5 Ways to Feel Good in 5 Seconds

In accordance with what has turned into "Feel-Good Friday" I thought it would be nice to have a short and sweet post about ways you can make yourself feel good in only 5 seconds! 5 seconds doesn't sound like a lot of time, but if you think about it, 5 seconds is a decent amount of time to get all of these things done if you commit to it wholly for the full time. I mean, we're all busy; even those "Get Abs in 20 Minutes a Day" things seem like they take too much time. So take 5 seconds! These are not methods that I have researched or have necessarily been scientifically proven; they're just things I do when I want to turn my day around and feel happy!

Don't know who did the original,
but I absolutely love this!

1. Smile at yourself. This one can have a huge effect on you. If you live alone or you don't see the person you live with in the morning, starting off with a smile from yourself is actually a great way to greet the day! Think about a silly joke, make a funny face, or remember a time when you laughed really hard. Make sure those eyes crinkle at the corners! Smiling with just your mouth doesn't do it.
Caveat: While looking in the mirror, do not focus on what you don't like about what you see. That will just make you stay sad or grumpy.

http://www.letsmove.gov

2. Get moving! Now, if you take 5 seconds to get off the couch, you can't count that as the 5 seconds of moving! Once standing, run to the other end of the room you're in and back. Or do 9 jumping jacks in 5 seconds. Or drop to the ground, do a push-up (a real one; no knee push-ups!), and then jump up as high as you can (don't do this one if you have low-blood pressure, because you might pass out). Do something that wakes you up quickly--then go do your regular gym routine that takes longer than 5 seconds. :)

So cute!

3. Tell yourself you're great. We don't have cheerleaders to get our confidence up, 5 seconds are definitely enough time to give yourself a decent pep talk. Tell yourself why you like yourself and mean it! Feel that confidence boost and take it with you for the rest of the day!

funnyjunk.com

4. Take your vitamins! Half the time research says vitamins are good for you, half the time they're supposedly bad for you. All I'm saying is that when I take mine, I feel better than when I don't take them. And it takes literally 5 seconds. Well, unless you get the giant horse pill kind...those take longer to swallow. ;)

My kittens!

5. Feel love. There are three options for this one. Choose whichever one is right for you.

• For the people in love with someone else: Feel it and embrace it!!! You know exactly what I mean about love making you feel good.
• For the people who don't believe in love with other people and now think this post is ridiculous since I brought up love: Remember the feeling you got when you fell in love with something, whether it be your job, your hobby, your cat, your favorite TV show, anything! Feel that excitement and joy and contentment.
• For the people who feel like they should be in love because they used to be, but aren't anymore (this can pertain to a person or a thing or a situation): Why did you fall in love the first time? Let that feeling completely envelop you. Maybe you'll get that little spark back! :) Take it with you!

I hope all of you have a great weekend! Thank you for making this week such a great one for me! This blog and all of the feedback I get makes me feel great because I know you guys are reading it and it helps some people. :) I really appreciate it! Writing it takes a little longer than 5 seconds, but it still makes me feel good!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi

5 Ways to Take Time for Yourself!

This morning I woke up to see 1520 views of ChickOpinion! Wow! I never thought I would get this many views in only three weeks! Thank you for making this fantastic opportunity a success! :)

I am going to take a day off of talking about the news today. I feel like it gets too negative and I don't want to start my weekend (or yours!) off like that!

The beautiful, cold autumn sky outside.

It's another gorgeous sunrise this morning! I am going to take today for myself (well, part of it!). I've gotten a little bit off track in terms of keeping tabs on my health over the last couple weeks because I've gotten busier. A lot of people have the misconception that taking time for yourself means blowing off responsibilities in other parts of your life. I think that only happens rarely--like if you don't routinely take time for yourself and then decide to take a whole day or a whole week for yourself. That can be damaging to your own psyche, your family, and your job because shirking your duties will really just end up making you feel guilty. You will end up making the false association between taking time for yourself and feeling guilty for taking time for yourself.

Here are five things I love doing to take time for myself that don't have to take a lot of time (but can take a lot of time if you want them to!):

• Yoga. I know some guys might think this a "girl thing" because girls are usually more flexible than guys. Well, I'm going to say it's for everyone. Breathing and focusing inward during yoga is so powerful and I definitely think men can benefit from it, too.
• Reading. Now I am well aware that not everyone loves reading. But I do! :) Sue Grafton is a huge favorite of mine for books (just finished B is for Burglar!) and for short stories I adore Guy de Maupassant.
• Cooking. This one is kind of funny, because it can be for someone else, but it relaxes me because it's just me in the kitchen and I get to do whatever I want. :) I don't know yet what I'll cook tonight, but I'm excited to have that time for myself.
• Pampering! This is not just for girls!!! If you look good, you have the potential to feel a lot better about yourself! So yesterday I decided to get my eyebrows waxed for the first time. For those of you who haven't seen me, I have brows reminiscent of those of Brooke Shields. :-/ So. I finally went for it! I love the result, but here's a tip: if you are allergic to aloe, tell them ahead of time. Ow! My eyebrow area was all puffy for a couple of hours after the wax because of the "soothing" stuff they put on afterward. Hopefully next time I decide to try the pampering thing it will go a little better! :)
• Create Something. This is something I really love doing. I know that it might sound all artsy-craftsy, but you know, everyone has different ways of creating! This blog, for example, is huge for me. I love it, because every day I get to create this thing that is part of me! I am definitely into the arts and crafts thing, too, tho--I'm making kitty toys this weekend for our little guys and starting on my wedding dress, so there are tons of different things to do! Try to find something that you like doing that is all you and create!

I know everyone has crazy schedules and I'm not trying to be "holier-than-thou" about all this. It's extremely important to take even 10 minutes for you every day. So today, take some time for yourself! Rebuild who you want to be, who you know you are, and get back on track!

Have a great weekend! I'm going to start posting on weekends just to see how it goes, so please keep up with the blog during your football-filled first weekend of Fall!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi