World Mental Health Month Part 2: Self Care - Play It Again

I’m a time traveler.

I can go back to the November of my seventeenth year, to the afternoon when my best friend and I made our way round the school field for the last time. For years, we had worn circles into the ground as we brainstormed creative projects that we were going to work on together. I relish the way the light filtered through the casuarinas that day, the way the sun pinched my skin, the way the grass whispered underfoot. That was a good day.

Or if I choose to, I can go back to the time I moved to the city to start my first job and lived in a house full of singles, hanging out with new friends until the wee hours of the morning.

Over the years, I have made playlists that whisk me to the beach, that recreate family vacations, that celebrate important milestones and friendships. Every morning, I decide how I want to feel that day then select the playlist that best coaxes out that emotion. The music triggers a memory and anchors me to the time and before I know it, I’m smiling. It is a very effective way to set the tone for the entire day.

What strategy do you use to lift your spirits?