Why Bother?

Earlier today, I was cleaning my kitchen, again. It seems every time I think it's clean, suddenly more dishes stack up and the counters are full of crumbs again. The same thing happens in the bathroom: I clean it, only to see soap scum build up quickly, water all over the counter, and hair all over the floor. Why bother?! It takes a lot of my energy to clean up just one or two things around the house, and I always have to rest afterward. So when I see that it doesn't last long, I get so frustrated. And it's not because I have a messy household. My husband and I do the best to clean up behind ourselves, and there are no kids making their own mess. It's just life. Life is messy. And you have to deal with it.

But I don't always feel like dealing with it. For the past several months, I've been feeling tired, depressed, and stressed out. I have no idea why. I keep trying to think of why, but I don't come up with any answers. I think maybe it's from not getting any work done. I haven't touched my draft in months. But when I think about picking it up to work on, my stress increases. It seems my body and mind just want a break. Which is OK, but it still bothers me. Why? I don't have a clue.

Do you ever get the moody blues and don't know why? What do you do to figure out the problem and fix it? Me, I try to write a list of what's bothering me, even if it takes me a while to come with something, and even if that something is ludicrous. Right now, it's that I'm bored. I'm bored with writing, frustrated even. Yes, I want to finish my book. but I know when I do, I have a lot of work coming for editing and formatting it for publication. Yikes! That just freaks me out right now. So, instead, I do nothing. And nothing seems to make things worse. And so it's an endless cycle. 

What I really want to do is find another hobby that will fill my soul while I take a break from my writing. But I have no idea what to do. So, I thought I'd ask you. What are your hobbies? What would you suggest I do to get my creative energy flowing again? Thanks in advance for your help!

The Doldrums Zone

Do you feel down in the dumps sometimes? I've been going through a state of the doldrums the last couple of weeks, and I'm still crawling my way out of it. I hate feeling like this. It's so hard to get anything done, and lying around all day is no fun at all. I'm sure it's hard for you when you have to get up, go to school, do your homework, etc., etc, etc. So much to do, no willpower to do it.

So we need to find ways to get ourselves out of the doldrums and feel better. Only then will we be able to get back to living our lives to the fullest, and, let's face it, our lives are worth living!

So, for starters, make sure to avoid these four health mistakes that can cause you to enter the doldrums stage and keep you there for days on end. Try talking to a friend or family member to see if you can pinpoint what's causing you to feel so down. If you're not comfortable talking to someone right now, try journaling. Just write whatever comes to you. In time, you'll probably find that anything that's bothering you will turn up in your words.

Realize that you may just be dealing with hormones, and it may take a while for everything to shift back to normal. There doesn't always have to be a fixable cause to feeling down. You may just have to deal with it for a while. It sucks, but that's a fact of life.

Next time you feel down in the dumps, treat yourself right, eat properly, try to move around a bit, relax, rest as much as you can, and do some activities you love. You'll feel better soon.