People have been singing for years about “the blues.” Holly Golightly called them the “mean reds.” The Smashing Pumpkins wrote an album about “Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.”
Ooooookay, hold up. Mom, don’t book a flight to Minnesota, and I certainly am not having a pity party to get people to try to cheer me up– just wanted to take a minute to address something that happens to me once a month. Yes people, I’m talking about pre menstrual depressive symptoms, the crushing brick that hits me one to three days a month pre period. I can be having thoughts as happy as a clam, and still feel like I want to stay in bed all day and bury myself under the covers. Maybe it wouldn’t stand out so much if it weren’t in such contrast to my general feelings towards life directly before and after this monthly malaise…
Either way, it freakin stinks, I don’t feel in control of my body, and don’t even get me started on how I feel about having high doses of hormones pumped into me…
Nevertheless, although I’m a pretty cheery and optimistic individual, occasionally I have “real problems” that don’t involve hormone levels, and when I do I have developed certain coping strategies to get me through without hittin’ the bottle.
1- Retail therapy. Target directly benefits from my “mean reds.” See exhibit A and B…
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| it’s almost spring! |
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| it’s almost summer! (well, I can kid myself…) |
2-Music, of course! Here are some of my “come on, get happy!” tunes that can pull me, at least momentarily, out of the doldrums.
Meri’s Turn that Frown Upside Down Playlist:
-“Fitz and the Dizzyspells”- Andrew Bird
-“I wanna be sedated”- the Ramones (strangely enough…)
-“Hundred yard dash”- Raphael Saadiq
-“Hello, Hello, Bonjour Bonjour” By Michael Franti and Spearhead (or almost any song by them)
-“Pressure Drop”- Toots and the Maytals
-“Modern Love”- David Bowie
-“The Best Day”- Atmosphere (this is the most recent happy tune)
-“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”- Andrews sisters (this one brought on by my tap dancing class as a kid)
What tunes do you people listen to to make “just another manic monday” (the Bangles) turn into “monday monday, so good to me” (The Mamas and the Papas)?
I’ll leave you with one of my favorite song lyrics about da blues:
“I had the blues, so bad one time
It put my face in a permanent frown
Now, I’m feelin’ so much better
I could cakewalk in the town”
-Taj Mahal
I am feeling better already.
Goodnight lovely friends.
Meri
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