Sometimes Tuesdays are harder to get through than the dreaded
Monday. Usually Monday brings with it a fresh beginning, a happiness-high from the weekend, and the much needed structure that many of us need. Tuesdays, on the other hand, are when the high has worn off and the stress of the workweek has officially set in.
What we need is a treasure box full of Tuesday Turn-Arounds - things that pull us out of the funk. That can be something different for every person, but I have done a bit of research and found a few that are guaranteed to brighten up your Tuesday (or Wednesday, or Thursday…).
music
Some people like to have music constantly playing in the background. Others get distracted (or work in an environment where that is not possible). Either way, slipping a little bit of music into your day will be sure to change your mood. If you are playing music throughout the day Pandora or Spotify would be your best choice.
Pandora is free (with ads), and
Spotify costs around $9/month and comes with all kinds of cool features.
If you have to slip your music in wherever you can (the drive home from work, your lunch break, while cooking dinner…), having a go-to playlist is the way to go. Since you don’t have time to skim through songs you don’t like, having this playlist will instantly put you in a good mood. Take the time on a weekend to update your music collection, and make a playlist with 15-20 songs that always brighten your mood.
5-minutes happy break
Take five minutes to scan
Pinterest, or play
Words with Friends. Research shows that a 5-minutes “mindless task” taken every hour or so keeps the mind sharp and eases exhaustion. Keep in mind, this does not mean switching from one task to another for five minutes. This time is meant for your brain to reset. Your task should involve not much more that slashing cartoon fruit or flipping through pictures on your
Instagram.
snacks every few hours
For optimum mind and body function, having a “snack” every 2-3 hours is key. For example:
- a small bowl of whole grain cereal at 8am
- a banana and a handful of nuts at 10am
- a slice of whole wheat pizza with veggies at 12pm
- a serving of strawberry Greek yogurt at 3pm
- half of a chicken breast and a small serving of mixed veggies at 6pm
- hummus and carrots at 9pm
- a scoop of raspberry sorbet sprinkled with a few semi-sweet chocolate chips, if needed
Keep in mind that in order to snack so often, your “meals” should stay fairy small. It might be a hard adjustment at first, but once you get the hang of it, those frequent bursts in nutrition will start to have a positive effect on your attitude.
Here is a list of good snacks:
- Banana
- Egg and low-fat shredded cheddar cheese taquito
- Low-fat chocolate milk
- Half of a Naked Green Machine
- Cheese slices and grapes
- Hummus and Truiscuts
- Greek yogurt (Trader Joe’s has a delicious Strawberry Vanilla flavor)
- Handful of raisins and nuts
- Popcorn
- Boiled egg
More can be found *here*
a walk-about
My mom has a Yorkie who is 11 years old. He spends most of his days on the couch. But every so often, even if we are sitting with him, he will hop down and take a stroll around the house. He’s really not doing anything except stretching his legs and getting his blood flowing.
Take guidance from nature. The natural habit for an animal who does not see a lot of movement in his day (almost like sitting in a cubicle for 8 hours) is to get up every few hours and move around.
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