Boost Your Mood: Simple Activities for Low Energy Days
Have you ever had a revelation about an easy thing or activity that surprisingly makes you feel so much better?
It happened to me with Chamomile Tea. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy.
The most mainstream and popular remedy for tummy discomfort and tired eyes turned out to be very efficient for me in beating complicated states of the mind.
I tried it after listening to Giulia Enders talking about the connection between the gut and the brain.
She doesn't say that one should drink chamomile tea, but she talks about how medical research is pointing towards concluding that one organ can affect the other and vice versa. That idea inspired me to try remedies for the gut when feeling in a bad mood.
So, one day, when feeling in a bad mood for apparently no reason, I decided to give it a try and drink a cup of chamomile tea, which I had known to be good for stomach and gut issues. It helped almost immediately and has done so on many other occasions I remember about it.
The problem is that my mind sometimes wants complicated solutions for what seems impossible problems going on in my life. But often (not always, that has to be said), improvements can be done in simpler ways.
That's why I started this list of relatively easy activities that may help in difficult days or periods of my life.
Disclaimer: I’m not a health professional. Please adapt the list to your personal and health circumstances.
THE POWER OF THE LIST
I would like to emphasize that it is not a substitute for professional attention, but a complement to it.
My list started with a couple of points, but with time it has grown to a very varied and complete one. Every time I do something that gives me joy, I write it down on the list.
The value of it lies in that it helps me a lot when my energy is so low that I can’t even make any small decision. The only thing to do is to read through the list and choose the easiest activity. afterwards
All points have been proven by personal experimentation, as activities that do make me feel better afterwards, even if it's just a little bit.
Some of them have been spontaneous discoveries and others have been inspired by credible sources.
I’ve included both instant mood lifters, and self-care activities that could help in the long term. That gives me some hope back.
I’m sharing it today with you, hoping it can help you too, or inspire you to start your list of self-care ideas for the days you may need it.
At the end of the post, you can find a downloadable pdf version of the list, if you wish to print it.
The list of self-care ideas for low-energy days:
- Face wash.
- Fermented food.
- Oil diffuser with essential oils.
- A glass of water.
- Receive sunlight.
- Facial yoga.
- Shower.
- Cathartic writing, with no filters (Do not publish).
- Face mask.
- Chamomile tea.
- Yin yoga.
- Walk in the neighborhood.
- Vitamins.
- Praying.
- Elbows exfoliation.
- One piece of fresh fruit.
- Doodles.
- Eye exercises to improve sight.
- Hands exfoliation.
- Long walk in a beautiful park.
- Chamomile eye drops.
- Thorough teeth washing.
- Freestyle painting.
- Church.
- Tiny mini-step towards a project or dream.
- Relaxing tea.
- Superfoods.
- Greeting someone peaceful.
- Self-facial massage.
- Remember medication, if it applies.
- Self-breast examination.
- Gardening.
- Pedicure.
- Qi gong.
- Small money investment.
- Small money saving.
- Go to a temazcal or sauna.
- Ear massage.
- Hair care.
- Comfort reading.
- 30 minutes of soft exercises.
- Yerba mate (mornings only).
The “Rules”:
- There is no particular order to do the list
Pick one activity randomly and when done, check it. There is no progressive order in this list because I've noticed that activities that feel easy one day, seem exhausting on others.
- Choose only one point per occasion.
Then, continue with your regular activities. When thinking I only have to choose one, I usually end up “disobeying” and doing many more activities from the list.
But I like to think of it this way, so I can feel accomplished for every point I do, keeping in mind that when one is low on energy, any “tiny” activity can seem like an impossible task.
- This is not a To Do list.
It is a list of possibilities where you can find the most suitable activity that appeals to you for a given moment.
- Curious approach
Approach each activity as an experiment, with the main goal just to see what happens.
The negative states of mind usually tend to be very skeptical of anything that could help, so, one has to trick it into thinking it’s just a silly experiment. In my experience, after doing any of the following I usually feel better, with more energy to tackle life and go on.
- Diversify
Just for fun, try not to repeat activities until you have tried others, considering that this allows some “activity diversity” in life.
- Add new ideas
Whenever you discover something healthy that makes you feel good, add it to the list, and feel free to remove the ones that don't help you that much.
FREE PRINTABLE!
Would you like to download and print the list? Here is a PDF I've made for you. I included a second page with blanks, so you can add your preferences and ideas.
What activity is a mood lifter for you? I’ll be happy to know and try.
Thank you for reading!
This post was originally posted at dypinto.blog, on the 1st of May 2024.
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