Feeling good when you're not feeling good!

Can you fake it till you make it? I've never been good at lying. My face tells the truth whether or not I like it or not. I've never been one of those girls who can hide behind my eyelashes so to speak.
My life has had many ups and down like most of us. Learning from your ups and downs are key in making it in this world. Doing it with grace and integrity can be more than challenging.

When you're sick, discouraged, feeling defeated or as my favorite fictional character Holly would say, suffering from a case of the mean reds. What do you do to perk yourself up? Magazines will tell you to get a manicure/ pedicure, call a friend, put on your favorite tunes, journal, reach out to your higher power, kick up those endorphins and exercise or take a bubble bath. Well let me tell you, in theory sure they all sound great. Sure Breakfast at Tiffany's is a wonderfully decadent idea and why wouldn't that cheer you up. However getting up, getting dressed, heading out is so hard to do when your facing a day of the mean reds!

For those of you who don't know, the "mean reds", are when you're feeling like you're in the deepest throws of despair. Despair so great *(or tragic)* you can barely move let alone breath. Sadness so deep it hurts everywhere. Your mind so entangled hope is not something imagined. Your heart broken. Your finances so bad you're beyond broke eating ramen noodles. Your alone or at least you think you are. You can't think of anyone to call. You don't even know what to say if you did. Music is a form of Russian roulette. Food is mostly junk *(whatever is cheap and fattening fueling the sadness further)*. Exercise is going to the bathroom or moving from the bed to the couch and back to the bed again. Life is not sunny that's for sure.

So what do you do?

What can you do, when all the Xanax, Lexapro or Lunesta you've been taking is simply not enough? Sure I want to yell be good to yourself.... Shout it from the roof tops.. scream this toooo shall past! Thoughts or wishing you weren't alive popping into your mind. Cutting yourself so you feel something other than the torment your unleashing upon yourself.

What do you do?

You want to do something, anything, but what? Praying for God's help or any one's for that matter just to get you through it. Wishing someone would see you and pick you up wrap you in their arms and tell you everything will be ok. Wishing their was a magical wand to erase sadness from the world and most importantly from your heart.

I wish I had the answers. Knowing I'm not alone is key. Yet, it's hard to put into practice. Therapy... been there done that. Helping others.. if only I could help even one. I am writing this blog as not only my own form of therapy but in order to help others see their not alone. This too shall pass and things will get better they always do. They must.

Let me know what you do when you're feeling blue, run down or just defeated. Let's use this space as a way to help others move along and get back on their feet. Let's help ourselves by helping others. This is my prayer for the world.

Let's put an end to feeling the mean reds. Let's do our hair and make up get those manicures and pedicures, exercise and eat right and let's be happy and content with the life we have. We have one life and we must live the life.

Things to do when I am feeling blue:

• Journal
• Make lists
• Draw
• Color
• Clean *sure I know, but nothing feels as good as a clean home*
• Allow myself a day to just be
• Rest
• Exercise
• Get dressed and put on my make up
• Indulge myself with anything *trip to a museum, a movie, a walk, a pint of ben and jerry's*
• Call a friend and reach out
• Cry
• Cook real food