I'm always ready to snip my fingers out of rythm to an emotional confession accompanied by melancholic melodies. It pumps my veins full of heart wrenching love, and the air with cat strangling passion (the latter being the sound of me singing along. We can't all be nightinggales). However lately I've only been doing that. Snipping my fingers, bopping my head and releasing my inner turmoil. And although it fulfils me with satisfaction, only wallowing in my own (imagined) lost soul isn't very... well... productive. Especially when your mind is playing trick or treat and your unbalanced emotions are relentlessly trying to jab through your skull.

In this state of mind an inspiring blues jam-session can easily turn into a self-pity party; which is what happened to me at the end of January. And is actually keeping me grooving in February. I'm filled with ambition but waste ('waste') my time lying in bed contemplating life. "It's time to get up and do something", I murmur to myself as I dive deeper under a pile of duvets and blankets, slowly cancelling out the melancholic melodies. If only it would cancel out the actual blues. But it won't. So here are three things I'm doing to get me (hopefully, eventually) out of bed. One small step for mankind, one giant leap for you...

Hug a pup

Get those dopamine flowing! It's no secret that opening your arms, literally as well as figuratively, is a healthy thing to do. Through hugging our brain releases all kinds of juices, among which dopamine. Feeling blue can be traced back to a low dopamine level, so cuddling is a good start to feel better and (perhaps, maybe) get you out of bed. However if you're on your own or just not feel like inviting another human being inside your blanket fort, you can always settle on hugging your pillow (which allegedly also works) or -my personal favourite- make space for your absolutely adorable four-pawed friend. Or disincling feline (no cat-shaming here!). Luckily Sarah is a hug with a tail and doesn't mind, nay! even demands to be cuddled extensively.

Find your passion

So now you're hopefully (almost) out of bed, we're going to stimulate other juices to flow. Because why leave your bed only to sulk somewhere else? One way to stimulate the grey cells and get you into a good/better/reasonable mood is by finding something you're passionate about. So turn up the music -I recommend listening to Help Me by Sonny Boy Williamson III- and start searching for the love of your life. There are many social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest or Tumblr to get yourself pumped up and inspired. However if you're like me, one of the last things you want to do right now is look-and-point at how everyone else is doing amazing and you're not. #jealousywho? So why not go offline instead. One of my favourite offline sources to get me finger fumbling and palm sweating are 1980s DIY magazines my mother recently got. Shoulder pads and leg warmers here I come!

Create!

As said, the danger of absorbing all things inspirational is that it can also work counterproductive. It can make you feel inadequate, miserable and ready for bed. However to keep you from under the blankets, it's good to get physical. The keyword here is 'create', with the very important tagline 'for yourself'. Although writing blogposts is something I dearly enjoy, sometimes it's far more pleasing to write words just for writing. You can mindlessly doodle, casually swing around some knitting needles or glam up an old shoe box. Or for those less 'able' with yarn, paint, glitters or any other 'art student' devices: cleaning or redecorating your room is also very creative and actively improves your living conditions aka mood!


So please fight the urge to lie down again. Or, if the comfort of your bed still outweighs all the exciting possibilities in the world (I feel ya!), do something that shifts the focus from the blues to the brilliance of 1980s fashion or the anticipation of 'will she/won't she' between your pup and the ball of wool seductively lying next to your feet. So go beat the blues by rearranging your succulents and cacti! Or, in my case, water your dying pancake plant while s(w)inging (to) Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker.