Cheer Up, Buttercup

So, first things first, it is currently 80 degrees and sunny and the big city of Chicago and all I can say is it's about fah-reek-ing time.  It's almost the middle of June and Mr. Summertime (is Summer a boy or girl?) has not made his presence known at all.  I've been wearing sweaters and even my NorthFace fleece up until pretty much today (minus a few days here and there).  I went outside for lunch today with a few co-workers and sat in the sun and sweated through my jeans...and I am not complaining about it.  But now I'm sure the midwestern humidity is starting to arrive, so give it a week or two and I promise you I will start whining about that.  Me...whine?  No, no, never.

This is what I picture when I think of Mr. Sunshine

Ok, now that we have that cleared up (since I'm sure you were really concerned about my current weather situation) let's move on.  I've been having a rough go at this thing called 'life' lately so I figured I would put together a list of things that I do when I'm in a bad mood and want to make myself feel better.  The key word in that last sentence is 'want'.  If I don't want to make myself feel better then you better believe I will sulk until I've had enough and beat myself out of that funk.

P.S. some of these are really lame but just hear me out and remember I'm kind of really lame sometimes.

How to CHEER yourself up (in no particular order):

1.  Listen to music 

This is definitely one of the top things that I do when I am feeling a little blue.  I did not mean to rhyme there, it just happened.  I love music all the time but when I'm feeling sad or upset, I either listen to music that speaks to me and makes me feel like maybe someone else knows how I'm feeling or I go in the opposite direction and listen to upbeat music that makes me wanna dance.  When I was going through my punk rock stage in high school (everyone went through this stage right?  I blame Avril Lavigne and Ashley Simpson before she got caught lip syncing on SNL) I used to listen to scream-o music and that used to make me feel better but now-a-days that just makes my ears feel like they're bleeding.

2.  Eat

Get in my belly!!!

Preferable ice cream.  I recently confessed my obsession love for ice cream.  I just think that if you are eating ice cream, you can't help but feel at least slightly happy.  If I'm sad, eating ice cream makes me feel better no matter what and if I'm happy, well, ice cream makes me feel like a unicorn (beautiful, unique if you were wondering what a unicorn feels like).  So whether it be cheetos or chocolate or pizza, just eat something you love to make yourself feel better.  It might not be a cure-all, but in my case (my simple minded case) it totally is at least 73% of the time.

3.  Work Out

"Look at me!  I'm working out and I'm so happy!"

Working out literally makes you happier because of the whole endorphins make you happy thing but it also gives you time to yourself to think and process the shit going on inside of your head.  When I'm stressed out or confused I try to go for a run to to sort some of this junk out.  Combine working out with music and you've got what we call a killer combo.  Throw some ice cream in after your work out...boom, hello happiness.  You could also go play sports if you're into that kind of thing.  I've been known to go to the batting cage or throw some softballs really hard into nets which sounds weird but I was a pitcher so it wasn't weird to me.

4.  Watch a 'feel good' movie

You girls know what I'm talking about.  Those movies that start out with the girl's life spiraling out of control but then she meets that cute, funny, amazing man that makes everything better and they get married and have babies and live happily ever after.  In other words, chick flicks.  These will make you feel better because they give you hope that your prince charming could still be out there or that your future doesn't consist of you living on the side of a street, under a bridge, in a box.  Feel good movies don't have to be chick flicks though.  Basically, they're just movies that end well and make you feel, well, good.  How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Any of the Step Up movies (or for that matter anything with Channing Tatum in it), and The Wedding Date are probably my favorites but it's not hard to find one of these types of movies.

5.  Cuddle with your Dog

"Smile Mom...I love you"

Need I say more?  If you don't have a dog or cat or guinea pig or rabbit, then cuddle with your stuffed animal that you've had since you were a kid and couldn't get rid of.  I mean I don't have one of those (I totally do) but some people might.  I wouldn't recommend cuddling with a pet porcupine, snake, or turtle though.  They just aren't good cuddlers and might leave you feeling more sad, or physically in pain.

6.  Call your Mom

This picture was taken when I was going through some hard life stuff.  Mom came to visit me

My mom is my best friend.  That sounds cliche but it's true.  I can tell her anything and she can always talk some sense into me or make me feel better, or at least sympathize with me and listen to me cry.  My mom has been through a lot and is the strongest and most independent woman I know so going to her with my problems I know will leave me feeling a little better than I did before. 

7.  Browse Pinterest Quotes

 I browse pinterest all the time anyways but when I need some inspiration or just need to feel a little better I go on and look under the 'quotes' section.  I always find these amazing, inspiring quotes that make me feel like they were made just for me.  I then update my facebook status with said quote and look at it throughout the day.  It helps.  And it might just inspire and help a few other people that happen to stumble across it as well. 

8.  Write

I used to write in a journal quite often.  I don't anymore but I do remember that it used to make me feel better when I was able to get all of my feelings out on paper.  This one is kind of like the working out one.  Writing helps you sort out and process thoughts inside of your head.  Maybe it's time I dig that old high school journal up.  I'm sure reading through it and all of the 'problems' I had back then will at least make me smile a little bit.

So that's my list.  A few things I suggest NOT doing to cheer yourself up are shopping and drinking, unless you have self control, which apparently I do not because I've done both of these things while trying to cheer myself up and it didn't end well for me, my bank account, or anyone who was in the line of fire of 'Drunk Tarah', whom I have been told is a total bitch.

Happy Tuesday Friends!

XO. Tarah