Hello, friends.
If you haven’t already, you should read “It’s Kind of a Funny Story”.
To give you a quick summary – this kid gets admitted to the adult psychiatric unit because he came very very close to ending his life. He has a lot of life stuff goin’ on which doesn’t help his anxiety. This is a story of an unexpected road to happiness. It’s funny and moving at the same time. It’s great. It’s also a movie! (In case you’re not a huge fan of books.)
At the end of the book, the author Ned writes,
“My brain doesn’t want to think anymore; all of a sudden it wants to do.”
He then lists a long list of things he can do instead of ruminate in the negative thoughts that his brain has been consumed with and I think that it’s absolutely beautiful to read. So. I made my own list. 🙂
Enjoy –
Walk. Run. Do an excited little jump. Eat. Drink. Drink smoothies. Slurp your soup. Eat donuts. Play. Talk. Talk with people. Make a phone call to a long lost friend. Laugh really hard. Listen. Be. Color. Draw. Paint. Be messy. Hang out with people that unconditionally love you. Watch Netflix. Play music. Listen to music. Watch funny Vine compilations. Problem solve. Feel the feels. Pet dogs. Pet cats. Pet a snake! Love other people. Let other people take care of you. Be honest. Be kind. Bake cookies. Share the cookies. Hug. Practice DBT. Hike. Swim. Ride your bike. Ski. View the scenery. Discover new coffee shops. Travel. Take road trips with people that make your heart sing. Sit. Breathe. Take a break. Write a thank you note to someone. Write a blog post. Embarrass your siblings. Explore new restaurants. Watch a movie and get movie theater popcorn. Make friends. Tell people your story. Help others when you can. Smile. Meet. Love. Dance. Hold.
Ned ends his list with,
“Enjoy. Take these verbs and enjoy them. They’re yours. You deserve them because you chose them. You could have left them all behind but you chose to stay here.
So now live for real. Live. Live. Live. Live.
Live.”
Gratitude & Joy 