Finding joy when times are dark

[Stitch]

Hi everyone,

I'm interested in hearing about the things people do to cope when times are rough.  Not the self-destructive things.  I'm pretty sure we're all familiar with those.  I'd really like to hear about the "little" things people do to try & bring a little joy to their lives.

Below is a list of some of the things I like to do - mood permitting.

Eat cheezels. Dipped in sour cream.  With chopsticks.

Watch old Jerry Lewis movies.  Never fails to crack me up.

Volunteer at the local Blue Light Disco.  Watching 200 kids runing around & dancing with joy just makes me smile.  My face actually hurts the next day. 

Yell at politicians on the telly.  This is excellent for venting one's spleen & always leaves one feeling refreshed.

Go to the local shopping centre and just window shop.  I like to fantasise about all the nice things I'll be able to buy when I win tattslotto.  It also makes me feel less alone if I'm just around other people, even if I don't know them.

Bake a cake.

Use "Google Translate" to translate song lyrics from English to Japanese & back to English again.  Try it - it's a hoot.

Eat a cake.

Sing along to Hootie & the Blowfish.  (Umm, can we keep this one between ourselves?)

Make something on the sewing machine.  Current project - making pouches out of old woollen blankets for injured wildlife.

Have a crack at making my own fudge.

Find a spot in the sun and just sit for a while.

Regards

[Girl_Anachronism]

Laying in the grass and staring up at the sky.

Baking muffins.

Decorating things with happy shiny puffy stickers.

A pot of Chrysanthemum tea.

[AGrace]

Hi Stitch,

What a great idea for a thread:) I'm trying to picture myself eating cheezels with chopsticks!!! Ok, so I'll add:

Chasing my cat around (she's quite overweight, so it only lasts for 3 minutes)

Eating Chocolate (My life would be so different without it, I often think about taking out shares in Cadbury)

Spending time with my nieces and nephews (they really put things into perspective when their biggest problem in life is that they can't find the caterpillar they collected and put into a vase with grass and rocks:))

Listening to my partner speak French (thankfully he is French...just keep talking)

Reading on my tablet (Thank you for inventing Amazon Kindle EBooks)

Drinking English breakfast tea out of a really nice cup and saucer set (I can't help it my dad's English)

Singing and dancing to 80's music (sorry, I'm an 80's child and for me it was the best decade for music...Micheal Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Boy George)

Watching Swedish crime series (with subtitles of course)

Getting a massage (from anyone who's willing to give me one)

You've got me interested to hear what others do! Tomorrow I shall buy some Cheezels and chopsticks:))

AGrace

[White_Rose]

Great posts so far. Perhaps we can refer newbies to this post for ideas on "What to do".

My joys are fairly ordinary.

Reading

Embroidery

Watching whodunnits on TV. Mostly A Touch of Frost, Midsomer Murders. Miss Fisher Mysteries and Lewis.

Walking round my garden and working out what I am going to do next.

Like AG I like being with the littlies, in my case my grandchildren. Nothing like for a new perspective.

Sixties music (age group). Singing and dancing to the music.

Being part of a discussion group every month.

Volunteering

Researching my family history.

LING

[Chloekat84]

Hey Stitch. Been readig everyones responses and they sound like a hoot so to speak lol. i reacon what i do when im happy and in the mood i watch a good comedy like "scrubs" or "everybody loves raymond' lol. Also a good horror is always fun. Just chatting on here to you guys keeps my spirits up. Also reading a good magazine or articles off the internet about anything really could be kids or anxiety etc just stuff to make me feel motiviated. oin out with family to have a meal is nice but rarely happens. But just being around family helps as i hate being alone and being a single mum i always am unfortunetely. I try and go to mums groups when i can but with my little one sick atm thats not happenening. I also love chocolate like AGrace lol been putting on weight from it i think. Also a nice cider while watching telly is good also. Well thats it from me for now 🙂

[BenD]

This is such a good thread. I'll add:

Playing with my dogs - especially helpful when feeling lonely.

Getting some sunshine - For no other reason that its warm and feels good.

Kicking the footy with my brothers

Calling up a friend

Listening to Eddie Vedder's 'Into the Wild' Soundtrack

Listening to Allan Watts lectures on youtube

Thanks for the opportunity 🙂

[Jo3]

Hi guys

Here are my things that I do to help:

Walking down the beach or just sitting on the sand

Playing with my kelpie dog and taking her for a walk

Just being outside in the garden on a sunny day, enjoying the simple things in life

Coffee with friends

Singing and dancing to Abba!!!

Great thread

Jo

[elouisef23]

Wonderful post. 

Preparing and drinking a beautiful, hot cup of tea 

Watching great tv shows like Orange is the New Black, An Idiot Abroad, Call the Midwife etc

The smell of flowers walking past a florist or a garden

The delight in my dog's face when we go for a walk to the park

A hot shower then crawling into a warm bed 

[AGrace]

Hi Elouise,

Welcome:)

These are some great ideas. I especially like the florist one. Stepping into a florist smells heavenly. Sometimes a really nice coffee shop can smell good too, and bring a smile to your face. The sense of smell has the most powerful link to memories, so if we want to recall good memories then we only need to smell something related to that memory. The scent of rain, fresh cut grass, and vanilla are also some good aromas to take in.

Perhaps we can add to the list using an oil burner or lighting scented candles.

AGrace

[Doolhof]

It is great to read other people's ideas and to share ways of brining happiness to your life, and maybe to other people's as well thorough suggestions.

Things that help me are :

Remembering the days my niece used to sing to me over the phone.

Being out in the garden and the sunshine.

Going to the beach or a nature reserve.

Coffee with friends.

Bubble bath with candles.

Curling up in a blanket, reading a book.

Watching a comedy show or funny movie.

Buying myself some flowers or picking them from our garden.

Doing a some craft or mucking around with paints.

Sudoku or an easy jigsaw puzzle

Chocolate and a nice cup of tea.

Sitting in the garden with the chooks.

Visiting a plant nursery even when not buying anything.

Sending a card to a friend for no other reason than to say "Hi".

Taking time out to smell the roses.

Wishing you all happy thoughts and pleasant memories, or hope for a nice day with special moments to treasure along the way!