I live in New England. March is not kind to us here. Perhaps this is why some residents choose to go into bacchanalian overdrive on St. Patrick’s Day. Speaking for myself, I hide out during the season where everyone gets to be Irish, since people getting rip-roaring drunk in the daytime makes me nervous. I’m always worried a fight is going to break out, but I’m getting ahead of myself here — it’s still a week before discarded plastic beer cups will be filling the gutters like chubby parade confetti on Main Street. Landfill — here we come!
Yesterday, I woke up with a case of the seasonal “blahs.” It was gray and raw and hard to get motivated. I wanted to feel focused and inspired. I wanted to be productive and accomplish things, but instead I was awash in grayness. Blah-city, here Folks. I was even wearing a gray sweater, which normally is one of my favorites, but it make have been just one dose of gray too many.
Through years of trial and error I have learned that when I’m feeling “blah” I have to take responsibility for it and try to work my way out of it. Just to be clear, “blah” is not blue. Blue is sad and more serious than blah. Blah is just… well… blah. The word says it all, but I’m a firm believer that it can be shaken-off with the right cocktail of choices.
The answer can be the right food combination — a healthy carbohydrate to release some serotonin into my system. A few years ago I was on vacation with my family, but I was also trying to avoid carbs and I was a mess — I wasn’t enjoying myself, until a read in a magazine that a piece of toast can help to release serotonin and change your whole mood. After reading this, I decided to accept myself not only as a carb-lover, but as a carb-needer.
Some sugar can be good too, in moderation of course. My preference is sugar mixed with caffeine. A few dark chocolate covered espresso beans, which I sometimes call “Mommy’s morning crack” can perk me right up. In these instances, I think of food as a medicine with the potential to “cure” the blahs, but I am not advising to go eat every time something goes wrong — like the toner cartridge is empty in the copy machine, so let’s make a run for the Entenmann’s in the break room .
Apart from food, another surefire mood solution is listening to the right song. Cranking the perfect tune can quickly banish the blahs and I begin to feel like myself again. Hope returns! Yesterday my solution was so infectiously fun that there was no way I could feel “blah” while I was “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.” All these years later, I still don’t know what the hell “Jiggy” means, but I really don’t care. Will Smith is such a fun and positive artist — his cheer is phenomenal. I mean look at him… how can you not smile?
So “Na-na-na-na-na-na! Na-na-na-na-na!” to you March in New England blahs!!! And thank you Will Smith for… well, being you.
Please visit my facebook fan page for a Big Willie Style “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” video fix. I’m telling you, the blahs don’t stand a chance!