So I hinted at the end of my last post that I’d be starting something new (and I’m a little later in announcing it than I’d hoped…oops!). I’ve been depressed lately, and my blogging has suffered for it. I’ve also noticed a lot of people in the blogosphere suffering from malaise for whatever reasons; I’ve heard mentions of “I don’t feel like I have anything worthwhile to say anymore” and “I’ve been contemplating just ending the blog.” Now I don’t know if all this blah-ness among my blends (“blog” + “friends,” a term coined by Caitlin!) is coincidental or if it’s somehow spreading like a sad blue-colored virus among us all, but I’d like to see us squelch it before it consumes us all.
Sometimes when I get sad and depressed, I tend to retreat into myself, feel sorry for myself, attempt to find solace in food, avoid people I love, and engage in general anti-social, unhealthy things. I don’t want to do that anymore! I want to find something healthy to grab onto before I fall into the hole of despair.
You always hear “have a list on hand of fun things you can do when you start feeling emotionally hungry,” but I’ve never been good at doing that. Sure, I KNOW it’s a good strategy for dealing with the binge-filled blues, but there’s some disconnect between knowing and doing (yet another huge trend in my life!).
So blah blah blah, what’s my point? I’m introducing…
The Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off campaign!
Here’s what I want y’all to do: over the next week or so, do something GOOD for yourself. It doesn’t have to cost money. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It just has to be something that nurtures yourself and makes you feel whole and happy. Someone else can participate with you, but make sure you’re doing it for YOU. You don’t have to currently be in a state of malaise to participate; I want to get in the habit of treating myself with respect no matter my current emotional state, and I want to see what nice things you do for yourselves, too!
When you do your awesome self-love thing, take some pictures, blog about it, and leave a comment here with a link to your post. Feel free to use my cute little sunshiney badge in your post! For another entry, toss out a tweet with this text (don’t forget to put YOUR URL in there, too!)
Have you Picked Yourself Up & Dusted Yourself Off?: http://bit.ly/crZWIQ @LowFatKat did, and I did, too! (INSERT YOUR URL HERE)
then come back and leave me another comment saying you Tweeted (if you don’t have a Twitter account, leave me a separate comment, just to give everyone an equal chance!). Write as many Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off posts as you want! For each post, you’ve got 2 entries.
You’ve got until 10pm (Eastern time) on Tuesday, June 15th to enter, and I’ll randomly pick a winner after that. What’s the booty?
I’ve changed the prize! I’ve wanted to get this book, The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha for awhile, so I’m getting one for myself and giving one away. If you haven’t checked out the blog – 1000 Awesome Things – do it…it’s hilarious and heartwarming, and in a word: awesome. I’m putting this giveaway together myself as a pick-me-up for all of us, so there isn’t any promotional swag involved, FYI.
Need some ideas to get the ball rolling?
- Get a manicure, pedicure or facial, or do it yourself at home for some inexpensive pampering
- Have a “self-date night;” make yourself a nice dinner, open a bottle of wine, and watch your favorite (or a new) movie; just make it special!
- Exercise somewhere new; if you’re married to the treadmill, go walk or run on a newly-discovered trail
- Put together a picnic and take it to a park, your backyard, or even your living room floor
- Be creative: make some jewelry, paint, or create something else crafty. Just set aside time to relax and do it for yourself.
- Take a bubble bath with some scented candles and music nearby
- Try on a bunch of evening gowns and take dressing room pictures just for the hell of it
- Take a new class at your gym or try tackling a new machine you’ve never tried before
- Spend quality time with a friend doing something epic or just hanging out
- Read a new book or turn to an old favorite
- Style your hair a different way than you usually do
I hope this gets us all thinking about ways we can make ourselves happy and gives us a bank of ideas to pull ourselves out of funks!
Happy picking and dusting!