More GIRLFRIENDS blogs
- Cell Phones and Texting
- PMS What is it and do you have it?
- To SHAVE or not to SHAVE
- Down There
- What is a TRUE FRIEND?
- Let's Talk BRAS
- What's Wrong With My BFF?
- Meet Our Sisters from JAPAN!
- Sisters from Poland
- Do you MEASURE UP?
- Getting beyond your fears to make new friends!
- MOODS - Stopping Depression Before it Starts
- DIY: Make your own gift cards
- Family Break-ups
- BFF Today... Dissed Tomorrow!
- Bored? What to do this March Break
- Valentine's Day
- What Did They Say?
- Girl Talk - PERIODS
- Girl Bullying, what's with all the ANGER?
- Girlfriends - What you say is what you are
- Sisters - same genes, just not the same 'jeans'
- Oh No...BFFs like the same guy!
- Body Image - Am I Good Enough?
- Sometimes I really DON'T LIKE my Mom!
- We've been DITCHED...for a guy!
- Are My Friends Really Friends?
July 2008 Blogs
- Real Girl: Amelia
- READER OPINIONS: Why do guys/girls fight the way they do?
- What colours mean - Gold
- Smoking - Making the Big Decision
- The Classics
- Day 26, R&B/Urban
- Boys on the Brain!
- MOODS - Stopping Depression Before it Starts
- Is losing weight the answer?
- Give Yourself Credit
- Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
- What Makes You Beautiful? July 2008
MOODS - Stopping Depression Before it Starts
GIRLFRIENDS, July 2008, by Jenifer Merifield
MOODS
Can we do anything to stop
depression when everything seems
to be going wrong?
A little story
There are two girls, both your age, and both in the same classes at school. In their separate homes on Monday morning their alarms go off at 6:45am. With clock radios blaring, one girl bounces out of bed, shuts off her alarm and smiles as she looks out her window at the sun coming up over the trees. The other girl opens her eyes, growls for a moment, then marches across the floor to slam the snooze button. She squints at the bright sun, grumbles and crawls back into bed pulling the covers over her head.
The first girl, after yawning and stretching, smiles as she remembers something her friend did the day before, and walks into the bathroom to have a quick shower. After her shower she goes to the kitchen to help her Mom with breakfast and spends 20 minutes talking and giggling before her Mom leaves for work. She gets ready and has time to meet up with a friend to talk with on her walk to school. On the way she finds a twoonie and her whole day seems to go really well.
The second girl, after hitting snooze 3 times, finally realizes she is late and rushes out of bed. Her brother is in the shower and she bangs on the door and yells at him to hurry and stop making her late. She races to the kitchen for something to eat and in her frustration spills the juice and gets into an argument with her Mom. She ends up running out the door, forgetting part of her homework on her nightstand. Frustrated and grumpy she‘s now late for school. Her day is pretty much the same and she declares that she is depressed and nothing ever works for her.
Same circumstances, two different outcomes. Why?
Poop in your cornflakes?!!
We’ve all heard someone say “Look who woke up on the wrong side of the bed today!” How annoying... (a friend of mine hated that phrase and used to say “who pooped in YOUR cornflakes?! At least you could get a giggle out of it). Both of them mean: you’re being grumpy, and they imply that starting the day off on a bad note can lead to a whole day of misery.
Us girls have emotions, serious ones. Whether they are positive or negative, we are passionate about them, darnit! and it’s part of what makes us REAL. I don’t know about you, but when I’m grumpy, sometimes I want to stay that way for a while... you know, sit and feel sorry for myself and pout about how tough life can be. But I also know that if the phone rings or someone comes to the door, I can instantly be perfectly perky and cheerful if I have to. So that just tells me that I TOTALLY have control over my moods. Guess what, so do you. Our moods are entirely up to us, we choose them.
Don’t try this at the mall...
Go somewhere NOT in public (so someone doesn’t call security!) and by yourself or with friends, be grumpy. It’s not easy, you have to focus. Slouch, crunch up your faces, extend that pout lip and grumble grumpy comments. Feeeeeel grumpy. Think of a time you were NOT happy about someone or something. Be seriously upset. Got the feeling? Okay, now in the same position, quietly and calmly say “Everything’s going to be fine.” Relax your face and gently say it again. Smile now. Sit up tall, take a deep breath and say “I’m so happy”. Smile HUGE and say it again. Now a little louder... louder... now start woohooo’ing and get animated (jump, be excited like your best dream just came true). Feeeel good from head to toe.
Did you notice how you could make yourself feel a certain way based on posture, facial expressions and tone of voice? Practice it. When you start to feel even a little negative (sad, mad, frustrated, grumpy), smile. Tell yourself everything will be fine and smile for a few minutes. Let the negative go away and take control of your mood and your day!
And hey, sometimes we gotta have our moments, and I firmly support having a grouch-fest temper tantrum once in a while. Get it out and then move on.
She who KNOWS she has a choice has within her the power to make miracles happen! And now, that includes YOU.
~Jenifer