Blue Tuesday, Better Wednesday

I saw on Twitter on Monday that it was considered to be the most depressing day of the year.  Blue Monday, they called it.  A combination of fading holiday warm-n-fuzzies, failed New Year’s resolutions, and super-cold weather all gang up on the poor people of the world and aim to make us sad.

I have to admit, I didn’t really fall victim to Blue Monday.  I didn’t get that dreamy snow day I had been planning on (mainly because it DIDN’T SNOW dammit), but it wasn’t a bad day.  I was off, of course, so I got to sleep in a little, got lots of reading done, watched that blast from the past “Three Men & A Baby” (and loved it just as much!), made a giant pot of spaghetti sauce and invited my ma over for supper… It just wasn’t a “Blue Monday” for me.  Not in the least.

But then Tuesday came.  The day started off with me realizing my “fat” pants are too tight on me now.  Just lovely.  After getting ready for work, I stopped in to have breakfast with my mom, as usual; however, our conversation seemed to circle around sad topics, which left me wondering why the hell I’d even bothered putting on make-up that morning.  I mean, I even cried over the death of my aunt & uncle’s dog. (RIP Rocky…) 

When I checked my calendar after arriving at work, it dawned on me that it was the anniversary of a friend’s passing, and from then on, I just chalked ‘er all up to just a sad day in general.  I felt extra-sensitive at work, like I was on the verge of tears, and had a hard time controlling it all.  Then I had a small altercation with a co-worker in the afternoon that bothered me more than it should have.  I was so done with this day.

I went for a brisk and frigid walk when I got home to blow off some steam, and then settled in for a quiet evening. I ate a healthy supper (because yesterday was DAY 1 of trying to get back on track – AGAIN), worked on my puzzle, read for a bit, and then fell asleep on the couch watching TV.  Big mistake, because when I finally moved up to bed around 10:30, I could NOT for the LIFE of me fall asleep.  I tossed and turned and read some more and who knows when I finally drifted off… I usually fall asleep fast and hard, so I was NOT impressed.

Blue Tuesday.  It was one for the books.

I’m not one to wallow in self-pity for long though, thank goodness.  My first thought when I woke up this morning was “It’s a new day”, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I actually woke feeling better than I anticipated, considering the tossing and turning and sleeplessness during the night, and I dragged my butt from my warm cocoon earlier than I have in a long time.  I also noted that physically I felt better than I have in weeks.  I didn’t feel bloated and sore and creaky.  I’ll chalk that up to a good solid day of healthy eating & some exercise.  I even took the time to straighten my hair, which has pretty much been a non-existent activity since Christmas.  Because it just takes so much more effort.

This morning, I felt like I need to make that extra effort.  To make myself feel good.  To feel better.  I stepped out into the extremely cold morning, and instead of grumbling about it, I felt grateful for the bright sunshine and beautiful glittering snow.  I walked away from Blue Tuesday and vowed to not let it creep back into my day again.

I guess the point in all this is… Bad days happen.  We all go through slumps. Get ourselves into ruts.  We can do our best to try and fight it, but sometimes, the bad days get the best of us.   And that’s OK.

Because each day is a clean slate.  A fresh start.  A new bright and shiny morning.  A chance to kick that Blue Tuesday to the curb and get back at it again.

I’m ever so thankful for that.