(This post is part of the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. You can find links to other writers' answers over at Long and Short Reviews.)
Prompt: How I shake off a bad mood.
I'm actually trying out antidepressants right now because this week at work is horrifyingly stressful, or possibly just horrifying and stressful. We went live with a new system back on Sunday, and honestly? We were still getting reports of issues and errors over the weekend.
Which... we could have done this. We could have gone live with this system. But we should have done it in parallel with the old system, for at least another month and probably three. Instead, apparently, we're going to close down the old system and lock it for auditing purposes, which means that we'll have nothing to compare against to see if the new system is doing its job correctly.
Are they helping? By the time I put this up on Wednesday, I hope to have an answer for that. (Update: no, I really don't. Partly because we did the latest Flu and Covid vaccines on Sunday, and holy poot that was a lot.)
Other things I do to shake off a bad mood:
- Read. Yes, I know, preaching to the choir on this one. But a bit of quiet time alone with a book is a balm to the soul.
- Walk. It's Texas, it was 85 degree F this morning, heading for a high of 98, which means two things:
- Going for a walk isn't always feasible.
- It's actually substantially cooler than it has been.
- Drinking. Can't do this one right now; the antidepressants do not mix well with alcohol. Think dangerous drops in blood pressure kind of Do Not Mix Well. Still, this is probably for the better; drinking is one of those coping strategies that can turn into a problem itself.
- Video games. Like reading, a bit of time spent by myself playing a video game can be restorative. I even have a couple of games that I go back to fairly regularly -- sort of like comfort-reads, but comfort-plays instead.
- Dungeons and Dragons. Go hang out with some friends, pretend to be someone I'm not, fight the forces of evil... or side with them. Therapeutic either way.
So that's me and bad moods. How about you?
Definitely with you on walking and video games. Which games are your comfort ones? I've unfortunately never had a circle of friends who are into D&D, but I think I'd find it of interest.
ReplyDeleteInfamous and Infamous 2, mostly, or the older versions of Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefront 2. Deadspace 2 is another one, but that's definitely horror.
DeleteI found going to a mall and walking around the inside for a few laps is easier than going out and walking at 6 in the morning.
ReplyDeleteI imagine so! Unfortunately we're starting to run a bit short of malls in our area, and honestly when I'm in a really bad mood I tend to just leave the house and start walking.
DeleteAll great ideas, Michael. I'm certainly with you on the reading front. Also, I read Thornhedge last week and I thought it was excellent, so thanks for the rec!
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm so glad you enjoyed that!
DeleteI get these. I read and walk, and while I don't play games, I live with someone who does as a coping strategy and I understand it. I'm in the same boat with the drinking (un)fortunately!
ReplyDeleteThe nice thing about these is that they aren't especially complicated.
DeleteI love that nearly everyone has "walking" on their list. It's a great happy pill!
ReplyDeleteIt really is.
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