How are you guys today? I’m having a blah day, myself. It’s weird because in my younger years, I didn’t really have very many blah days. So they used to make me panic. I would think to myself, “What’s wrong with me?… Will I ever get out of this?… Is this the new me?… Why am I not happy?…Look at all that I have to be thankful for… Everyone else seems happy.” Well, thankfully I’m coping with my blah days a little bit better now. I’m just letting them happen. I’m not berating myself for not being happy and cheerful all the time. I think it’s because I have talked it through with family, friends and my counselor. Now I know I’M NOT ALONE! Yes, sometimes all I need to know is that I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE! But, since I have started to have these days, I have gained some tools that help me cope.
First, I remember that God made us with a range of emotions. That’s how he created us! So feeling blah is not bad, it just is. I also have to remind myself to just wait through this feeling, because tomorrow is a new day.
While I’m in the blah day, I try to do things that I know will help me cope. I go for a run, I go workout, I watch HGTV or the FOOD network (specifically Barefoot Contessa. Her life feels like a vacation), I call a close friend, and I watch Jimmy Fallen skits on YouTube. I’ll make myself get out of the house, I let the kids watch lots of TV, I get dressed (even if I’m not showered), I put some jewelry and lipstick on (I sound like my grandmother -ha!), and I’ll do something nice for someone else- like be kind to the Target checker, let someone go before me in traffic, and smile at a stranger.
Oh, and sometimes I just fake it. Yup, I said it. I just put a smile on my face and I act happy, because sometimes that pulls me out of the blah. It works, too. I used to work in a sales job, and it was some of the happiest days of my life. I think it was because I was choosing to be nice to people for my job.
I used to not tell anyone how I was feeling, because I was ashamed. But I’ve started to tell my husband so he can help me. One particular night was really funny. It was the end of summer, and we were on the couch watching TV. I looked over at him and said, “It’s going to be OK, right? The boys are just in a tough spot, and I’m just tired, right? This isn’t going to last forever, right?”. He looked at me and said with a warm smile, ” Yes, you’re going to be OK. You’re just having your summer melt down. The good thing is, it’s happening at the very end of the summer, and the boys are going back to school.” That made me laugh so hard- he had a name for it, my “summer melt down”. Ha!
While I was writing this post, I looked up at the TV to see Kelly Ripa and thought, “I don’t think she has blah days. She is just one of those people with a naturally cheerful disposition.” And then I thought, “Wait. This is what you guys probably think about me!”. Well, just so you know, I have blah days. Oh, and now I know (after having some experience), if my blah days aren’t going away, I go talk to someone.
Do you guys have blah days? What things do you do to help yourself?
I ran across this mural when I was in California this summer.
Picture Credit: Murals of La Jolla
