Break Out of the Pity Party

Poor me!  I am down with a cold. My husband’s working this weekend. My son is feverish. My hired help has conjunctivis.  And the team has sent another reminder about the deadline for the next article. Oh I could go on. And revel in the solitary and strange joy there is in self pity. But for how long? A few minutes, an hour at most. Where’s the time when there’s work to be done and other goodies to look forward to?

Thankfully, self pity is a temporary state. And it better be that way. Or else I’d pretty much end up alone and miserable for the rest of my life. Yuck. Despair, loneliness, even hopelessness creeps into all our lives at some point. And it stays only as long as we want it to stay. Some lucky ones break free in a second and some of us hold on for years. Replaying things people said to us in the 90s, 80s even the 70s! Feeling a perpetual sense of gloom as we bleakly plod on with a frown and a slump... yuck again!

“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” - Fannie Lou Hamer.

That’s the point when you realise enough is enough. And the fastest way to break out of a pity party is to stop indulging in the negative energy and head straight for activities, people, places and things that cheer you up.

Writing breaks my misery mode. But there are other things which may help if you’re in a pity party mode:

• Look at photographs of your children or pets.
• Call up a friend with a great sense of humour.
• Chocolate works magic in small, manageable quantities. Avoid overindulging to avoid being eaten up with guilt.
• Write, workout, dance, sing, cook… just express yourself and there’s a guaranteed sense of relief and liberation within minutes.
• Burn jasmine essential oil, the fragrance of upliftment and happiness. Sandalwood helps if you’ve been blue too long and need to forgive and forget for your own sanity and peace of mind.

What do you do when you when you want to break free from your pity party? Leave us a comment and let us know.