Pick me uppers

It happens all the time to me. Maybe it's the stress of school and college applications, maybe it's the lack of adequate sleep, or maybe it's just a part of life- there are times when I wake up and I just feel terrible. There's no energy, no emotion, no motivation... and I can't really explain why. It's a drowning feeling really, except when I look up I can't see the surface of the water, and below me is just a bottomless depth of fluid black.

It's tough to work through those moments that can last either a few minutes or can last up to a whole day. Sleep is sometimes a great remedy, but other times I wake up feeling groggy or worse than before. So what else is there? Music and writing, of course. And I recently stumbled upon another teenage blog, the quiet voice, that focuses on just that- good books, good music, and life. It made me really happy to read someone else blogging about music and books that I've either read or may read in the future. So I guess that's another one of my pick me uppers, finding other teens to connect with and reading their blogs.

Jump on inspiration

Ever had a really good idea? Like, a really, really good one? Don't wait- make sure you jump on the opportunity right away. Write down the idea so you won't forget. Articulate it as clearly as you can, record your feelings and thoughts about it, jot down as many details as you can.

Because with each passing moment that you wait, you risk losing some of that revelation that you had, the connection that two precious neurons in your mind suddenly and inexorably made. You lose a bit of that invigorating energy that's driving you, the excitement behind the idea and your will to make it happen. Writers know the feeling- when inspiration strikes, they drop everything, and I mean everything, and scramble to grab whatever writable materials there are around them- napkins, flyers, business cards, newspapers, whatever. I know I'm a forgetful person, so writing down ideas right when I think of them like that is especially important, even if it's just a matter of 5 minutes. It makes all the difference to me.

A great idea strikes. Don't wait. Flesh it out on paper. Then hurry to make it a reality.

Thank goodness for friends

I don't think I would have made it this far in my life without my friends, let alone be alive... but seriously, I'm lucky to have so many good, loving people by my side. Have you ever been so down that nothing you did or tried would cheer yourself up? Your parents would ask you what's wrong, your siblings may have made a half-hearted attempt to say something, your favorite song doesn't re-energize you.... so what do you do? You pick up your phone, of course. Or go onto Skype or Facebook. Chances are you'll have that one friend who knows exactly how to pick you back up. And sometimes they do it without even realizing it. Just their inherent characteristics or speech patterns or corny repetitive jokes are enough to make you smile again.

I'm lucky to live three houses away from one of my friends. And I don't know what it was about today, but I was dead tired. Feeling lazy. So down in the dumps it couldn't have been smellier (okay, that was a weird sentence but I'll let it slide). I called my friend up to go on a run because if you're like me, you have zero chance of being motivated to run on your own. I once tried that... I brought out a soccer ball to juggle, thinking I'd go on a run after 5 minutes of warm-up. I never made it out of my driveway. Anyways, I almost cancelled it this time. I was in bed, half asleep, feeling horrible, but I made myself get up because my friend was expecting me.

I literally was still trying to open my eyes when I walked up to his house. But then he came out of his garage, with his short red-brown hair longer and lying flatter than usual. I haven't seen him in 3 weeks but it was great seeing him. Oh how those gingers can cheer one up xD We went on our run and I wanted to turn back during the first hundred steps, but after that I started to feel better, forgetting my lack of fitness while we chatted.

I finished the run with so much more energy than I started. My legs were a bit sore, but I was wide awake. A good friend can do that to do. Just being with them makes you feel better and more alive. Now, if only I could call a friend over every time I didn't feel like doing my homework...

Insomnia at its best

Isn't it weird that sometimes your best work or inspiration comes in the middle of the night when all you should be thinking about is sleep? That's happened to me a few times, whether it's because I can't fall asleep or because  my brain is randomly firing off idea impulses that I decide I have to act on or it will be forever lost. If you can't tell, this is one of them.

Maybe it's something soothing about the silence that floods the house after everyone else has gone to bed, when it's just you and your computer screen for company. And of course, your wandering thoughts. They seem to flicker through your mind as much as the backlight on your computer is flickering through your exhausted retinas.

Or maybe it's just that inspiration strikes only when you are thoroughly tired out, blanked with fatigue. Your body begins to run on the next source of energy: a fuel I call intellectual chaos. It does wonders to revive the soul and for a moment you might wonder if you are actually insane. But sleep is not the answer. You need to spend that energy in one form or another. Writing, ranting, blogging, painting, exercising, calling a friend and crying to them over the phone, all good outlets for this sort of explosive energy. Ride the momentum and make something happen. You never know when it will happen again.