When Mr. Bear was at some of his lowest ebbs, I had to think of something to do to try and brighten him, help lift his mood, even for just a short time. I have to do this for me every now and again… as does he - for me!

Sometimes it’s a new walk, other times it a cinema trip, coffee shop trip, maybe a lunch out. I often suggest a pack-up lunch - a picnic, if you will… doesn’t matter what the weather so long as it is dry… we can bundle up, take a flask or two of tea/coffee or even hot soup and have some filled rolls… cheaper than paying to eat out! What things could you persuade your `OH’ to try to lift their mood?

Bowling, table tennis or badminton at the local leisure centre, tennis in the summer? Having an ice cream on a walk, swimming, trip to the coast to include a picnic or fish and chips and a lovely walk or play with the doggit on the beach; a library or bookshop trip, or a trip to feed animals at a farm, seeing snowdrops in gardens and parks, later on, the bluebell walks around the countryside. Anything that really cost a lot, can be a more special treat… but there are many ‘free’ things to do.

This might be something you could put into practise yourself, to give you a break from the mundane, lift your spirits: we all eat, so make good choices over food; where do you eat normally, the kitchen table?  Dress the table up, a few flowers from the garden or hedgerow finds… or if you have one, eat in the dining room, make it ‘an occasion’. Or at the other end of the eating habits, take a tray have supper or lunch on your lap in front of the fire (but no watching the TV, your stomach wont know you’ve eaten!!) Make lunch a warming outdoor picnic, sitting on a bench under a tree, even a leafless tree at this time of year… just be bundled up, have blankies and cushions for comfort and enjoy a different scene with your pack-up and flask.

Go and volunteer at a ‘Warm Spaces’ group or soup kitchen or befriending service… giving a little back and feeling helpful to others often makes me feel better and I forget some of my worries!

What things can you do for yourself or someone you know who is feeling low, that can just be a little different… lift the mood? I would like to know if you do any of these things or give me some ideas!

Love and Bear hugs x x x

Bearofliddlebrain

A Moodscope member