When Life Hands You Lemons…Make Jam!

We’ve all had those weeks when nothing goes right. Maybe it’s because Mercury is in retrograde. Maybe it’s someone having a bad day and taking it out on you. Maybe it’s none of the above. For some reason, you get lemons.

Staying Positive Feels Impossible Sometimes

Sometimes, being positive and upbeat can be nearly impossible. Every post on social media gets little engagement. Your Twitter feed gets hit by spammers, and Pinterest is deader than a DIY coffin made out of Mason jars and upcycled pallets. Whatever. You still have to be positive because that’s the kind of person you are–even if you do feel demotivated.

Turn Away from Social Media

Turning away from social media and doing something completely different for a day or two (or three) is just what the doctor ordered at times like that. For instance, making jam. You can always force it into a blog post later (ahem!). And besides, it’s July and there are beautiful Blenheim apricots. And also: when you’re done, you get jam.

Detour from social media for a few minutes…

It’s not a complete detour, though. To tell the truth, I found this great apricot jam recipe on Pinterest (where else?). It has no pectin, and only three ingredients (the results are pictured above). You’ll have fun making it, and you could even share it with friends that you met online, if you figure out a way to get it to them.

Then you could post a picture of them eating it on Instagram. All your other friends would be jealous. But nobody posts food pictures on Instagram, right?

Nature Can Keep Your Thoughts Positive

Hiking and Fresh Air

For me, hiking and fresh air and trees make me feel refreshed. You might have your own ritual that turns you from bitter to sweet. Writing is another way to process, especially if you have “introvert tendencies.” Turning that bitter into sweet is something we all have to master occasionally.

From Bitter to Sweet

I’ve found that staying with the negative feelings long enough to let them surface and dissipate is the best in the long run. Nobody can say how long that will take, or what will come up. Eventually, enough time passes and the bitter becomes sweet again.

The Happy File

Another way for me to turn around the negative is to go to my Happy File (yes, it is like a Happy Place–thank you for asking). I’ve got a file with great and uplifting things in it. One is a hard copy file, and the other is a board on Pinterest that reminds me of all that is good in the world. Also, I like the idea of reframing negatives into positives, as the third point in this Entrepreneur article, How to Train Your Brain to Stay Positive, outlines. And looking at my Happy File or board makes me smile–even if it’s the middle of the night and I’m up with a bout of anxiety.

What Do You Do with Your Lemons?

Do you have an easy way to get out of a funk? I’d like to know…maybe I could borrow an idea or two from you. Please leave a comment!