1. Create a Feel-Good Folder

I have a folder in my inbox that I’ve labelled ‘feel-good’. Inside i store all the lovely emails I’ve ever received – love notes from friends, Etsy customers, blog comments and more recently, emails from Unravellers. When I’m having a bad day, i dip into the folder; it’s like a team of cheerleaders doing a dance just for me. When i feel disheartened or down, i let the kind words of friends and strangers pick me up and dust me off… ready to begin again.

2. Treat yourself

‘One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.’ ~ Iris Murdoch

I firmly believe this too. Small treats of choice: a double-shot cappucino, a small square of perfectly dark chocolate, a slice of hot buttered toast, a bunch of flowers, a few new songs from iTunes. A new notebook. A trip round the aisles of Amazon.

3. Look for eye candy

Flowers and pretty rooms are all very well, but there are days when you need real eye candy… ladies, i think you know what i’m talking about:

Mancandy[David Boreanaz, George Lamb, Steven Brand, Hugh Jackman]

It’s silly and frivolous, harking back to your teenage years, and that’s why it’s so very good for you – indulging in a bit of online eye candy, or a DVD rendezvous with the man/girl candy of your choice. My mate Emma and I have been indulging in a lot of man candy recently, and boy, are we feeling perky…

4. Pick up a book

I’ve talked about my book friends many times before, and here we go again: books save me, every time. They teach me, they comfort me, they entertain me, they take me to another world. They inspire me so much, which is why i intend to publish my own and send it out to befriend whoever needs it. I have piles sitting on my coffee table and beside my bed, ready to hold my hand when i need them.

5. Go for a walk outside

This is the one i am always most resistent to. Pulling on boots, finding a coat… where are the keys… oh, who can be bothered? I’m going to stay at home and mope. But when I do make the effort to go out, even if it’s just a ten minute walk to the supermarket for fresh salad and aforementioned dark chocolate, it shifts my perspective. It gets blood pumping around my body (i live up a steep hill) and distracts me. I breathe more; i step out of my bubble.
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It’s been one of those days. I am fighting a cold – and losing – and have felt negative and out of sorts; too much to do and not enough energy. A bit flat. These five things are what i have done today to try to try to turn it around. It worked.