Seven Ways To Beat Sadness

I dropped my daughter at college last week. She is my second child to fly the coop.  I thought it would be easy since it was my second time launching a child to college.

It wasn't easy. I felt sad really,really sad. I felt silly for being so sad. I had the urge to compare my feelings with everyone else's feelings.

The burden of sadness, like all moods, did eventually pass.

Here is what helped.



1. Allow the sadness.
     
     My sadness caught me off guard and my first response was to deny it. Then I made it even worse when I judged my sadness. Feelings are just feelings.  They come and go.  Denying and judging  them makes them stay longer.

2. Don't compare.

     Everyone experiences life differently.  As Franklin Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy."

3. Move your body 

     I am an avid exerciser ,but in that sadness, all I wanted to do was curl up with netflix. I forced myself to get outside for a walk. It helped immensely.

4. Cry,

     Crying is beneficial and usually makes you feel better. In allowing my feelings, I also allowed myself to cry.

5, Clean

In the words of Gretchen Rubin  "Outer order brings inner calm".  Clean kitchen counters always brighten my mood.

6. Eat 

    I am an emotional non-eater.  So I picked the cheerful color orange and ate that; cantalope, carrots, oranges, mangoes, cheese, cheese doodles, salmon.

7. Gratitude

   Even in the midst of any sadness there are shimmers of light. Be grateful for those shimmers.

Twenty Ways To Enjoy The Remaining Four Weeks of Summer

It appears that summer is coming to a close. Schools are about to start.  Fall sports have begun preseason. College kids are heading back or starting out.

However  summer, sweet amazing summer, doesn't officially end until September 21st.

Four weeks remain to:

1. Hit the beach, a lake or a local swimming hole. If you wait until early September, (not Labor day weekend)  you will have the place to yourself.

2. Go see a sunrise. The days are getting shorter so you won't have to wake up as early.

3. Enjoy the amazing fresh produce from your garden or from a local farmer's market.

4. Be outside every chance you get. Make being outside a priority.

5. Visit gardens and/or spend more time in yours.

6. Hit the summer clearance racks and buy that summer outfit you longed for back in May.

7.  Replace that dried up planter you forgot to water. Plants are on clearance as well.

8. Do the fun summer activity you loved to do as a kid. You are still a kid at heart.

9. Play with sidewalk chalk.(Also on sale)

10, Take an evening walk.

11. Eat an ice cream cone.

12. Catch fireflies.

13. Pitch a tent and sleep out side.

14. Eat dinner out doors.

15. Play in the yard with your children.

16. Walk at lunch.

17. Lather up the sunscreen and lay in the sun.

18. Read a great book OUTSIDE.

19. Do a summer activity you always wanted to try.

20. Relax and enjoy each and every day Summer has to offer.

What will you do to enjoy these last four weeks of summer?

Where Did the Time Go?

In the wee hours of the night I hear this, "Mom I think I am going to throw up."

I leap out of bed and head into the bathroom knowing exactly which child is in distress. His throw up voice is distinct and full of fear. He has always hated the throw up bug. Nobody likes it, but this child of mine has a deep aversion to vomit.

In my semi sleep state I enter the bathroom and all I feel is shock. My distressed child is six feet tall and 180 pounds. I know this. I see him everyday. Yet, shock waves run through me.

I comfort and do what I know this child needs when the throw up bug visits. Yet he is so big and I am so small in comparison.

It all works and I send him into bed with a bucket by his side and do all of the mommy love things.

I go back to bed and think, remember and never go back to sleep.

Where did the time go?

I remember Barney, the dinosaurs, the trucks, and Star Wars.

I think of the hard work he took on to be a better athlete all on his own.

I wonder if I did enough.

I try to imagine a day without hugging him. And I cry a bit.

I vow to hug him even more.

Next  year he will be in college.

Where did the time go?