Are you going through a difficult season? You are not alone. Here are 5 ways to lift your spirits during tough times.
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*Updated January 2023*
Everyone goes through tough times once in a while and need their spirits lifted. Yes, some more than others. I originally wrote this post mid year 2020 when most of us, if not all of us were in a difficult place mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. I almost didn’t publish it though, because those times are behind us, at least a bit. Then I realized that the effects of it are still very much with many of us. And even if they aren’t, we are still prone to seasons where we are in the valley.**
Weird Times
These are weird times. Really weird. Things seem fine. I look out the window and the birds are chasing each other around, cars (although seemingly fewer) are still driving through the stop right outside our door. The mailman still makes his morning deliveries. But it’s weird. I can’t (or rather, shouldn’t) go out, per strong suggestions made by the government in light of the recent COVID-19 virus. I watch the world only through the lens of those I follow on social media. Empty grocery shelves. Masks. Weird.
I myself have found ways to be entertained here in my own home. Finishing furniture with a DIY stain, learning how to paint with acrylics, games. Lots and lots of games. These are weird times. Unprecedented times. Yet, we have all experienced these feelings before, just maybe not on this level. Helplessness, bleakness, sorrow. It would be easy to stay in my pajamas and sit on the couch all day were it not for the two littles who rely on my husband and I to provide for them and help them feel the sting of social distancing as little as possible. I am not immune to these feelings. However, there are things I’ve learned that help me get out of my funk and see a little bit of light in times of darkness. So I have compiled a list of 5 ways to lift your spirits during tough times.
How to Lift Your Spirits During Tough Times
Lift Your Spirits by Making the bed
First way to lift your spirits when things get difficult, is to get out of bed! If you find yourself not wanting to leave your bed, perhaps you should start there. Don’t stay in bed all day. Get up and get moving and make your bed. If you don’t do anything else all day, you will, at the very least, have accomplished that. Just like resetting the kitchen and living areas at the end of the day, making the bed resets your nighttime slumber to prepare for the next time your head hits the pillow. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather go to sleep in a bed already made than in one where I have to search for the top of the sheet just to get settled.
Lift Your Spirits by Getting Ready for the Day
The second way to lift your spirits during difficult times is to get ready, whatever that looks like for you. At least to some extent. I don’t necessarily mean to wash your hair and put makeup on, but if that is what makes you feel better, then by all means do it! But I always feel better even if I just wash my face and brush my teeth. I’m sure there is some type of scientific evidence that explains why, but all I need to know that splashing water on my face is refreshing and even stimulating, so it helps!
Lift Your Spirits by Letting the Sunshine In
The third way to lift your spirits during difficult times is to get some Vitamin D! I only began doing this when I resigned from my full time job as a teacher and was home during the majority of the day, but it helped so much! Every morning, I go around the house and open the curtains and blinds to let any type of sunshine in. Even on cloudy days, there is enough daylight to connect the inside to the outside. If it’s nice outside, I’d even say to go one step further and open the windows up. If you’re in a season where sun is scarce, make sure to get your vitamin D supplements to help with those Winter Blues.
Lift Your Spirits By Bringing the Outdoors In
The fourth way to lift your spirits during difficult times is to bring the outdoors in. We have a large, beautiful Forsythia bush right out our front door that gives us the sweetest dainty yellow blossoms. These don’t last but for a few weeks in the spring, but I make every effort to cut a few branches of blooms and put them in a vase where I can enjoy them for as long as they last. But even when the blooms are spent, it leaves (pun intended) branches of beautiful green that also make a great vase filler.
But even if you don’t have a bush like this, you can pick up a small bouquet at the grocery store and bring the outdoors in that way. I love splitting bouquets into smaller pairings and placing them all around the house. If you are sequestered indoors, you can either ask a friend or neighbor who has greenery you can clip or you can create the blooms yourself. Youtube how to draw, paint, or even create from paper, beautiful blooms that will last you a long time.
Lift Your Spirits with Gratitude
A fifth way to lift your spirits during tough times is to reflect and be grateful for what you have. When I am stuck in a desolate place, nothing brings me out quicker than counting my blessings. If you are reading this, than you have so much to be thankful for. I realize some days you may have to get creative, but it’s all about perspective. Food, a warm home, indoor plumbing, general health, a loving family, hope in our Lord, Jesus Christ are usually at the top of my list (not in that order, of course). Write them down, go back to them on the days you feel like there is nothing to be thankful for because there is always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are the things I am doing every morning that give me that push that I need to keep me from staying in bed all day. These are weird times, indeed. But these weird times don’t need to make us weird. Stay sane, my friends. We’re all in this together.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
-John 16:33
Great list! Write someone a note! Gets your head out of your own stuff and encourages someone else. Now, please excuse me, I must go make my bed . . .