Fifty Ways To Get Out of Your March Funk

We're heading toward the end of March, with a number of warm days in a row recently, the sky being light when I wake up and still light after dinner (hooray, vernal equinox!), and a pretty good chance of no more significant snowfall this season (*nervously knocks on wood*). But even so, this is a rough time of year for me. I'm sick of winter but the joys of spring have not quite arrived. I have a tendency to fall into a funk this time of year. Fortunately (for both myself and those poor souls around me), I've developed a number of coping mechanisms that serve as a kind of "reset button." If you, like me, struggle to keep a good attitude this time of year, here is a list of fifty things you can try doing to get yourself out of that funk. Some are appropriate for home, some are okay for work, some only require a minute or two, while some need a little more time. But somewhere on this list, I hope, you will find a technique that works for you in any given situation. 

1. Go for a walk. Around the park, around the block, around your desk, around the sofa. 

2. Grab a drink. Water, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, soda, wine, tequila, whatever's appropriate given the time and place. Bonus points if you spend a few minutes preparing it.   

3. Phone a friend. Texting is also acceptable. A quick vent to a trusted pal is a great stress release. 

4. Take a shower. Hot or cold, depending. If you have time, throw in a shower steamer. 

5. Listen to some music. Classical, pop, head-banging heavy metal, whatever suits your mood. If you're in public, please use earbuds and refrain from dancing. If you're not in public, have at it. 

6. Go look out the window. Whatever the view, it's different from whatever it is you've been looking at. 

7. Practice making up goofy pseudo-swear words and phrases. McGillicuddy Parnassus Moonshine McRae, is it ever satisfying. 

8. Put away 5 items that are cluttering up someplace near you. Your desk, your house, your car. Could be trash to throw away, papers to be filed, junk mail to be sorted, laundry to be put away. 

9. Wash something. A coffee cup, a load of laundry, a window, your hands. Scrubbing is physically and mentally cathartic. 

10. Smell something nice. Light a candle, pick a flower, put on perfume or aftershave, sniff a bottle of vanilla extract. 

11. Yell into a pillow. You'd be surprised at how satisfying a good primal scream can be. 

12. Change into a favorite article of clothing. Throw on that beloved college sweatshirt, those fabulous heels, the jeans that make your butt look awesome, the sweater that brings out the color of your eyes. 

13. Interact with an animal. Pet your cat. Walk your dog. Watch the squirrels cavorting outside. Drive to a pet store and chirp at the parakeets. 

14. Watch something really silly for 5 minutes. Monty Python. 1980s SNL. The Three Stooges. Road Runner cartoons. Bad lip reading videos. The sillier, the better.  

15. Cook something. Mac & cheese from a box. Duck a l'orange. Oatmeal bread. Fried bologna. 

16. Do something artistic or creative for a few moments. Doodle on a notepad. Write a poem. Give yourself an amazing smoky eye. Whittle a toothpick. Fold an origami crane. 

17. Re-read a chapter (or a few paragraphs) of a favorite book. Preferably one you haven't revisited in a while. 

18. Put on some really nice hand lotion. Good for the skin and for the soul. 

19. Slide across the floor in your socks. (Pants and sunglasses optional.)

20. Eat something sweet. Not necessarily a big something, but a couple of M&Ms, a small cookie, a hard candy, a spoonful of ice cream or pudding, a sip of soda, a strawberry. Savor it slowly. 

21. Eat something crunchy. A couple of peanuts, a pretzel rod, some apple slices, a couple of tortilla chips. Enjoy it as noisily as possible (but clean up your crumbs afterwards). 

22. Gargle. With warm salt water or mouthwash. Swish well and spit as forcefully as you can without making a mess. 

23. Buy a little something for someone. A pack of gum. A cup of coffee. A greeting card. A cookie. Making someone else feel good makes you feel good. 

24. Take off your shoes. If you're already barefoot, put on a really nice pair of socks. 

25. Wash your feet and trim your toenails. You know they need it. And it is weirdly satisfying.

26. Think of a place you've always wanted to visit and look up a hotel there. Research it thoroughly. 

27. Find something pretty or interesting around you and take a photo of it, the artsier the better. 

28. Look up the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day and try to use it in a conversation before the end of the day. 

29. Make paper clip art. (Fun fact: May 29th is National Paperclip Day. Really.)

30. Rip up a piece of scrap paper. Slowly and neatly, or fast and haphazardly. Let the little pieces flutter into the trash can. 

31. Chuck some things at or into other things. Pitch pennies into a cup. Throw darts at a dartboard. Flick cards into a box. Throw dirty socks into the laundry hamper. If you're sports-minded, shoot a few hoops or toss a baseball at a target. 

32. Breathe in through your nose for four counts, hold for four counts, then blow out through your mouth for eight counts. Repeat, upping the "blow out" count to twelve, sixteen, and twenty counts. 

33. Sing yourself a lullaby. Really. Hush Little Baby, Baa-Baa Black Sheep, All the Pretty Little Horses, Moonshine Lullaby (sorry, that one was my daughter's favorite). 

34. Take a spoon nap. Hold a metal spoon loosely in one hand while sitting in a chair on a hard surface. When you've fallen deeply enough asleep that you drop the spoon, the clatter will wake you up at a point in your sleep cycle where you feel refreshed rather than draggy. This trick got me through college. 

35. Touch nature. Go outside and touch a tree trunk, stick your bare toes in some mud, snap off a dead branch, feel a fuzzy bud. 

36. Go outside and listen. Close your eyes and concentrate on what you hear. Birds. Road noise. Children's voices. Grass rustling.

37. Snuggle in a warm blanket. No matter the temperature (inside or out), nothing is as comforting as being wrapped in a cozy blanket. 

38. Stretch. Touch your toes. Crack your knuckles. Circle your shoulders and your ankles and your neck. Reach over your head.   

39. Massage something. Your feet, your neck, your hands. Use a tool if you have one and your own hands if you don't. 

40. Consciously relax each part of your body, starting with your feet and working your way up. I taught my son to do this as a child when he had trouble falling asleep, and I use it myself on occasion. 

41. Dance. Graceful ballet, freestyle boogie, theatrical tap. Music and skill both encouraged but by no means required. 

42. Organize something. Not something big. Your junk drawer. A box of old toys in the basement. That shelf in your closet. 

43. Solve a puzzle. Crossword puzzle, jigsaw puzzle, word puzzle. Something that uses a different part of your brain than you've been using. 

44. Watch a movie. An old favorite, or a new one you haven't seen. If possible, watch it with someone else. If you don't have time for the whole thing, just watch a scene or two. 

45. Read some comics. Calvin and Hobbes is good. So is classic Peanuts. And The Far Side. And - if you and/or your kids are band nerds, like me - Funky Winkerbean. 

46. Find some water. Ocean. Pond. River. There's something incredibly primal about being near a body of water that is incredibly de-stressing. If nothing else is available, soak in the tub. 

47.  Blow bubbles. Gum or soap. Or packing stuff. Blow them, chase them, pop them. 

48. Make a list. Stuff you need to do. Stuff you want to do. Stuff you love about yourself. Cool things you've accomplished. Cool things you'd like to accomplish. Past, present, or future. 

49.  Exercise. It doesn't have to be heavy-duty, but get some form of physical exercise that you enjoy. Walking, jogging, dancing, yoga, biking, tai chi, swimming, whatever. 

50. Say "no" to something. No, I can't join that committee. No, I can't finish that task this week. No, I can't work late tonight. No, I don't want to help you do that. No, I don't wanna. It's okay to say no sometimes. It's necessary to say no sometimes. 

I hope this list helps you get through the days until spring feels like it's really here. It's coming, I promise!