21 Itty Bitty Summer Pick Me-Ups to Boost Your Mood
- Squeezing in a little extra time with those friends that make you extra cheery
- Reading booklets, magazines and articles packed with inspirational quotes like the one above which is from an IIN magazine
- Escaping to the beach for a sun-kissed afternoon
- Getting out of the house/apartment & going for a long walk
- Shutting down all sources of technology (yes, that includes your iPhone!)
- Avoiding Facebook & twitter stalking for a day, and living your life rather than comparing it to others (think: I’m so jealous all my friends are at this party except me! I can’t believe she’s engaged! Her job is my dream job! Life is so unfair!) Try to remember there’s always another side to every person’s story…
- Reading a steamy summer romance novel
- Signing up for a 5K, 10K or half marathon in your area like the UnitedHealthcare Half in the beautiful Newport, RI.
- Indulging in that late-night cucumber martini + life discussions with a good friend (thanks Meg!)
- Organizing your closet by colors or seasons & making room for new must-have summer items
- Checking those “big” projects off your list once & for all. For me, this entailed organizing my group wellness program Mindful Steps, hosting another workshop on Controlling Your Cravings, and setting up a Corporate Wellness program on my website, specializing in company newsletter support. You all know how good it feels to check things off the list, especially those big things.
- Taking a blissful day 100% to yourself
- Painting, drawing, sketching or writing a letter to someone special
- Treating yourself to a kinda expensive dinner from your favorite restaurant
- Whole Foods salad bar. Enough said.
- Leaving work early on a Friday to get away for a long weekend of camping
- Next time you’re worried about something, attempting to envision your life in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years and asking, “Will this be an issue in the future?” 9 times out of 10, this helps me snap out of it and realize I’ll be just fine.
- Doing something completely spontaneous and out of the ordinary for you, even if that just means wearing red to work when usually you’re a black-and-white-kinda-gal.
- Painting your nails an ultra bright color like this hot orange Capri by Essie.
- Giving yourself a mini oatmeal facial or trying some of these other at-home beauty remedies to make your skin glow
- Embracing the now. Life is too short to be bumming, after all.
What would you add to this list? What are your top tricks for snapping out of a bad mood?
XoXo,
Quotable Sunday: On Manicures and Feeling Good About Yourself
This afternoon my mom said she wanted to treat me to a mani/pedi at the local nail salon. Yes, it was an extremely kind offer. But then again, if you saw my nails you’d probably throw me a $50 and send me to the salon ASAP as well. Yes, they were that bad. I think the last time I got my nails done professionally was Valentine’s Day…over three months ago. Yikes.
Anyway, my nails and toenails are now a beautiful light pink by OPI (sorry, I forget the name) and I couldn’t feel better about myself. It’s amazing what a little color ‘n’ care can do for your appearance…even more so your mood.
Normally I’m all about practicing yoga, hitting the gym, or throwing on a hot LBD to brighten your mood. Don’t get me wrong; all of those are fabulous choices, but every now and then a girl just needs some good, old-fashioned pampering. Obviously you don’t need to drop $100 on your hair and nails to feel good about yourself, but hey, sometimes it can’t hurt. That is if you are doing it for yourself.
So go ahead…pamper away! You deserve it. The utmost important thing to remember, however, is to feel good about yourself, and the confidence will shine through. I believe that when you feel good and are happy on the inside you look good, and visa versa. And so I leave you with one of my favorite lil quotes:
What are your favorite ways to pamper yourself when you just need a lil TLC?
XoXo,
