Shake it off!

Okay, so here’s tip #2 to shaking off the blues or any kind of funk that gets you down.

Tip #2 — Dance!

You simply cannot be in a bad mood when you’re dancing to some upbeat music. Try it… it’s literally impossible. This comes in really handy when you’re angry at yourself or others.

A few weeks ago, I scheduled my entire day around an appointment. Afterwards, I was going to take the day off and enjoy some down time. I screwed up the time, missed the appointment and went into a major funk. As a recovering perfectionist, I took myself on a guilt trip, punished myself by working instead of taking time off and, basically, just beat myself up all afternoon. Finally, I realized enough is enough. When we make mistakes, we have to learn from them and then shake them off. And the best way to accomplish that is by having a dance party in your living room. Before you know it, you’re singing, laughing and moving, your bad mood lifts and joy takes over.

I keep a playlist handy on my iPod for times like this. Even if you have the awareness that you need to snap out of it, you probably won’t be in the mood to go digging for fun music. You’re more likely to just push play, listen to a sad country song and then wallow in your sadness. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good country ballad. But now is not the time! Have a tried and true playlist handy that will get you moving and smiling.

If you don’t have a playlist or need a little inspiration, check out my current dance playlist on Spotify. Do you really think you can stay in a funk after shaking it to Pitbull, Beyonce, Shakira, Justin Timberlake and others? I think not. Heck, even if you’re in a good mood, turn up the music! What’s the worst that can happen? Your neighbors or co-workers catch your moves on video and post it to YouTube? On second thought, don’t answer that — just dance like no one is watching!

XOXO,
DJ Heather Joy