What to do with a case of the blahs

You know those days. Nothing is wrong exactly but you have a serious case of the ‘blahs’. Some people might call it the sads, a funk, PMS (if they’re bloody brave) or just a bad mood.

Whatever you call it the symptoms are usually the same. You can’t focus on what you want to do, you might have a million ideas swirling but you can’t find the motivation to actually do any of them. You might feel a little bit restless, unsettled, maybe even a touch frustrated. Maybe you turn to food or tv to distract yourself. Or perhaps you pick an argument with someone close to you so that you have an actual reason to pinpoint your bad mood.

Don’t worry. We all get them. I think some people are just better at handling them when they pop up.

So what can you do when you’re feeling a bad case of the blahs?

1. Have a nap. 99.89% of bad moods are caused by being tired.* Catch a nap with your kids or call in help for an hour to catch up on some zzz. Tag team nap if you have to – the prospect of the favour being returned usually makes it impossible to say no. (and don’t you dare talk yourself into doing something ‘more productive’ than napping instead).

2. Meditate… Or just take five reaaaaaalllly long deep breaths. For some people the whole meditation thing still puts them off. “I don’t have time for that”. I totally get that because I used to think the same thing. A bit of brain space will help with the bad mood though.

3. Get outside. Sunshine makes you happy. It’s a fact – I read it somewhere on the Internet.

4. Move your body. Obviously I will always opt for yoga, but anything will do really. You need to build some heat though because it’s the extra blood pumping is what’s going to get you out of your slump.

5. Accept the mood for what it is. Sometimes just accepting that you’re feeling blah is the secret to getting past it. Or at least causing the least amount of damage anyway. Knowing this is just another emotional state that will pass with time makes it easier to not try and eat or argue your way out.

This is what I try when a case of the blahs hits – I’d love to know what works for you!

* These are real statistics from my extensive survey of my five closest Mama friends. No bias in my survey tactics at all.