earrings or hats.

Reach out. Message someone you miss. Return a phone call. Call your mother. Text if you can’t find the energy to call.

Random acts of kindness. Random acts of rebellion. Random acts of fucking with people.

Blow some cash. Honestly, nothing makes me feel better than spending money on a day my income has been slashed by weather cancellations. It is my vote of confidence that this too will pass.

Chocolate. Chocolate is used appropriately is medicinal…even without pot. But only really good chocolate or chocolate on fancy desserts or chocolate that reminds you of your childhood.

Exercise. You know I always recommend exercise. But maybe this weekend instead of serious “EXERCISE” we can all play more. Go skating or try to stand on your head or get out Dance Dance Revolution or maybe even go dancing. Remember when movement was just life?

Oh… this one helped…”Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly”. Just do a little bit. Don’t clean the house, empty the dishwasher. Don’t exercise, park far away and slog through the parking lot. Don’t do your taxes, neaten the piles or receipts. Don’t take your kids to the zoo, let them make a mess in the kitchen.

And write your newsletter a day late and trust that the people that love you want to hear from you on the crappy days, too.

Maureen