Five essential ways to banish the blahs

A few weeks ago I wrote about How to go from Mehhh to YES.

And y’all, people were all kinds of excited about that post.

If you didn’t read it, you can go read it here.

I’m finding that many people are feeling alternately panicked and blah about their lives right now.

Yes.

Hello.

You are my people.

I see you.

I was talking to my youngest sister the other day and she was saying that that post really hit home for her.

I was all “Oh really? Why?”

And she was all “I dunno. FOMO…”

And I was all “Oh yeah dude… totes.”

My sisters and I are VERY eloquent communicators.

Especially via text.

So...

Mehhh + FOMO + Panic + BLAH

That's a miserable emotional cocktail.

HOW THE HECK DO YOU GET OUT OF THAT?

Again, if you didn't catch the post about feeling Meh: You can read it here.

I wrote a whole post on FOMO — aka the Fear of Missing Out. You can read it here.

I’ve written a couple of blog posts about how to handle the panic (see this post and also this one).

But let’s get into this BLAH feeling, shall we?

I believe getting out of the blahs means getting back to basics.

Your body feels better when it is treated WELL.

Our society is not set up for us to treat ourselves well though.

It’s set up for subtle (or not-so-subtle) self-abuse.

Sitting all day. Long commutes. Screens. Noise. Processed food. Toxins in the air. Long work hour expectations. Low pay. High rent prices. Low brow politics. Stress and helplessness about the state of the world. Marketing that's focused on money more than the wellness of the human or our society.

I think there is also a ton of good things happening in the world to change these circumstances, but the abuse on our bodies from the trials of living is often just that: abuse.

That’s the norm right now.

So when starting a healing journey, I believe that the simplest answer is usually the best answer.

So we're going to go through five basic things to do to stop feeling so blah.

BASIC #1: Exercise!

*cymbal clang*

I KNOW!

Booooo!

"Exercise??? Larry! Get the hook! We want her off the stage, pronto!"

Listen.

I know you wanted me to say:

“Just eat cheese puffs and binge watch Harry Potter. You’ll feel all better…”

Not like I’ve done that…… or have been doing that…… regularly…….. for weeks now……

Eh hem.

BUT YES.

Exercise makes you feel better and less blah about life.

IT JUST DOES.

I used to own a Zumba business and classes were basically an hour-long injection of exercise-induced happiness.

Why do you start with exercise when you have the blahs?

Well, because, SCIENCE.

Now some of you savvy readers out there may have realized that I am not a scientist.

But the scientists who know all the things reminded me that endorphins are NATURAL feel-good chemicals.

They literally reduce your feelings of pain and boost your feelings of pleasure.

They are akin to natural morphine.

NATURAL MORPHINE.

When you exercise, endorphins course through your body AND make you feel GOOD.

I mean… BAZINGA!

MOOD IMPROVED.

And I know, I know… gyms are the worst and also -

it’s raining -

or it’s snowing -

or it’s too hot -

or it’s too humid outside where you are -

or sports bras are SO TIGHT -

or exercise pants make you feel horrible about your body -

or GUYS at the gym are so UGGGH -

or WHAT HAVE YOU.

I know all these things.

I worked in fitness, remember?

But you know how your home FEELS so much better after you take out the trash and open all the windows to let fresh air rush in?

Your body is basically your house.

Exercise is like taking the trash out of your cells in the form of exhalation, sweat, and other body junk.

Exercise MOVES the junk out.

Inhalation MOVES fresh clean oxygen in!

And you feel better.

Who said I wasn't a scientist?

Psssh.

So… that’s the first thing.

Next thing?

BASIC #2: Drink A LOT more water.

Most of you are mega dehydrated right now while you're reading this.

In fact, go get some water.

I'll wait.

Drinking water (instead of coffee)—even if you love it as much as I do and I definitely definitely do love coffee so very very much—helps your brain to FUNCTION.

Functioning at a higher level FEELS better.

You’re better able to THINK when you’re hydrated.

When you can think, you can PLAN and ACT on your goals!

And making progress on your goals in life makes you feel way less blah.

And if you don't drink coffee, I'm also talking about tea (also dehydrates you), and soda (Jimeny Crickets let's not get into the sugar content), and diet soda (chemical-ville y’all), and energy drinks (I JUST CAN'T).

Water sweet peas. Water.

THIS IS A WATERED DOWN VERSION OF WHY WATER IS IMPORTANT I KNOW.

You are know you need more water, you just gotta drink it.

BASIC #3: Eat food that comes from the Earth

I used to say this in my Zumba classes ALL the time.

Food that is made from ingredients from the earth (that is not processed in a factory) is food that heals.

I'm talking veggies, fruit, meat, nuts, seeds.

And if you find a few good recipe sites that you like, then you can start making food that is delicious AND enjoyable to cook AND stretches for more than one meal.

Boom.

BASIC #4: Get out in nature.

Nature y'all.

Our bodies NEED to be in nature. Among trees and rivers and mountains and valleys and organic amber waves of grain.

The further we get away from our True Home, this planet’s natural green world, the more deadened, isolated, numb, and depressed we feel.

Humans were biologically designed to live on the Earth — that is the unpaved ground.

We are meant to connect with the SOIL that our food grows out of. To breathe the clean oxygen that comes from the plants and trees around us. To sit in the quiet wonder of the grand symphony that is the natural world.

Yes this is a basic.

But do you go outside every day and just dwell in nature for a while?

I certainly don’t.

And I love nature.

Get this: the more time we spend in nature the more likely we are to:

• help a stranger

• have lower blood pressure

• have more cancer-fighting cells

• have lower levels of depression and anxiety

• have fewer ADHD symptoms

• and the more likely we are to experience awe.

To feel a sense of awe inspires wonder in the world.

When we can connect to a sense of wonder, we don’t feel blah… we feel wowed. We feel grateful, exhilarated, fulfilled.

I know all these things are simple, but the world is not set up for us to be healthy.

We have to make the effort to do things that will make us feel alive again.

BASIC #5: Take a creative risk.

I'm not talking about jumping out of a plane.

You can absolutely go skydiving, but you know I always want you to go deeper than just the surface adventure.

I want you to invest some time and energy into a pursuit that requires intimacy, vulnerability, and more of your heart and soul.

When I say risk, I'm talking about doing something creative — moving past your inner resistance to make, learn, or explore something new.

I’m talking about taking the salsa dancing class you’ve been eyeing.

Or joining a writing group.

Or taking that improv comedy class you’ve been checking out.

Or breaking out your knitting needles again.

Or doing an art show of your sketches.

Or registering for a painting course at your local community college.

TRY SOMETHING CREATIVE THAT’S OUTSIDE OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.

I’m telling you.

It is such a human goal to get to a place of comfort in this life.

And if you are able to find a way to have most of your needs met, Wow! AMAZING. That’s a huge accomplishment.

(And probably a decent helping of privilege.)

But —

Human beings are not static.

We need challenge and change and adventure.

We need to be stretched past what we are familiar with once we get into that circle of comfort.

Taking a creative risk can wake you up, provide some anticipation and exhilaration to your routine, and get your heart racing in an excited and ALIVE way.

Okay! Let's recap the five basics you need to stop feeling so blah in life:

1. EXERCISE. You gotta take out the trash, let some fresh air in, and get those endorphins going!

2. WATER. Your body needs water to function well. When you’re functioning at a higher rate, you feel so much better.

3. FOOD FROM THE EARTH. When you’re eating unprocessed meals that come from veggies, fruits, meats, seeds, and nuts, your body not only works better, but you feel better. Your body is made for real food.

4. NATURE. We are wired to be in nature. The health benefits just go on and on and on.

5. RISK. The blahs can be a sign that things have gotten a little too routine or too familiar in your life. I suggest creative risks that have a longer timeframe then say, jumping out of a plane.

That’s it for this week folks!

Are you up for putting at least one of these basics into action?

How do you cope beyond these basics to help yourself feel that aliveness again?

Tell me in the comments!

Until next time,

Rebecca*

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