When things get crazy and hectic, as they so often do in life, it's so important to search a little harder and dig a little deeper; and for want of a better way to describe it - find the shine in your life.
Sometimes the shine can be extremely hard to find, on certain days, it can be downright elusive; on some days it can feel like there is no real shine left in the world to find at all. On those less than average days when everything and everyone appears to present another obstacle or opposition, you can end up feeling completely depleted and deflated by the world and it's constant pressures. Those are the days that require double what it takes and they are most definitely the days when we especially need to nurture ourselves and find a little gold or a tiny pearl amidst the muck and the mire.
Don't lose hope, there are some pretty easy ways to restore your faith in humanity and re-find the shine, so relax dear readers, I got you covered! Studies have shown that just thinking about the happy times in our lives can boost the serotonin levels in our brain. Serotonin is the essential component in the prefrontal cortex of the brain and it regulates your emotions and your self-reflection abilities. Basically, the more serotonin that you can get into your brain, the better that you will feel, and since serotonin also has the power to override old panic patterns it's great for generating a calm mind and disposition.
So, thinking happy thoughts is actually really beneficial to your health, and it will most certainly help to lift you out of your funk on a less than terrific day. As Maria sang in The Sound of Music - "when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don't feel so bad." And it turns out that she was quite right about that because just thinking about things that make you happy will lift your spirits and make you see that the world really isn't so bad.
Here are some other quick fix remedies that I like to use for particularly funky days or whenever the need arises (I hope that they may serve to also help you find your gold or tiny pearl next time you need one).
Sometimes the shine can be extremely hard to find, on certain days, it can be downright elusive; on some days it can feel like there is no real shine left in the world to find at all. On those less than average days when everything and everyone appears to present another obstacle or opposition, you can end up feeling completely depleted and deflated by the world and it's constant pressures. Those are the days that require double what it takes and they are most definitely the days when we especially need to nurture ourselves and find a little gold or a tiny pearl amidst the muck and the mire.
Don't lose hope, there are some pretty easy ways to restore your faith in humanity and re-find the shine, so relax dear readers, I got you covered! Studies have shown that just thinking about the happy times in our lives can boost the serotonin levels in our brain. Serotonin is the essential component in the prefrontal cortex of the brain and it regulates your emotions and your self-reflection abilities. Basically, the more serotonin that you can get into your brain, the better that you will feel, and since serotonin also has the power to override old panic patterns it's great for generating a calm mind and disposition.
So, thinking happy thoughts is actually really beneficial to your health, and it will most certainly help to lift you out of your funk on a less than terrific day. As Maria sang in The Sound of Music - "when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don't feel so bad." And it turns out that she was quite right about that because just thinking about things that make you happy will lift your spirits and make you see that the world really isn't so bad.
Here are some other quick fix remedies that I like to use for particularly funky days or whenever the need arises (I hope that they may serve to also help you find your gold or tiny pearl next time you need one).
- Have a laugh - watch a comedy, share a funny story over the dinner table or phone a friend that has a good sense of humour.
- Pamper yourself - have a home foot spa, paint your nails, force someone to give you a back rub, dye your hair, have a face mask....you get the picture.
- Surround yourself with beauty - get to the local gardens, bush areas or to an art gallery, or if hotties are more your style then hit the town.
- Get out of your own way - plan an excursion or an overnight stay to break the cycle, just get out of the house and stop mulling things over!
- Get active - walk it off, run it off or dance it off (Shake it off!)
- Perform a random act of kindness - doing nice things for other people has been scientifically proven to again, boost the serotonin levels in your noggin' - so go and be kind and spread some love around.
- Re-read or re-watch something you love - must be an oldie but a goodie.
- Soak it out - full on deep bath, tonnes of bubbles, wine in hand and stereo blasting something awesome in the background!
- Watch some harrowing movie or documentary about people that have truly shithouse lives and then smack yourself upside the head for not realising how great your life actually is - works for me!
MELANCHOLIA
Release Date: 2011
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 136 mins
This Lars von Trier offering is a triumph of cinema. This movie haunted me, it spoke to me and really attacked my senses with its depiction of the last few days on Earth proceeding an apocalyptic event. Divided into two separate chapters involving two sisters, this movie has distinctly polar perspectives, it is almost as if two people directed it.
The first chapter is mostly focused on Justine, the obviously emotionally challenged young bride on her wedding day. We watch as she falls further and further away from the line of normal, torturing her conventional sister and groom with her grim outlook and depressive mood swings.
The second chapter focuses head on into the impending doom, and we get to see the way that people react when their is nothing left but inevitable obliteration. The sister roles are portrayed brilliantly by Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg who both physically embody all of the despondency, depression and doom that this film dishes out. This is a slick movie for people that like to think about what they are watching.
FINAL SAY: The end never looked so good.
5 Chilli Peppers
Release Date: 2011
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 136 mins
This Lars von Trier offering is a triumph of cinema. This movie haunted me, it spoke to me and really attacked my senses with its depiction of the last few days on Earth proceeding an apocalyptic event. Divided into two separate chapters involving two sisters, this movie has distinctly polar perspectives, it is almost as if two people directed it.
The first chapter is mostly focused on Justine, the obviously emotionally challenged young bride on her wedding day. We watch as she falls further and further away from the line of normal, torturing her conventional sister and groom with her grim outlook and depressive mood swings.
The second chapter focuses head on into the impending doom, and we get to see the way that people react when their is nothing left but inevitable obliteration. The sister roles are portrayed brilliantly by Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg who both physically embody all of the despondency, depression and doom that this film dishes out. This is a slick movie for people that like to think about what they are watching.
FINAL SAY: The end never looked so good.
5 Chilli Peppers
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