We are currently living in overly interesting times, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the upheaval going on in the world. Here are ten ways to boost your spirits and lift your mood in this era of uncertainty.
Get Outside
Spending time in nature has been scientifically shown to benefit our physical and mental health. According to the growing field of ecopsychology, being in a natural environment reduces stress, anxiety, and depression, and promotes healing. It only takes two hours a week to reap the benefits, and those hours can be cumulative. So take a walk and admire your neighborhood trees, visit a park, do some gardening, take up birdwatching, or head to an outdoor farmers market.
Treat Yourself
Give yourself a spa day. The internet or your local library is an excellent resource for face scrub and face mask recipes. Dress up in something that makes you feel both comfortable and fabulous, and get ready to take on the world. Never underestimate the power of nurturing self-care combined with some favorite bling to help you feel empowered again.
Buy a Seasonal Treat
Visit your local creamery or ice cream shop for a frosty treat. Eastern Iowa has a plethora of locally owned ice cream shops.
In Fairfield, the hip new SCREAM Ice Cream Shop brings fun new flavors, while the Dairy Bar continues to offer time-tested favorites, and Everybody’s Whole Foods seasonally offers crowd-pleasing Radiance Dairy soft serve.
Misty’s Malt Shop is a popular stopping place in Keosauqua, with a great view of the Des Moines River and a riverside park just across the street.
Kalona boasts the recently renovated Kalona Creamery, featuring in-house-made ice cream in seasonal rotating flavors, and Yotty’s Ice Cream Shop, offering a variety of ice cream flavors, as well as old-fashioned ice-cream sandwiches.
Washington’s Korner Kreamery is a crowd favorite, offering over 24 flavors of hard-serve ice cream, as well as other ice-cream treats.
Iowa City has quite a few highly rated ice cream shops, including Dane’s Dairy, Heyn’s Ice Cream (also in North Liberty), and Jon’s Ice Cream Store.
Cedar Rapids has many popular ice creameries, including Parlor City Ice Cream, Kool Moo, Scoops Creamery, and the Sweet Mercantile Soda Fountain & Candy Shop.
Do Something for Someone Else
Donate to a food pantry, help elders in need, bring flowers to a friend, or volunteer at a local nonprofit such as Fairfield’s Stone Soup Kitchen or one of the many area animal shelters. Local schools and libraries often need volunteers, too.
Organize One Drawer
When life feels overwhelming, creating order out of pandemonium is very fulfilling. No problem if you’re not up for major spring cleaning—just pick a smaller project. Get that messy drawer organized, clean out a kitchen cabinet, or take on a corner of your closet. Then go back and admire your work. Congratulations, you’ve just taken a stand against the forces of chaos!
Make a List
When life feels out of control, make a list! Writing things down can bring clarity and reduce feelings of overwhelm. Plus, making bullet points or checking off boxes feels so satisfying.
Write Something
Check your local libraries, coffee houses, and community centers for writing groups. Join a local Shut Up and Write group—the Jefferson County chapter meets at the Fairfield Public Library every Tuesday afternoon. The library also hosts a writing group on alternating Sunday afternoons, and a once-a-month poetry workshop called Poet’s Forge on Saturday afternoon.
Iowa City Poetry hosts a monthly Write at the Stanley, a generative workshop, every fourth Sunday. Fairfield-based Soapbox Speak-easy hosts a weekly generative writing workshop called the Writing Room on Sunday evenings; check their Instagram profile for details.
Sing, Dance, or Make Music!
Moving your body, sharing your voice, and listening to music have all been shown to improve mood and outlook.
Aside from singing in the shower and dancing in the kitchen like no one is watching, you can join a choir or music group. A few area choirs include Iowa City-based Family Folk Machine, Mount Pleasant Chorale, Ottumwa Area Community Chorus, and Fairfield’s Community Song Circle and Chamber Singers of Southeast Iowa.
Your local coffee house or community center probably has regular jam sessions, too. Fairfield’s Cafe Paradiso has a popular Sunday afternoon Irish Music jam session. There are also open mics and karaoke nights at many coffeehouses, bookstores, and bars.
And, if you want to hone your dance skills, check out your local dance studios for classes. Most studios and dance groups have Facebook pages and websites listing classes and group dance events.
Get Crafty
Local libraries, community centers, and craft groups all offer crafting opportunities. Take art classes, make art dates with friends, join a live-model drawing group.
The Fairfield Art Association, ICON Gallery, the Noble House Kava Bar, Public Space One, Beadology, Villages Folk School, Eastern Iowa Art Academy, and Art Center of Burlington all offer opportunities to get arty.
Take Action
When going for a stroll or doing a happy dance doesn’t quite cut it for you, try addressing the issues that affect you directly. Visit 5Calls.com, a nonprofit that makes it easy to contact your representatives about the issues you care most about. Their website or app lists issues to take action on each day, and provides talking points or scripts to make phone calls easier.