[shellbw]

The absolute top thing for cheering me up is little girl giggles--one of the sweetest sounds in the world.
Kid hugs are great, too.

Chocolate is a must, and we usually have it by the pound here.

DH making me laugh is a sure winner. He's great at that no matter what is going on.

Abba is awesome! I clean to the Mamma Mia soundtrack.

Going to YouTube and watching all the Weird Al videos that I can find.

[Ro]

Speaking of Abba... I have Dancing Queen as my cell phone's ring tone. It used to be Mama Mia! You can't miss me when my phone starts to ring!

[LaLo1103]

Kids always cheer me up! I love mine and I try to stop and remind myself how lucky I am to have them. Another good one is cuddling the dog - if that doesn't cheer me up he's at least kind enough to let me have a good cry on his fur!

[ValerieT]

When I'm really down, I think of Ben and all the kids in his school. I remind myself how hard and frustrating things must be for them, and it puts everything into perspective. For those who don't know, Ben has cerebral palsy and severe learning difficulties and goes to a school for the severely disabled.

[englishrose]

When I get down, it usually means my mind is not occupied enough and has switched from "focussed" to "worry" mode. I am happiest when planning something, a holiday, a room makeover, a major spring-clean or something like that. Ninety-nine times out of 100 this will work for me. If is doesn't, a change of scene and several good nights sleep work too. I know I am fortunate being a generally happy soul by nature.

Scrapping helps a lot too - there are design problems to solve, wonderful memories to relive and the Scrapgirls Gallery to look at for inspiration and encouragement.

[ScrapGram]

I too am lucky that I don't feel down very often, espcially as I have gotten older (through menopause!) I have a wonderfully supportive husband and I love 60s music. Listending to that always makes me feel happy. Other things I do are work crossword puzzles, read, and scrap, scrap, scrap!

[debikins]

Great topic Ro. I suffer from chronic Rheumatoid Arthritis (lots of symptoms similiar to your fibromyalgia) and chronic depression so feeling blue and unenthused about life is often a more frequent visitor than I like to admit. Lately I've been struggling with this issue a lot as I deal with relationship issues (ex), raising teen boys and financial stresses all while my RA has been in full flare up mode (not surprising it's reacting to the stress), so I'm reading the posts with renewed interest.

As for me, I tend to dodge my responsibilities when I'm down (not necessarily recommended), surf the web (mostly scrap related), scrap a page (often to a challenge), watch tv, clean house (mindless but with a big reward), drink hot tea, call or visit my mom. Sometimes just getting through the day is a victory. Once the kids are home from school, my attention goes onto them and by outfocusing I can forget my own worries (temporarily anyway). I also try breathing slower and deeper to keep myself calmer. If the sun is out, it helps tremendously. hard to be sad on a sunny day for me.

Debi

[teabaglady]

Excellent question! I've enjoyed reading everyone's responses so far.

We recently moved to an acreage that is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined, and walking far out through the woods to the back has not failed to cheer me, no matter how down I am. Reasonably good weather is required for this, although a light misty rain can be very refreshing!

If it's cold, there's nothing like a hot bubble bath with candle light and some relaxing music. I do this often to calm and refresh (not to mention warm up!) in the winter.

Playing the piano is another way I cheer myself. Usually worship music, or whatever stirs my heart at the time.

A good comedy can also lift the spirits.

Having lots of remedies seems fickle, somehow, yet I think it gives options because different "down" moods require different methods to pick me up. If all else fails, a good cup of tea with plenty of chocolate can work wonders!

Heather

[DianaL]

When I'm feeling down for a few days and realize I need to do something drastic to pull myself out of it, I force myself to exercise. Feeling down makes me want to lay around a lot, so I end up not sleeping well, and that compounds the problem. So, I take my dog on a long energetic walk, yet occasionally stopping to smell the roses. And when I feel tired and think about stopping, I push myself and keep walking until I'm so exhausted I cannot walk anymore. Then I take shower and go to bed! Between the endorphins and extra oxygen being pumped through my veins, I usually sleep like a baby and wake up feeling super refreshed.

[scrapinfan]

My standby is having lunch or coffee with a friend (or two). It always brings back how lucky I am to have them in my life.

I 'recharge' by having alone time, not by being with people (hubby recharges by being out with others) so if I'm low it sometimes is just that when life moves at the speed of light, I need to step off for a moment and get lost for a whioe in a book or shut the door and watch tv (with the remote to myself!)...

Usually being low for me is an indication that something is out of balance in my life; church, family, volunteer, work, me time. I get crabby if I don't have time to create (everything from making cake pops or other desserty delectable! to making some cool earrings, to photography, to scrappin). Sometimes life gets busy and everything isn't in sync. That's life! So when I get a bit low, that is usually the reason.
Doing something is good - like knocking off that big 'to do' thing that's been sitting on the top of your list all week (the one you don't want to tackle because you just don't have the energy?!)

And exercise outside always gives me a lift... ALWAYS (I somehow feel like I've accomplished something every time I go out and get active - a little crazy I know)!! You'd think I would do this first, hmmmm?!...

Sitting in church also always gives me a lift (and not with kids that I have to separate because they are 'touching' each other!), but I love to just sit and let everything relax, all the stress flows out and away, and for those moments (and for a while after) I am truly at peace...

[Stephanie]

I am a student, so many times I must be out in public when this is the case I smile at strangers! Their reactions always cheer me! If I am stuck inside, I am at the computer so I look at u-tubes of babies laughing, this never fails! Or even funny cat u-tubes work!

[Ro]

Oh my gosh... I am loving this string and am so glad I asked you about it. Just reading through your wonderful posts is a joy. I want to print this out and keep it forever. I need to compile it into some sort of list that I can refer to. I want to give you all a hug.

[debzie]

I do lots of things already mentioned, like reading a good book and petting a cat, but I also frequently get a "reality check" from my DH. He loves me to pieces and is very gentle and calm, but even more importantly, he tells me the truth. He can usually remind me of my blessings AND my strengths, without denigrating my feelings or all my sensitivities. I'm a lucky woman!

[WendyPorota]

I believe in embrace our emotions, instead of suppress them. That doesn´t mean to thrash my house when I'm angry. But let myself feel that way, understand why I feel that way, express it in a healthy way and try to change the cause of a negative emotion. If I can´t change it and I' ve mused enough about it I have three ways of make myself feel better:
1. listen to music (something fun if I'm down, heavy metal If I'm angry. You may think that's odd, but energetic music as heavy metal it's good for jumping around and singing to the top of your lungs, I get so tired that I can stay angry any more (I hate sports). ¿The nighboours? I've got to put up with barking dogs, screaming teenagers and a noisy washing machine under my bedroom window during night and day. They can put up with some loud music once in a while.
2. Pet my dog or cat. (My cat seems to have a peting-meter of sorts, when he considers it´s enough, it´s enough. The dog is more affectionate, as long as you don´t ask for a kiss)
3. Watch something funny. Maybe an old episode of Friends (it still makes me laugh more than 10 years later) or The Big Bang Theory.