Try: Spritzing!

Everyone loves a spritz.

About a year ago, a friend gave me a fancy makeup gift that included this great "mist" that prepares fancy people's skin for fancy makeup. Since I am neither fancy nor a makeup person (unless forced, like a little boy in a Sunday suit), I ended using the mist more than everything else. I realized the cooling feeling of water on my skin along with the gentle smells would distract and change my thinking. It's almost like a mental Pavlovian trick. You don't need to buy this mist to get it to work. I bet even rosewater in a little spray bottle would work. 

This is where you can find mine, but others work just as well, I'm sure.

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Try to: Hang Out With a Kid

Another experiment that worked for writer Madeleine Connolly. Her post on her improved mental health caught my attention. Here's what she says:

I work with kids, and I love it. I laugh every single day — probably ten times at least. Everyday is different, and everyday I learn new things from them. I practice compassion with them, and I get to witness the returns of that.

One of the best returns? Kids make you talk to them. You’re pretty much forced out of introversion when you work with kids, because you have to hold conversations about literally anything and everything. And their confidence can rub off on you too. I used to find talking with other adults who were confident to be difficult — it often used to make me feel even more introverted. But I found that’s not the same with kids, they’re just happy to be themselves, and for some reason it’s infectious.

I can’t explain it — but it’s a goddamned beautiful mystery that kids being themselves can help me to be myself.

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Welcome to the Club, Prince Harry

Way to jump in, fellow voyager.

“I’ve spent most of my life saying I’m fine.”

A few days ago, Prince Harry appeared on the first episode of a new mental health podcast in the UK. You can listen to the full 27 minute interview here. Note that the angle of the coverage is, predictably, taking the “good for him” angle.

When I hear Harry’s voice in the interview, this is how I feel, though:

It’s a little scary at first, but then it’s fun. And the water feels great.

When Harry has the courage to say he’s feeling nervous, I want to hold back the overly-eager interviewer from talking over him. Especially when she shouts at him, “There’s nothing to be nervous about!”

I feel protective.

Harry is stepping into a new role as a spokesperson. He’s also about to roll right into a vulnerability hangover. Anyone who has written or talked about their own mental health won’t be needing to click on that link.

I may also be wanting to share some of the protective power that I’ve slowly (excruciatingly) built up in the past few years talking to others about my own mental health. I want Prince Harry to know protective power will be his too. It’s built and shaped, just like a muscle.

You too, dear friend. I want you to know it too. Come on in, the water’s waiting.

Try to: Incorporate Incidental Walking

This experiment comes from Madeleine Connolly. She writes for the BV Medium publication. This is taken from a piece she wrote where she describes suddenly realizing she's feeling better, and why. (Editor's Note: Anytime someone writes about something that works, I sit up and pay attention.)

I try to walk at least 20 minutes every day. Often it’s kind of incidental walking: walking home from work for 30 minutes instead of getting the bus, that kind of thing. That’s all I do.

I think it works.

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Try: Creating a Bullet Journal

I learned about bullet journals from the good people of the Beautiful Voyager Slack channel. I am looking forward to trying this experiment out myself, and can see why the people who have written about this are so obsessed. The best description of how bullet journals work is definitely this in-depth, fully-illustrated Buzzfeed post. 

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Try: Cooking One Day of Healthy Meals

Breakfast

1. A fast, dairy-free, high fiber Coconut Chia Seed Pudding by Din's Emily Olson LaFave

2. Put 2 tablespoons of chia seeds into a jar with a sealable lid.

3. Add 1/2 can of coconut milk (7 oz) and shake well.

4. Wait 20-30 minutes for the seeds to expand.

5. Top with nuts, seeds, fruits and serve.

Lunch

Farro + Kale Salad by A Beautiful Mess's Emma Chapman

1. Boil 2 cups farro in 4 cups of salted water for 20 minutes.

2. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

3. Chop leaves of kale into small pieces and massage with olive oil to soften.

4. Chop a cucumber into very small pieces.

5. Combine farro, kale, and cucumber with some sunflower seeds and cranberries in large bowl. Coat with some olive oil.

6. Make dressing by combining 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 1 tbsp honey.

7. Dress salad and season with salt as needed. Makes 6 servings.

Dinner

We roast a lot of chickens in our house. That sounded violent. Let me say it another way. Perhaps a nice roasted chicken with a side of veggies for dinner?

We do this often because it's actually really easy. It makes the house smell great, and you get really useful leftovers. 

My approach, in sentence form: Put fennel, multi-colored carrots, broccoli, or other root vegetables under a dry chicken in a baking dish. Bake at 475 for around an hour. The veg act as a rack as well as making the whole thing a one-pan dish. 

If you're more comfortable with a step-by-step, go with the Molly Ringwald chicken I linked to above, or Gabi Moskowitz's 3rd date chicken. Both will treat you right.

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Try: Tackling One Item From Your "Should" List

This one is pretty unappealing. I know that. How? Because I know you. Because I AM you. I wouldn't want to do anything from my should list either. You think I want to go over to that set of papers on the desk and look at summer camp options for my daughter (why are they only one week long? why so much planning? it's like a matrix of options over there). Or even worse, the pile of bills. But this is on the list for a reason. Doing just one thing on the list will make you feel better and could change the momentum of your day. It's not about doing everything. It's about doing one thing. And then, maybe, one more thing. 

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Try: Getting Bored

Try turning off devices and doing nothing until you're bored. Genuinely bored, in the way that little kids are when they don't know what to do with themselves. (The same boredom that usually hits in the period before they come up with some great activity idea like building an underwater tent in the living room. Don't step on the floor! The carpet is sharks!) 

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