Creativity Nice Life Reminders Pip-Life

Twelve ways to feel BRIGHT as a BUTTON

May 13, 2016

I think that as the year settles in, in earnest, it’s easy to feel tired, lacklustre or even have an existential crisis. If that’s you, know that you’re in good company. Yep.

With this in mind it seemed like a good time to think about the brightness and what makes us feel a bit more chirpy. Here’s a bunch of things I came up with to help get us all on the Chirp-Train.

Twelve ways to feel BRIGHT as a BUTTON

1. Get in touch with three friends. Three. You heard it here first. Text someone out of the blue. Write a card and pop it in the post. Make a care package and drop it on a pal’s doorstep. There’s nothing like your friends to help you find your place in the world and remind you of how good your life really is. Friends x 3!

2. Write an important letter. Even though the internet LOVES a petition (and they are good and all…), sometimes it’s a good idea to be even more proactive and put pen to paper to protest the wrong or support the things you love. Not only are you tapping into the meaningful stuff that makes you tick, you might even impact on someone else’s life in a positive way.

3. Go bird spotting. So often we head out to get our ‘steps’ up or to burn calories or just to tick the ‘exercise’ thing off our daily (weekly?!) list. Don’t forget how great it is to have an amble with NO real purpose except to notice cool stuff that’s not only nature-y, but capable of reminding us that there’s heaps of wonders in the world and we’re part of the big, rad picture. Yay!

4. Dance around the kitchen. Last night I was listening to this playlist on Spotify and honestly, I could not stop smiling in cheesy, nostalgic delight. Most of the tracks are from when Rin was a kid so they remind me a lot of those cute times.

5. Start a project for charity. Doing something for other people always makes me feel a lot brighter and better, generally. Combine those positive powers with a bit of craft and I’m a total bright-eyed goner. Maybe you are a bit the same? If you’re not crafty, there are heaps of NON creative, helpful things you can be part of. (So that’s no excuse!)

6. Eat some bread. Or some cake. Or some ice cream. Just eat something you love and don’t even tell me that you can’t do that because of carbs or ‘sometimes foods’ or any of that piffle. Food is for fun too, remember?! Make something treat-y, eat it with pleasure, congratulate yourself on your good taste afterwards, thank your body for being just the way it is. Yay for bodies!

7. Look at a picture of a sloth.

8. Do some drawing. Some people love colouring in. That’s cool. I think drawing is also good because you can grow your skills and feel a bit like a fancy arty-schmarty type… and that is bright making for sure. You don’t have to show it to anyone, if you are feeling that there’s a gap between your output and your desired output. Instead, speak with a pompous accent (to yourself) about how interesting and unexpected your work is. Do that.

9. Float around in some water. Who wouldn’t feel a bit joyful and chipper after they’ve bobbed about in next-to-nothing for a while? It really doesn’t matter if you have extra-bobby bits, because everyone looks twice the size under the water and it’s actually an awesome, child-like, fun house experience (so that’s a bonus layer of bright!)

10. Sing very loudly to quite bad music. This is self-explanatory, but you should know that a) censoring yourself and b) avoiding undignified dance moves are definitely OUT. Sing from your diaphragm. Dance with your shoulders. The world is your stage. Word.

11. Watch Gilmore Girls. Obvs.

12. Pick something. Some flowers. Some herbs. Some fruit. Do a little bit of a gentle harvest and you’ll feel at one with the world. (If you get caught picking someone else’s stuff, do not blame me. Nuh-uh.)

Have a rad Friday, guys! Love youse!!!

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5 Comments

  • Reply Louise June 11, 2016 at 11:21 AM

    I’ve discovered this awesome thing called Dance in the Dark. We all meet at a school hall, turn the lights off and dance for an hour to awesome music. The girls that organise it publish the playlist on Spotify so we can listen again afterwards. No one can see you, so it really IS dance like no one is watching. Its THE BEST mood lifter. You should come too.

  • Reply Pia May 29, 2016 at 9:49 PM

    Utter, UTTER gems.
    Love your work, Lucy.
    <3
    Pia

  • Reply Susanna May 14, 2016 at 9:02 PM

    I have been feeling rather flat lately, probably due to the lack of sunshine. So this post has come at a perfect time, thanks Pip!

  • Reply Collette May 14, 2016 at 8:38 PM

    Pip, I am going to do some of these things. Sometimes life just kills off the good feels – like today, when my three year old had this monumental melt down in front of about 1000 people. And I wasn’t the mama that I wanted to be (mama-fail!). And yesterday, when the same thing happened (ground-hog day!). And quite possibly, the day before that too. Sometimes a three year old can just kill the spirit of a 43 year old. But singing out loud and floating in some water is bound to make things a little bit better. Good suggestions. xx

  • Reply Reannon May 13, 2016 at 9:49 PM

    I LOVE that playlist! So many great songs! I’m gonna listen to it tomorrow 🙂
    I’m just about to start season 7 of GG & I’m not ready for it to be over. It doesn’t matter that I’ve seen it so many times I like having it on while I hook away on the couch or in bed. I’m going to have to draaaaaag it out. And then find a new series to watch. What can I watch? Maybe I should revisit FNL?

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