The spleen of the coming winter, the nostalgia of the vacations, the annual disaster that falls on us… Are you feeling down?

Advertisement

The good thing about being down is that you can make a list of everything that helps you feel happy. In bulk, not in order of effectiveness (I have limits to my addiction to lists)!

  • Make great breakfasts
  • Reread Yoga for Life by Colleen Saidman and Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Straiyed
  • Sleep without an alarm clock
  • Watching movies that make you smile, the sillier the better
  • Take the time to scroll through Buzzfeed's "animal" list, especially for corgis
  • Complain
  • Go to a yoga class, and yin yoga if you feel flat
  • Meditate for 5 minutes a day
  • Cook comfort food (tomato soup, grilled cheese, beans)
  • Schedule a massage or acupuncture session
  • Buy socks and wear them to bed
  • Live with a hot water bottle
  • Make a "It was cool when I was 17" playlist (for me Placebo, Marilyn Manson and Garbage)
  • Dare to say no, when you don't feel like doing violence to yourself
  • Putting a clay mask on your skin, coconut oil on your hair, and massaging your hands
  • Putting marshmallows in your hot chocolate
  • Watch Mean Girls and Clueless, again
  • Making pancakes, even if it's not Candlemas
  • Keep a gratitude notebook, and write down one thought a day

Repeat to yourself that "everything will get better in the end", and believe it.