If you are needing help finding your joy right now you're not alone! Dr. O'Neill, assistant professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, says "it’s been hard for people to maintain a sense of peace during this pandemic is because it's forced many of us to actually act out behaviors that are typical of depression. "A lot of the rules are mimicking depression symptoms.” Good news is she's got 5 simple ways to help boost your mood. (and happy hour isn't on the list!)
- Do more of what made you happy before this started - Think back to your pre-pandemic routine and what brought you joy. (a good workout, connecting with loved ones - even if it has to be on FaceTime for now.)
- Treat yourself first thing in the morning - To battle that “Groundhog Day” feeling a lot of us are experiencing: take a bath instead of a quick shower, treating yourself to the good coffee or a fancy coffee creamer, or whatever you enjoy that breaks you out of the repetition.
- Use your pent-up energy to get creative - puzzles, baking, coloring, learn to knit like you’ve always wanted...
- Schedule time to worry - you’re going to worry anyway, so you might as well do it right. Choosing a 20-minute daily time slot, set a timer and allow yourself to worry. When something pops into your head later, remind yourself to save it for the next worry session
- Say out loud or write down 3 things you’re grateful for.
Hopefully those can help. As can hearing Happy News. Wake up and start your day with a smile at 6:40 with us.
Have a great day :)