Some feel-good ideas

I am not sure if there are people who really need me to tell them how to feel good or better. ... But I'll  do it, nevertheless, because I am feeling better again. Once the headache was gone in the evening, I felt less tired. I switched on the music and the same moment my friend called, because I hadn't done that. We talked for some time and that made everything easy again.

Well, as usual, the later it was the more I was awake. I tried warm milk in time and could actually sleep, kind of. And today I thought, why not find ten or more ideas to make you feel better, generally speaking. According to the results you get when you search, this could have been endless. There are definitely many many more good ideas about feeling good. I stuck to something which is easy to achieve.

 The list is in parts a piece of utter burglary, because I searched for 'feel good' online and got one gazillion hits with that. Some are our own recipes, though. You'll probably notice which ones.

1. Declare your day of cozy. If you are not feeling too well and find a few hours for yourself, give yourself a treat. For me it was being lazy on the sofa with everything soft and warm around me. And cookies and tea, of course.

2. Eat potato salad. Over at governingana Ana had posted a request for potato salad. As a result, the list of recipes and delicious ideas has grown to half a potato salad recipe booklet. I have read them all and only imagined how delicious just some of the salads would be. Therefore, today is potato salad day for us. Very delicious, with mayo, and meatballs, but next time I will leave out onions. I like them, usually, but this time they don't add to feeling good.

3. Have sex, because that creates a lot of feel-good hormones. You relax completely, and if you have done a good job ... you will sleep better, too. It also burns calories, so basically it also is a kind of exercise. In addition to that, sex helps against depression and will let you look younger, too.

4. Talking about sleep, I don't know if there is a best time to go to bed, but I assume sleep is healthier during nights, because it is also quieter and darker. There is also some sense in having a certain bedtime, I think it is something your body and inner clock gets used to. It makes sleeping at a certain point of time easier. And get enough sleep, of course. But how many hours that would be, I don't know. At the moment I have eight hours at night and around one during my catnap.

Especially in late summer we have a lot of lavender in our bedroom. It is because we like the smell. If you use lavender oil in a warm bath, it can help you to sleep better, too.

5. Do exercises. I think it doesn't really matter what you do, as long as you do some exercises. Do pilates, tae bo, swimming, aerobic and all you can think of, as long as you do something. 

My mom told me that when she started pilates she was already in menopause but she experienced that her sex drive became stronger again with it over time. She's still at it :)

Pilates also helps a lot against stress.

Doing exercises during the last third of your menstrual cycle burns more fat and you feel less tired than usual. Now, that's good news :)

Reiki is said to be very useful too, to balance your hormonal levels and reduce cramps or hot flushes. I have no experience with reiki, nor do my immediate friends or family. 

5.1 The alternative to doing exercises would be not to menstruate. That would make everybody feel better <- My husband is a meany sometimes, but he was so amused and enthusiastic because of his comment that I'll play along. (my secret hope is that he would actually write or comment here, but he declines that flatly)

6. Eat oysters. But never ever do that during pregnancy! I think eating fish is a tricky topic during pregnancy and there are real dangers connected to eating fish during pregnancy. But otherwise, I can only recommend oysters. They are supposed to be an aphrodisiac :)

7. Have a happy marriage. Oh yes! Work for it, that itself is so rewarding. And married couples who have been in a long time marriage are said to live longer.

8. Gentlemen, have an intelligent wife ! It's not only about the looks. That's my revenge for 5.1 . Men who have an intelligent wife live longer, probably because she looks closely after her hubby's health.

9. Drink a lot of water. If you don't, you might feel less energetic, be able to concentrate less and working physically might be harder too. And the additional running to the loo counts as exercise, too :)

10. Meet friends, have close connection to them, enjoy that you can share with them all the good and bad things. Meeting and sharing brightens our days up so much. They are there and willing to be with you when you need them. You would do the same for them and your oldest friends qualify as part of the family. They are there for you. When I realize that, it makes me very happy and I hope I am always there for them too. Don't forget to hug your friends!

11. Never give up! This is last but not least. If there are hard times, try to find a way through them. I know this can be so difficult. But as long as you go on, you have every reason to be proud of yourself. From my experience I can only say that I have been on the brink of giving up and hated it. But sooner or later something changes and life brightens again. If not because you can do it, then maybe, because someone helped you, which is fine. That's what many people really want to do. Help you in times of need. What prevents so many good things from happening is, that people don't communicate. From both sides. So, if you need  help, talk to someone. I strongly believe there always is someone out there willing to help. Don't expect miracles, and work for what you want. But whatever you do, never give up in the moment when all looks bleak. Leave that moment behind and look forward. It's worth it !