Solution for "The Blues".....

[Junkmanme]

Hi Folks!

When you get "the Blues", what is YOUR SOLUTION for getting rid of 'em?

I'm sure there must be many varied ways to put "The Blues" away!

Thanks for any input.
Bruce

[Beltane]

I guess this may sound 'corny', but I usually can talk myself out of the blues by looking around myself and seeing how fortunate I am. I look at the chicken coop I built, the garden I made and the canning on the shelf to show for it, and then I eventually get rid of any sad feelings I have. Quite by accident, I usually hear a story on NPR about some unfortunate folks in another country and start crying because I feel so proud of who I am and what I have.

I don't know if that answered your question, but its what came to mind.

[Junkmanme]

Beltane,

Physical Work usually helps me to put away the Blues. But, my health has been so poor this past year that what little bit of physical labor I can do just frustrates me worse. Can't get much done and very slow. Durn it!

BUT, you are right! There are many people in worse positions than I.....and they seem able to keep on keeping on!

Keep On Truckin'!
Bruce

[RoseGarden]

Well, this may sound silly too, but if it's a pretty day, I go outside and wander around. Even if I just sit on the porch with a cup of coffee and pet the kitties, I feel better. I don't know if it's the sunlight or what.

Do you have a favorite piece of music that is really happy and upbeat, or one that uplifts you? I have a few that make me feel better, Bach's Easter Oratorio is one, I put it on loud, and just soak it in. Put on your favorite upbeat music.

Does getting out and around make you feel better? Sometimes I will go to the local nurseries or the arboretum in town and just wander around, or go to the state park and walk the trails a bit. Go to the library to see if you can find some interesting books. Call a friend and see if they want to talk for a while.

These are just suggestions, things I do when I'm feeling blue. Hope you are feeling better soon!

[tambo]

When things start worring me, I find a project to work on.It gets my mind on the project and off my troubles. Then when I'm finished I have something that makes me happy.

Sometimes you have to choose to be happy.

Tambo

[Junkmanme]

All GOOD suggestions !

Thanks!Your gracious, helpful responses have already made me feel better. Sometimes I focus on "myself" too much !

It's good to have friends. (even those you've never met!)

With Appreciation,
Bruce

[Queen Bee]

If I am sick/not feeling well, I can usually fight the 'blues' with a good book or sitting with a loved one and chatting... All of my children are great 'chattors' as is my dh--they all have great, quick sense of humors and we usually end but laughing about something that we have done or said...But if I am healthy, I love to fight the blues with hard work..It never fails to pull me out if I accomplish something on my list no matter how small it is... Queen Bee

[susieM]

I just go back to bed.

[RoseGarden]

This thread got me to thinking about my mother and grandmother. They both have problems getting around and standing for extended periods of time, or doing much bending and lifting. They are both life long gardeners (which explains where my love of gardening comes from) but got to the point where they couldn't take care of their flower beds and that was depressing for them. Years ago my grandmother started focusing on container growing, and recently my mother has too. My mother has an eye for composition, she can take a handful of cheap Wal Mart nursery plants, just common varieties, and make the most stunning pots of flowers and foliage you've ever seen. She can even paint up old flower pots so they look like something expensive. I try and it's just pfft! When she feels down, she often goes out and tinkers around with her potted flowers, feeds them, clips and preens them, and it makes her feel better.

I don't know if you're a church going person or not, but this time of year a lot of churches have bake sales and fish frys etc. Maybe you could volunteer to help out a bit? Even if you don't go to church, I bet any church around you would be glad to have an extra set of willing hands for their events. I know we would at our church. This weekend we have a fish fry/bake sale going on, and not enough people to go around. I am going to be serving at the fish fry and as there is no one to attend the bake sale table at this time, we've decided it's going to be the honor system---put your $$ in the can and pick out your baked goodies. Volunteering is always a lot of fun.

Bruce, if nothing else, get online and be a mouse potato for a while. There's anything you could imagine online, all sorts of things to learn about. If I feel bored with my other hobbies, I sometimes just surf around looking at whatever comes across my mind at the time.

[Pony]

If I really need a boost, I'll play "Switching to Glide/This Beat Goes On" as loud as I can (without rattling the windows).

Then I do the PonyDance(tm) all through the house. Okay, laugh if you want, but there's usually no one there to laugh at me 'cept the dog and cats, and they like to get in on the fun, too. In fact, Buster the Wonder Dog will drag out his kong, and then he wants to dance and play with me.

If that doesn't work, I'll put on Rich Mullins' "Sing Your Praise to the Lord" and that REALLY gets me going. I conduct the orchestra throughout the whole song. (Granted, I'm not the world's best conductor, but again, no one is watching me!)

Pony!

[rockinl]

Exercise!!! My ex-husband passed down his depression to my kiddos, so we dealt with this frequently here.
Exercise will raise the natural endorphins in your body, making you feel better.

My teenagers must exercise to exhaustion daily and they are just fine emotionally. When they got down, outside they go for a jog. It was never their idea, but it worked good for them.

When you are blue, the last thing you want to do is exercise. However, it can make the most difference.

Raise your heartbeat for 30 minutes daily, however you would like, and I bet you will fell better soon!!

Also, avoid sugar. It can cause "The sugar blues".


Good luck, Kimberly

[pinfeather]

Little pink pill taken daily.

[jen74145]

LOL Pony! The PonyDance made me giggle.

For me, it's time with my animals... sometimes I'm sprawled out back with five big goofy mutts in my lap staring lovingly up at me, watching the antics of my poultry and goats, or holding one of the cats... it's all good.
For example, wouldn't a face like this cheer you up?
my Bowie baby

[LamiPub]

First I cut way back on the caffiene and up the water. I know that sounds weird but it affects me that way. I know i have had too much when I start to get "down". Next I pick one project (small, med, big size) that I had been putting off and do it. Even cleaning up a room or catching up with laundry gives me a boost for getting something accomplished. Third choice (depending on finances) I go out and shop...sometimes go to bookstore or antique store, flea market and just browse for good deals and other times I go and splurge on some small "luxury" item for myself like a new cd, or fancy soap, etc. Completing a task is the one pick me up that helps me the most I think.

[Jerngen]

The number one thing that works for me is being out alone in nature where there is no sign of civilization. I like to hike. If your health is poor you can drive out to the middle of nowhere on a seldom used road, park, walk 50 yards (or whatever) and just sit and absorb the beauty around you.

Another thing I do (as someone else said above) is to do something that's been naggin at you. Whether it be organizing the bills, cleaning/organizing the garage, or starting a new hobby.

[teachable]

funny, i was thinking about posting a similar thread, then i saw yours! maybe some pampering, hot bath, play in the dirt, watch a stupid funny movie(like Borat or Elf).. what really helps is getting outside of myself too, helping other people gives me a dose of gratitude.

[mtc]

I go do something nice for somebody else. It helps cut the wallowing and gives a change of perspective.

A long day's hard work outside, a good shower, a better drink, and a long night's sleep does it for me every time.

....Alan.

[MarleneS]

Some years back, I read about some advise on how to cure the blues, which at the time I thought sounded more like playing into being blue, then it did like a possible cure. The advise was to give yourself permission to have the blues, but to set a time-limit on how long. Then you had to do the best you could within the time limit to just wallow in self-pity, and saddness, and to cry and/or yell or whatever -- just give being blue your best shot.

The crazy part was, the time limit just keeps getting shorter, because with practice you get though all the stages more quickly. And having permission to be sad frees you up to do a better job of it.

It was all kind of sneaky, because over time you discover you actually have the power to make being blue a silly game that takes you less and less time to play

Oh, and all the other advise shared is also great. Especially the doing some put off chore. I've had a few reasons to be sad times in my life where I got out and weeded a flower bed, or vegetable patch where I couldn't actually see well because of the tears, but atleast I had a result for my time

Doesn't just knowing you are not alone in this help a great deal too?

Hugs,
Marlene

[Dente deLion]

Listen to some blues! Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf work best for me. Follow with a good dose of James Brown or P-Funk and the world is groovy again!