How to Write Your Way to a Smile

Sometimes it’s just one of those days — one those days where you’re just not “feelin’ it”.

You’re usually pretty happy on a daily basis and there’s nothing really terrible wrong in your life but you’re just in a rut and your mood is reflecting it.

That’s how my day was going today. Mopey. Unproductive. Annoyed. I had to make a change.

So I decided since I wasn’t getting anything else done, I would start writing down why I felt like crap. Boy, did that turn out to be some good therapy.

When you already enjoy writing and then start noting your feelings, you can’t possibly feel more at home.

Here’s how I turned my day around and then got a blog post out of it. Hopefully this will make you smile the next time you’re feelin’ low.

1. With pen and paper, start writing a list titled ‘Why I Feel Unhappy Right Now’.
2. List anything you can think of, as long as it’s actually relevant to your mood. Does it actually make you feel crappy to think about it? Then it goes on the list.
3. When you’re finished (hopefully with no more than 10 things, if that), re-read your list. But the key is to try to change your personality to a good friend. The type of friend that you would want around to complain to who would give you the responses you really want to hear. We need a real sweetheart here.
4. As you’re re-reading as a positive, complimentary friend, cross out the complaints with a different colored pen (signaling another voice on the page) and write what your response would be as the supportive friend. Write what you would want someone to say to you.
5. No re-read the responses as “yourself”.
6. Smile. You just overcame your negative thought process with a much more beautiful one.
7. Move on.

I was actually laughing by the time I finished reading my positive responses. Mostly out of shock that it was actually making me feel better, but also because I solved one of my problems with it. (The runner-up name for this post was ‘How I Came Up With This Blog Post”.)

I find myself often thinking ‘people don’t understand me’, ‘why should I share my feelings with people who probably don’t care’, or ‘I really don’t know anyone that could make me feel better’.

The reality of it is, as anti-social as it sounds, no one knows you better than yourself.

So if you can be your own friend in moments like these that are more of a petty need than something more life-altering, you ultimately make everyone happier.

Especially yourself.

(Photo credit: Man Holding a Paper Smile via Shutterstock)