Emotional Coping Cheat Sheet
This week, as soon as I recovered from finishing the school year and made my goals for the summer, I came down with something mild and totally unrelated to SEID/CFS. But even a small cold was enough to trigger a full-blown SEID flare. As much as I want to blog about fun, nerdy time management stuff, my brain feels like it was stuffed with cotton, so I'm holding off on that topic for a day or two.
Instead, I thought today would be a good time for my first "Cheat Sheet" post! Occasionally, I'll write a post with a quick-fix topic to make it easier to survive bad days. Topics will include time-and-energy friendly convenience meals, quick energy boosts, and today, an emotional coping tool kit.
I've been missing my job as a full-time pianist lately, and with this latest energy low came a couple days of hard-core depression. So, my main "goal" for today was to climb a step above feeling depressed and raise my emotional energy level a bit.
Today, this included
resting...
-starting the day with a couple guilt-free hours of watching lighthearted TV
-listing only the most essential goals for the day and rewarding myself with a netflix break and nap after I accomplished each one
-treating myself to hot chocolate and stevia-sweetened soda
-listening to classical music
-reading devotions at www.restministries.org
and recreation...
-cooking (just long enough to have a therapeutic effect, but not long enough to exhaust me further)
-fresh air (as in, going out to the store for the soda)
-making myself get out of bed to accomplish even a handful of small goals, to naturally boost my mood and sense of accomplishment
Other emotional energy boosters I enjoy...
-reading Psalms
-watching/listening/reading anything humorous
-and avoiding dramatic or intense TV/movies/books
-spending time with my little siblings, such as making cookies or just watching TV
-playing the piano (when I have the physical energy)
-reading (when I have the mental energy)
-spending 5 minutes straightening up my room or organizing something
-praying
-drinking coffee or tea
-journaling
-making a gratitude list