3 Morale Boosters You Can Try Right Now!

If in the past few days, weeks, and beyond you’ve found yourself in a funk, you’re not alone. The current socio-political climate feels precarious and it’s hard to feel unaffected by this. Admittedly, our collective consciousness seems to be occupied by some scary and unpredictable things. And, with that in mind, it can feel difficult to figure out how to have agency and, plainly, how to pick ourselves up and feel good. 

As a card-carrying goofball, I arrive on your phone, laptop, tablet, etc. to deliver some feel-good things you can do to combat the funk. 

1. Wholesome Memes 

Memes are the caviar of the internet. They unlock a special happy zone in your brain and are just downright ticklish. My very brilliant coworkers contribute to a slack channel that is dedicated to memes and haha’s. I once laugh-cried at my desk because of the potent, joyful powers of a meme sent by someone on my team. Consider dedicating a time and place for levity in your workflow. 

Instagram and Twitter are powerhouse meme providers. However, if you’re looking for a place that’s dedicated to wholesome memes, mosey on over to the subreddit r/WholesomeMemes. In my experience, it’s been a fantastic and ebullient place filled with like commenters.  

What makes a wholesome meme? This very subreddit describes them as “uplifting, life-affirming, or revisioning a not-so-nice meme into something kinder”.

Take this meme for example:

Do I have a husband? No no no! Do I love this meme and find it devastatingly joyful? Yes, yes, yes!

You never know who among you is in need of a giggle. Sometimes, a meme can fill that need. 

2. Try a Buzzfeed challenge (with caution!)

Earlier last month, I saw a Buzzfeed video about a young woman who challenged herself to do 100 crunches every day for thirty days. I thought, boy howdy, that sounds tremendous! And so, I’ve been doing my best to complete this challenge. Of course, failures have ensued but it’s been a new goal and productive distraction. 

Every day that I can, I set an appointment with myself for ten minutes to complete my crunches. As a reward, I write down that I completed this task on my calendar so that I can keep track of how many successful days I’ve done so far. I’ve also roped in a few brave folks (friends, family, even clients!) and they’re doing crunches with me too. 

It’s been fun to be in community with others, striving towards a similar goal. Sometimes, it’s too hard and I make myself bruschetta toast instead of doing crunches. But, sometimes, I check in with a friend and they motivate me to persevere. And sometimes, they make toast too and we eat together over Facetime. Either way, morale=boosted!

3. Start a hobby

Great googly moogly, projects are terrific! Be they short or long term, starting a project is a great way to get lost in a task, and have something to show for all your efforts, too. 

Here are some projects I’m working on:

• Cooking — Earlier this week, I pressure cooked some garbanzo beans/chickpeas. When they cooled, I used half the batch to make a roasted garlic hummus. Having made the hummus, I realized there were no chips or dippable foods! So I thought about making pita bread. I thought so hard about it, I got distracted and inspired by focaccia and that’s what I made! Ah yes, the joys, twists, and turns of cooking projects! 

• Puzzles, re-works, arts, & crafts — There are few things more relaxing than getting lost in a project. While this not may ring true for all, it’s my personal belief that anything can become artful or the fertilizer for a new project. An old and dowdy dress can get recut and sewn into a saucy two-piece. Stale bread can be re-worked into crumbs, infused with garlic, and sprinkled on top of your mac n’ cheese. Potential is everywhere, and maybe it’s up to us to recognize it. 

• Plants — Plants pose a fascinating likeness to humans. Much like a plant, we require sunlight, water, and a little tlc. If you’re on a grocery run and find yourself passing through the plant aisle, consider giving a home to a plant. If you’re nervous and new to plants, pothos plants are pretty resilient to error and, often, a good place to begin your plant journey. 

Give one or some of these morale boosters a try and if it works, I wanna know! We’re all enduring this uncertain time together. This is a collective, global experience and we’re all hanging in there as best we can. Finally, and most paramount, I hope you’re staying well and that this read was a small respite.  

Stay golden,

A

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Don’t forget to take a look at our last blog post with more ways to make the most out of your social distancing period.

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