77 Things To Do When Stressed or Uninspired
As a former psychotherapist and a current professional writer, I am well aware of how stressed, burnt out, restless, bored and uninspired this world can make us, especially if we are sensitive or creative types. Things get to us. Not because we’re bad, wrong, stupid or crazy, but because we’re human.
As a result, we can get easily distracted from the things that really matter and, without needed rejuvenation, life loses some of its meaning and sacredness.
With that in mind, I decided to brainstorm a list of things to do when life gets hard.
Sometimes small suggestions can offer big results. You may even want to send this to anyone you know who is struggling right now.
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. I also invite you to add your own ideas in the comments section. Here goes:
77 THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU ARE STRESSED OUT OR UNINSPIRED
take a walk by a body of water: river, lake, sea, stream
plant a small tree
unplug from all electronics for 24 hours
sit in a quiet room and close your eyes
make a salad of fresh fruit and eat it slowly
read a good book
write a really bad poem
walk barefooted in grass
practice laughing
sit on the floor cross-legged and hum
sit in the sun for 15 minutes
have a deep, meaningful conversation with a friend
massage your hands and feet, or have someone do it for you
drink a tall glass of water and think about what a gift it is to be able to swallow
find a swing and swing in it
listen to live music
take a novelist to lunch (I’m available on weekends :-))
go outside and listen to birdsong
plant flowers and encourage them to grow
yodel badly
hug a tree
let yourself cry
write down every cuss word you know using colored pencils
smile for 5 minutes without stopping (set a timer)
do not shop or buy anything for 24 hours
go to an art gallery
pull a random book from the fiction section of the library and read the first chapter
perform an anonymous and random act of kindness
take a mental health day at work and begin your hero’s/heroine’s journey
sing an Elvis song in the shower
write a letter to someone by hand and snail mail it
give someone flowers
breathe deeply 4 times: slow inhale, slow exhale
tell a friend 3 things you appreciate about them
write all your resentments on a sheet of paper and then burn them
go to your favorite coffee shop and speak to at least 2 people other than the barista
take a slow drive on a country road you’ve never been on before
make yourself your favorite meal
look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself: you are good enough
volunteer one afternoon in a soup kitchen
contact an artist (writer, poet, short story writer, novelist, painter, etc.) and tell them something you love about their work
count how many times you say “thank you” in one day and then double it
find a porch to sit on
donate money to an environmental or wildlife protection agency
play with a small child (no television allowed)
sit under a tree and read for 30 minutes
go to a farmers market and buy homegrown, fresh vegetables
keep a gratitude journal
sing a song that you used to sing as a child
feel blue, touch green
watch clouds for 30 minutes and name their shapes
read a fairy tale
listen to an audio book (after doing number 3 above)
make a phone call to an elderly person and tell them how much you appreciate them
write down your dreams
dance naked (your should probably do this one at home)
walk in the rain
be vulnerable with someone you can trust
make your own list of things to do when you feel uninspired
pray/meditate or walk your meditation
feed the birds
read a story to someone small or someone convalescing
take 4 more deep breaths and thank your body for keeping you alive
let your imagination run wild
take your intuition out for a spin
draw something very badly and without judgment
put together a box of things to give to Goodwill or another agency
take a nap
go on a news fast (no bad news) for 24 hours
search out stories and people that inspire you
play a musical instrument
write a song about yourself
go on a pilgrimage
attend a play
have a delicious dessert for dinner one night
while sitting quietly, ask your soul what it needs and then do it
read this blog and comment when you feel moved
So there it is. It took me about an hour to brainstorm these 77 things. At first I thought I’d aim for 50, but I had more to say than I realized.
It’s incredibly easy to get stressed these days, but it’s important to take action as soon as we realize we are anxious, bored, discouraged or distracted.
Nobody will do these things for us. We have to do them for ourselves.
What’s one of your favorites from my list?
Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comment section! I’ll respond to you personally.
(For those of you who subscribe by email, click the name of the post and it will take you to the blog and then click on “comments.”)
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If you haven’t already, please consider checking out my latest novel: The Secret Sense of Wildflower.
