(This post mentions food).
Keep instant noodles in the house at all times.
Instant noodles are a quick microwavable form of therapy for me. If I feel down, I grab myself some noodles, throw them in the microwave and it makes everything that little bit better. Bonus points if they include spicy kimchi.
2. Watch University Challenge
I'm a huge geek and when I watch this I don't think about anything else for half an hour. I switch my brain on to switch my brain off, if that makes sense. I've watched every episode since I was about 16.
3. Indulge in childhood classics
I re-read books from childhood, including cottage core staples like Brambly Hedge. I'm not ashamed of it. Going into these cute and cosy worlds comforts me when my emotions are giving me hell.
4. Put lipstick on
Lipstick makes everything better, especially bright reds and berry colours. Unless it's lipgloss because the texture makes me highly irritable.
5. Tea and toast
Can't live without them. Not a day goes by when I don't have these two (together, of course). I am proudly northern, maybe that's part of it?
6. Learn something
This relates to point number 2. Whenever I've felt empty and lost, I've found something to read about or learn. This could be through browsing the internet, watching something on TV or YouTube. Learning is never a waste of time for me (even if I forget it instantly) because it makes me happy. I think I got this off my granny who left school young, but never stopped learning.
7. Wordle and crosswords
Again, this relates to point number 2 and number 6. When my anxiety is bad, I try to give my restless mind a break by focusing on something else. Crosswords stop me from having cross words.
8. Create something
On days when I have felt useless and broken, creating something always made the day worthwhile. A small doodle, a few lines of a poem, a quick session with my paints. At the end of the day I couldn't tell myself 'I did nothing' because I could tell myself 'I made ____.'
9. Say a quick hi
Even when my mind was telling me I was shameful and horrible, I always tried to make contact with someone. Whether that was replying to someone's Instagram stories with a smile emoji, a quick text to say 'how are you?' or a asking a friend when they are free to grab a coffee.
10. Indulge my love of Old Fashioned paper
I refuse to live fully in the digital world. I love paper too much; it makes me happy. Whether it's making a card, handwriting a letter, scribbling a doodle, journaling, putting some stickers on my notebook....paper is joy.
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