In March 2020 we welcomed a new member to our family, Oliver!
This was a very exciting time for our family.
However, we all know the anxiety that was spreading across the world at that time due to the pandemic. The plague of doubt and fear did not spare my mind during this time and it began to negatively effect my home life.
After weeks of turning over the anxiety in my mind, I knew I could not continue this way. This lead to my husband suggesting that I see a counsellor through his work’s Employee Assistance Program. This was my first step to freedom as I was able to talk to a third party who could validate and explain what I was experiencing.
It was also during this time that I became a scientist in our own home. My question being: What are some ways I can brighten my mood so that I can raise these kids in a loving environment, despite everything happening on the news? After a lot of reading, trial, error, and practice, I came up with 5 ways.
Here are 5 ways to brighten your mood.
1. Spend time with wise friends
The Daily Spiral
During my postpartum stage, I found that I often got tangled up with what I liked to call “the daily spiral”. I would obsess over a conversation I had with someone by thinking, “what did they mean by that?” IT’S SUCH A TRAP! As soon as I would get hooked into this vortex, it would be on my mind for hours, and sometimes the whole day. This issue was also becoming a nasty plague in my life, and so I brought this forward in my counselling sessions as well.
who will you spend your time with? choose wisely
With the help of my counsellor, I eventually came to the conclusion that it was probably best for me to limit time with certain people who were not the best influence on my current state in life. In exchange, I started to hang out with some pretty incredible, wise women from a moms group I had joined. This really helped me to grow through my habits of the daily spiral, which then helped our family life! Danielle Bean on her podcast “Girlfriends”, says that “we are the sum total of the people we spend our time with”. How true! I encourage you to chose wisely. You will know deep down if someone is a good influence or not. Use your free will to limit your time with these people if they are acutely or chronically effecting you or your family in a negative manner.
What Makes a wise friend?
Now, what exactly makes a wise friend? Someone who speaks charitably of others, someone who is quick to understand rather than quick to judge. There are a lot of great qualities that make a good friend, but the following two points really speak about the maturity and wisdom of a person.
- Someone who celebrates with you and is happy when good things come your way
- Someone who mourns with you during the challenging times in life
2. Play music in the home to brighten your mood
Music has an instant effect on your mood
This tip is an INSTANT help in the mornings or evenings when things tend to get a little hectic in a home with young kids. In the morning I usually play some Jack Johnson, Praise and Worship, or music that the kids like (the Wiggles or CocoMelon). This not only calms me down, but it also settles the children as they are listening to the music. We also sing, dance (this is sometimes my daily workout), and it lifts our spirits instantly!
You don’t need a full on sound system for this to work. I do enjoy hearing music from a good quality speaker and not so much from my iPhone 8. Since I have an iPhone I do subscribe to the Apple Music app and then I bluetooth through to a Bose Colour Soundlink Speaker, which I love because the sound has amazing quality.
3. Fill your home with beautiful things that you love
bring in the beauty to brighten you mood
Being on lockdown with small kids with little support, meant that we were spending a lot of time in our home. I found that during these periods it was helpful to have beauty in the home that I could admire and think about in order to take my mind off the stress.
tips on how to decorate a space
tip #1
First, you need to do an analysis. Sit quietly in the space you are focusing on. If it is a certain corner or a wall, sit facing this area. Observe all the things you already enjoy about the space, and then identify what you can add or remove. Write these things down so that when you are searching for specific objects you don’t add that really cute throw pillow that was not on the list (I may have done this a few times).
Tip #2
My second tip to beautifying is to add some plants or fresh flowers! I have recently added a few plants to our master bedroom and the lounge and let me tell you it transforms the area! I am not even close to what they now call a “plant mom”, and these plants have survived under my care! Ok, full disclosure my children tried to eat the Monstera plant because they were pretending to be dinosaurs. It was actually kind of funny, but also sad because I loved that plant! The monstera is a good plant to get, but also the ficus as well is a lovely, sturdy plant addition to your home. Other options to bringing the green inside is to just pick flowers or leaf cuttings from outside. It’s free and will ad that pop of green that is sure to brighten your day.
Tip #3
My third tip is to fill your home with items that you love and are personal to you. This could be a picture of a great family trip you took, or it could be a paper mache project that you did with your kids. Place them around the home especially in areas where you spend a lot of time. There were some days where the kids were either sick, teething or just unsettled. I would be walking around the home with them in my arms feeling pretty helpless, but seeing the art or pictures of trips that we took, brought me joy in those moments.
If you would like to try a great decorative craft, take a look at this diy mod podge craft that has very little material needed to make decorated jars for your home.
4. Find reasons to celebrate and brighten your mood
Celebration during tough times can brighten your mood
During the Covid-19 beginnings I was still using Instagram at the time and keeping up with how my family and friends were coping around the world. I found that a lot of my friends were starting to celebrate more within their bubbles. I saw everything from themed dinners, tea parties, to talent shows and creative birthdays at home. People were finding fun ways to celebrate even during these limiting times which was so incredible to see!
If themed parties are not your cup of tea, I encourage you to take time to celebrate the milestones in your life. That new job, the exam you passed, your dating anniversary, your aunt’s birthday LOL! The celebration can be as simple as enjoying a home baked cake, eating breakfast for dinner, having a simple dance party in your living room, or blow up a few multicoloured balloons for your kids to throw around. Whatever it is that you have in your home, use those creative juices to turn your everyday incredible moments into celebration.
5. Move your body
Look, I’m no gym panda and I have no consistent work-out routine. I like many types of exercises including: jogging, swimming, surfing, walking, weights, pilates, stretching, HIIT, and dance. I do try to move my body every day, like when I use my arm to bring the coffee mug from the counter top to my mouth, that is a bicep curl…
simple ways to stay active and as a result, brighten your mood
I mentioned before that we like to play music in the home, and how we sometimes end up having a dance party. Yup, sometimes this is my workout. If the kids are listening to 20 min of upbeat kids songs, I will move my body with as much range of motion in order to get my heart beat up. The next day I may not dance to the Wiggles, but will actually take the time to bring out our weight set and do some focussed weight routine. And the next day I may take the kids for a long pram walk and do some pilates once we get home. It changes every day, but one things remains: I ALWAYS feel better once I have taken the time to move my body.
So there you have it. These are 5 ways to brighten your mood that are tried and true! Try to implement these ways into your family life and you will find more joy and happiness while raising your amazing kids!