Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Thursday 28 March |
Holy Thursday of the Supper of the Lord
Aleteia logo
Lifestyle
separateurCreated with Sketch.

2 Cheap and easy ways to defeat those summertime blues

Books and phone on grass

John Touhey | Aleteia

Calah Alexander - published on 07/31/18 - updated on 08/08/23

When summer has you feeling drained and snappish, try these tips for turning your mood around.

Please consider a gift for Aleteia!
Help us spread the joy of Christ's victory.
Aleteia depends on your support.

Join our Lenten Campaign 2024.

DONATE NOW

There are some days when I come home from work and realize that I’m not in a very good mood. It’s always kind of shocking. That might sound silly, but my job (training camps) is very people-oriented, and I’m an extremely people-oriented person. Social interactions energize me, so coming home feeling drained and snappish is a little disorienting.

On those days, I know I need a pick-me-up to keep my grumpiness from spilling over onto my family and friends. Sometimes it works to get out of the house and hit another trainer’s camp or go a few rounds with the punching bag, but that’s not always possible with five kids. Since exercise is my go-to bad mood buster, I’ve spent some time searching for quick fixes for a mood funk. Lo and behold, The Financial Diet has a list of 14 ways to bust that bad mood — and they’re all free. Here are my two favorites:

cell phone with cover on white background

PICK UP THE PHONE

Call a relative or a close friend you don’t often get to catch up with. It’s more mood-boosting than you think. You’ll be excited that you actually made the effort to see how your long-distance friend or favorite cousin is doing. More importantly, you will reconnect with someone you love. Sharing how you’re doing can be therapeutic. And maybe you’ll realize you aren’t doing as badly as you thought you were!

Muriel Spark novel on white background

Pick up a book

Bring a book to read on your lunch hour. A book is always a great escape from one’s troubles. Or better yet, start an at-work book club once a week during lunch. Even if you’re just reading a chapter a week, it will motivate you to look at something non-work-related during the day. Sharing book thoughts with co-workers can also help you relate to each other in beneficial ways.

GREEN LIBRARY SIGN

BONUS TIP: VISIT THE LIBRARY

But my favorite bad-mood-buster is probably taking my kids to the library. They each have their own library card, and the library has a little play zone that my toddler loves to explore while the bigger kids wander the library shelves, finding a few books that catch their eyes.

The library has basically become my mothership. There’s something incredibly soothing about the hushed silence, the rustling pages, and the harassed librarians reminding children to walk and whisper in fierce whisper-shouts.

I’m not going to lie though — the biggest draw to the library is knowing that when we get home, I’m basically guaranteed at least an hour of silence and iced coffee while the kids dive into their new books. There’s no mood so bad that it can’t be fixed with some iced coffee and blissful, blessed silence.

Tags:
Mental HealthPsychology
Support Aleteia!

Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you.

Thanks to their partnership in our mission, we reach more than 20 million unique users per month!

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.

Support Aleteia with a gift today!

jour1_V2.gif
Daily prayer
And today we celebrate...




Top 10
See More
Newsletter
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. Subscribe here.