What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?

No matter how positive a person tries to be, there will always be times when a person feels down and needs to have their spirits lifted.

The cause could be a relationship that has ended, and you can’t sleep. You are in the stage where the space inside of you may seem like it will never be filled. It may be a job you lost or a car that just died. It could even be a personal loss of a loved one passing away, leaving you down, sad and lonely.

There are a million reasons that our spirits can get a little down in life. There is nothing wrong with that, but you should always have a few tricks up your sleeve to lift your spirits.  These are the things that I do to lift my spirit when I am down.

Help Someone Else

Nothing lifts your spirit and gets you out of thinking about your problems better than doing something that helps someone else.  It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture that costs money and takes a lot of time.  It simply has to be something that takes the focus off of you and your feelings and gets you looking more positively at the rest of the world.

Take someone somewhere, bake them a cake, visit for a cup of coffee or do whatever your heart tells you might help them.  It is the effort that will lift you, and it is difficult for your spirit to be low when you are lifting someone else.

Start a New Project of some Kind

Focus is important when your spirit is feeling low.  Getting your focus off of whatever is bringing you down is important to raise you back up.  Starting a new project can get provide that shift in focus that starts to lift you.

I have done health projects that have worked to lift my spirit. The latest I did was the Couch to 5K running program, which I absolutely loved.  It follows a running program until you get to the point you can run for five kilometers without stopping. It works, it is long-term, and it helped to lift me.

I think many of the blog projects I have done have helped lift me, and now I am just addicted to them. I recently heard that you should try to list 100 things that make you happy. If you can’t list 100, then you need to get out of your comfort zone.  Getting your focus onto something positive can lift your spirits and lead to growth.

As long as you choose a project that you have an interest in and stick to it, anything will do, and that will lift your spirits.

Let Others Help You

Sometimes we are the hammer, and sometimes we are the nail.  That sentence always reminds me about how life treats you.

It isn’t really good or bad as much as it is factual. Sometimes we are the one who willingly gives help to others and other times we require the kindness and help of others.   Allow them to help you.

When I needed help, my pride got in the way, and I would loudly and even emphatically claim I was fine.  Yet, I was not fine. I needed help to talk to someone or spend time with someone who cared about me.

If you are fortunate enough to have someone in your life that wants to help lift you, LET THEM!  A friend reminded me that there is a time for all things, sometimes you have to be strong, and sometimes it is OK to need help. That is how life works.

Remember how good it feels to have someone care about you, and that will lift your spirit. How can it not?

Enjoy all the Little Things

Finding joy in the little things you encounter every day should be easy, but because they are simple things and we often overlook them, sometimes we forget about them completely, and the little things can lift your spirits.

Look at the weather.  It doesn’t matter what it is, and really it is pretty awesome. Rain provides the fuel for growth, a feeling of relaxation, and comfort.  The sound of rain on the grass or pattering off the roof provides relief.  A sunny day in the spring has its own hope and possibility. Those days seem to be just daring you to try to feel bad, and the only way you can accomplish that feat is to ignore the bright sunshine in front of you.

The sky can provide some of the greatest simple things that can lift your spirit.  In the day, look at a brilliant blue sky and notice the cloud formation. There is an endless feeling of hope and possibility up there, just waiting for you to notice it.  Try it someday, no matter where you are. Look up at the sky and notice the color. It never fails to lift my spirit unless I forget to look.

At night the sky is transformed into a covering of stars.  These provide you with hope and awe of a different kind, but it is no less powerful.  The show that the night sky provides you is free, majestic, and powerful, yet many of us never even notice.  This show is almost guaranteed to lift your spirit and make you feel better.

There are many other ways I am sure that could lift your spirit and make you feel better.  I urge you to have a few on reserve because you may never know when your spirit needs a little lifting.  Or, more importantly, when you may be needed to lift the spirit of someone else.

Feels Like Today ……………………………………..

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