The Sparkle

After breakfast I stare out of the window, zoned out, motionless. Usually something sways in me as I watch the sky and observe the trees. Swaying calm, thoughtful. But today, nothing. I make a coffee, I walk to work, I stare at the ground, my eyes are lazy, zombified. The sparkle in my eyes is lost today. There’s no motivation to get it back either.
But here’s the thing:

Your mood, your presence effects your world. You are the creator of your experiences. 

And therefore, I know that if I turn up to work like this, forcing a smile, with a sleepy mind that doesn’t sway, with no sparkle… I know that I will have a rubbish day. I know that someone will complain, I’ll mess up, spill things and beat myself up for it. I know I might get teased, because in this state I am creating a negative presence. And people can feel it. In fact, they usually assume it’s directed at them.

And so I force myself to fix it. And I really have to force myself. I have a list of quick fixes, and I’m going to write about these. Hopefully these might help you too, but we’re all different and our bodies adapt, so what worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. My other long term fixes will be for another post another time.

So first, to kick this off, we’re going to start with something that you will find absolutely ridiculous when you have lost your sparkle. Something you’ll probably have no belief in and that you’ll probably do 100% sarcastically. But oh it secretly helps.

It’s a fight mantra. Specifically for the lost sparkle situation. Here’s mine:

I am strong with my negativity. I am disciplined in my self progression. I am tough with that which tests me. I am my world and I am a force to be reckoned with.

I would advise writing it after you have got your sparkle back, at some point in your life when you feel powerful. Make sure it adapts along with you. Mine changes every once in a while. All you do is read it or say it or write it. I stare at myself in the mirror and whisper it. Crazy crazy but you have to get yourself back, and you can.
Most of the time this makes me feel pissed off, which is great, it’s progression! Sometimes I just want to cry, which is also progression and I revel in it. It is solely there to make something sway within you that wasn’t there before, something that you can manipulate to your benefit. Don’t assume it will make yourself happy, though if it does then that’s absolutely amazing and I’d love to know what your mantra is! 🙄

Aaaaaanyways, moving on!

Quick fixes:

Fix 1 Adrenaline
Fix 2 Lemon water
Fix 3 Bodylove
Fix 4 Socialisation
Fix 5 Nutrition

Gimme a chance to explain.

So you’ve just stood in the mirror and hopefully sparked a little something, but the sparkle still isn’t back.

Fix 1 is adrenaline, we’re going to give ourselves a little shock, a kick-start into waking up our body if you like.
A splash of cold water, looking into a bright light, a piece of music that hypes you up.
Anything that gives your senses a hiccup. Sometimes I’ve got to sprint down a slope, sometimes I stare up at the bright sky, sometimes I blast my body with freezing water after a shower. So on that day when I walked to work, I unzipped my coat and my jacket, turned to the wind and let it go. My coat billowed behind me, the freezing wind touched me and I took in a sharp breath. That sudden shock created energy which I turned into a happy squeal and shudder. I then turned and ran with the wind, filled with a jumpy exited energy. I felt invincible just for a second and the sparkle was back.

Focus on turning that shock into positive energy, embrace it. Make your eyes shine, your breath fill your lungs, feel yourself expand and lighten and keep all that energy there. Radiate.

 

You’ve probably squinted at fix 2 with doubt.
How can lemon water fix me?
Well my earthling, there is a high possibility you are not drinking 2 litres of water a day. And therefore you could be dehydrated.
Fatigue, feeling irritable, clumsiness, headaches, dim vision, these are all signs of dehydration. With good hydration comes energy, feeling awake, a body working at its optimum. Don’t deprive yourself.
So we’re going to drink and drink. Herbal tea, water, lemon water, it doesn’t matter.

The lemon is simply just an added benefit. Lemon juice helps to reduce anxiety and depression, even just the scent of lemon have a calming effect on your nervous system. As well as containing vitamins to help awaken your body, lemons also contain potassium which is not only good for heart function but brain and nerve function too. Filled with antioxidants they help cleanse your system, no more spots either! It also fights cravings.
Just squeeze half a lemon into some water and drink drink drink away. I’m already hooked!

 

Fix 3! Bodylove!
If you’ve read any of my other posts you’ll know I’m hugely into self-care and self-love, and this fix is just your little segment of those areas. You must make sure you love and care for yourself everyday, and sometimes all it takes is a little notion from you to you to find the energy for your sparkle.
This could be a hot beautiful smelling bath, a strong and sweaty workout, a colourful tasty healthy meal, a wild dance around, a massage.

For me, I roll about on the floor. Like a yoga floor massage. I stretch out my sores and roll out my body. I breath deep and lengthen. This might just work for you too.

First find a space, or clear a space. Begin on your back, flat like a starfish. Feel gravity pull you down, feel the pressure of your weight on the flat surface. Your spine is straight now, your muscles relaxed. Breathe down as far as you can, give yourself a minute or two for body intuition. Where is sore? What should I stretch?
Move into the happy baby yoga pose, don’t just stay still, rock about, massage your feet a little, wiggle, hug your knees and squeeze.
I like to raise my arms over my head, lift my bum off the floor like I’m about to put my toes on the floor above my head, but instead I let them hover halfway there. I place my center line of gravitational pull right between my shoulder blades and then I slowly rock about releasing the muscles in my back. This is my favourite. It might work for you too.
There are no rules at all, find your knots and strains and relieve them in any strange position that works for you.
Stand up and roll down through your spine, dangle there upside down, shake your head, nod your head, just relax.
Listen to your body and thank your body.

 

Socialisation, fix 4, might be the last thing on your grumpy mind in a time of no sparkle, but it is so so important. Introvert or extrovert you never know, a little giggle or conversation might help.
So I have housemates, and if I’m a bit stuck I tend to do a little research for a dirty and hilarious chat up line. I’ll find one that gives me a little snigger, and then I’ll hunt down a housemate and then I’ll sigh –

“I wish you were a door.”

“Uhm what?”

“So I could bang you all night. 😉”

And then we have a little giggle, and that’s all it takes.

You could do this too if you know your target won’t take offence, or try someone with a riddle, or tell someone random an awful Christmas cracker joke. You’ll not only lighten up your day, but theirs too. This is probably one of my most foolproof methods, I strongly advise you try this. Blame me if it goes a little wrong.

 

Last of all, fix 5, Nutrition.
Your body is incredibly intelligent, and while your mind is amazingly intuitive, sometimes things just don’t quite connect. So, for example, a message that means please eat more iron very often comes across as a craving for ice.

This lack of energy message isn’t easily read, for some of us eating vitamin filled fruit will help, others might need a veggie filled soup or a green green smoothie. Basically, it’s usually a cry for something healthy, an intestine fix. I usually feel rubbish and can’t sleep right after I’ve had unhealthy food, my body sometimes won’t quite work at its optimum for a few days.

A quick boost at this current point in time, would be sugar, and while that might work it will wear off and you could end up feeling more dreary. So my best advice would be something extremely healthy, something colourful. When you eat make sure you know how good the food is for you, how you are caring for your body by helping combat the digestive problems you could be having and in return your body will assist you with your energy levels.
Appreciate the care you are giving yourself through body intuition and good nutrition.

I hope this all helps you in some form or other, if it doesn’t, well at least you tried and now you know what works and what doesn’t quite cut it. Days like these could be tomorrow, weeks away, maybe you already feel like this, but I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to have a game plan.

Thank you for reading, please please let me know what works for you and what doesn’t in the comments!

“Consider that you radiate. At all times. Consider that what you’re feeling right now is rippling outward into a field of is-ness that anyone can dip their oar into. You are felt. You are heard. You are seen. If you were not here, the world would be different. Because of your presence, the universe is expanding.” – Danielle LaPorte