Everyday Canvas

Getting Up from Feeling Down

Prompt: What do you do when you're down to bring yourself a little joy?

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At this time in my life, I don’t feel down much, unless there is a serious reason like death. Even if there is something not to my liking, I don’t fret over it; I guess, with time, I learned how to roll with the punches.


On the other hand, should something happen to make me feel bad, annoyed, or irritated, my immediate ways of tackling it can be, to:

• Do something that would take my mind of off the incident: Clean something, arrange a closet or a kitchen cupboard, or sew while listening to a book on tape.

• Walk around or go watch nature or people, like at the beach or the town.

• Take photos of whatever I find in my immediate surroundings

• Call one of my cousins and talk, even if I don’t tell them what’s bugging me.

• Read. I read anyway, but reading something that occupies my mind like a how-to book or a book with suspense helps more.

• Watch the antics of babies, kittens, puppies and other animals on YouTube.

• Go find a few foreign-language TV stations online or on Youtube and watch. I studied a few languages, each to some degree, and watching people use them entertains me.

• Write about it, although writing sometimes makes it worse for me, but if it is a long-running annoyance with history of its own, then writing helps.


Once I take care of the immediate annoyance, to get rid of its leftovers, I try to focus on what truly matters to me, and that other nasty stuff becomes as unimportant as an unrecognizable dot in my universe. Another thing I might do, once I’ve calmed down, is to count my blessings for what I have, for the people in my life, and what I have accomplished.

A few decades ago, when I had faced more incidents and events to get me down, I discovered the self-hypnosis tapes and meditation. I strongly believe they helped me greatly. Yet, when I suggested them to somebody who was dealing with a persistent annoyance in her life, she wasn’t open to it, saying her problem was special and unique.

I think we are all human beings, and no problem can be one of a kind; although, it may have variations in it from person to person. In addition, if one nurtures her problem and gives it more importance than it deserves, that problem grows bigger. Cultivate a weed, and it’ll take over your flower bed.

In short, perspective may be everything, but we can make use of some crutches, too, until we gain that perspective.