Here’s what you need to feel better today…

I have a suggestion for what you’re looking for. Oh, did I take you by surprise? I don’t know you, so how could I know?

Because we’re all looking for it. We’ve tried all kinds of ideas. 

What are we looking for? Fulfillment, satisfaction, happiness… am I on the right track? And if we can’t have those, then we’ll settle for a quick hit of dopamine. That’s at our fingertips, because our phones give us the ability to get attention, elicit a response from others, and get questions answered quickly, although not reliably. I can buy a new outfit, watch an entire series, and order dinner without moving from my seat.  I also know that exercise or a walk will give me a good burst of energy, as will a talk on the phone with a friend. Maybe you’ve exhausted all of that. Maybe it’s the weekend and you’ve scrolled for more hours than you’d like to admit. I’ve been there. But now you’re dragging. Scrolling is no longer giving you the good feeling you originally enjoyed. Now what?

I’m here offering you a secret I’ve found. It’s a lost art, in my humble estimation. It’s something our ancestors did a lot more than we do today. It’s called manual labor. Hard work. Scrubbing the floor with a scrub brush, picking the weeds and not spraying them, kneading a loaf of bread. 

I know! I hear you complaining that you don’t have time for that! And I get it, I truly do. But we have time to scroll, don’t we? We have time to watch more Netflix. We find time to go the gym. Sidenote, if you try my tip and find something you have to work at with your muscles, something that takes energy and sweat, you won’t have to go to the gym today! Our ancestors didn’t need gym memberships, nor did they pay someone else to clean their houses for them! 

Try it out! Wipe down all the baseboards in your place with a rag and a bucket of soapy water. Just do it! By the time you get done, you’ve sweat a little, your hands feel pruney and a little grimy, but you’ve just spent an hour using your body in a different way, especially if you’re used to working a desk job. You’ve spent time with your thoughts or you’ve rocked out to some fun music for an hour, and it clears your head. You’ve accomplished something where you can see the finished results and that brings a sense of accomplishment. That hit of dopamine you were looking for? You just got it. Tonight, when you go to bed, you’ll be a little more tired from adding in a physical aspect of work, plus you’ll have the satisfaction of getting that thing done, whatever it was. 

I tell my husband that cleaning- and I mean the gritty cleaning- is better than therapy. It helps me get a new perspective. Yes, it’s easier to go shopping when I’m having a tough day, but it’s better for my soul when I tackle a job that requires my hands-on effort. When I look smudgy and dusted up after cleaning, I guarantee my mind is cleaner. It’s lighter and my outlook is more positive. I’m telling you, I’m on to something good. The next time you feel rather disgusted at your sweatpants-wearing, eating-loads-of-junk, eyes-glazed-over, lazy self, try the centuries-proven hack and do some hard work! Clean your garage, empty your pantry (and please, for the love of everything good, pitch those expired snacks), dust the walls and ceilings, or weed your flower beds, and just see how good you’ll feel! Yep, it’s a remedy, one you might not have known you needed!

_{picture credits from Unsplash, Elisa Ventur and Jonathan Kemper}