5 Antidotes to Gloom

Post image for 5 Antidotes to Gloom

Here’s Hope: 5 Antidotes to Gloom.

Last week while enjoying a relaxing dinner with some friends at GustOrganics (worth visiting),  the conversation shifted to the subject of fear and negativity.

One normally upbeat person spoke of being overwhelmed with the amount of negativity she was hearing from the news.  Another said that he had gotten so fed up with CNN that he turned it off a few weeks ago and hasn’t looked back.

As project managers we don’t always have the luxury of disengaging ourselves from what’s going on in the world around us.  We are responsible for leading and inspiring our teams.  How then do we stay involved, engaged and aware, while maintaining hope and realistic optimism?

It’s an interesting question.

The dinner conversation soon moved on to other subjects.  Yet ever since I’ve continued to think about antidotes to gloom.  Here are five concrete actions you can take today which will add a bounce to your step, a sparkle to your eye, new ideas to think about and best of all, a little more hope into your routine.

Get an iPod

If you already have an iPod, please skip this section.  If you’ve never had an iPod, I want to encourage you to think about getting one, and specifically about getting a 2nd Generation iPod Touch.

Until I got my first iPod a few weeks ago, I never understood the appeal.  How wrong I was! The iPod Touch is a fantastic tool for personal growth and productivity and a masterful implementation of technology.  It’s easy to use, convenient, has wonderful sound and a clear picture in a small object that’s a pleasure to hold and operate.  I’m sure the other iPod models are also very good.

If you can afford it, pick up a new iPod Touch 2nd Generation 8GB or 16GB.   It will last you a long time.  You’ll appreciate its beauty and elegance.

An extremely low cost alternative is to search eBay or Craigslist for a used iPod under $25.  You can purchase inexpensive replacement earphones for under $5.  Download and install iTunes 8 for free, and you’ll be good to go.  This will enable you to try it for yourself with a minimum of financial outlay.  If you find you like it, you can always get one of the new 32Gig iPod Touches when they come out later this year.  And, you can make someone’s day by giving them a gift of your starter iPod.

1.  Start Watching TED

What is TED?

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an annual conference which seeks to, “…bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).”1 Each week, new talks are added for free viewing, sharing or reposting under a Creative Commons license.

Why TED is an antidote to gloom

Our world encourages high specialization on almost every level.  As individuals we can easily become narrowly focused on our our business, industry or vocation.  The term for this myopia.

Watching TED can open up your perspective.  The presentations are varied, often surprising and uniformly excellent.  You may be amazed at how the few minutes you spend viewing TED will enrich your ability to offer new strategies and efficiencies on your projects.

What to do

  • (Best Choice) If you have a video iPod, add this TED video podcast feed.  Then you’ll have something ready anytime you notice yourself feeling dragged down or otherwise discouraged.  For me, having new TED podcasts on my iPod is one of the non-guilty pleasures of my week.
  • You can also bookmark TED.  If you do, I’d recommend adding a recurring event to your tickler calendar to remind you to take the time to check.  If you use AutoFocus, you know just what to do.

Some recent TED talks you might like

2.  Put Mozart on Your iPod

When was the last time music lifted you?  As I write this I’m being whisked away by “Jupiter”, a.k.a Symphony number 41 in C. Lest you think I’m some sort of high-brow classical music fanatic and use this judgment as a reason to disregard Mozart as irrelevant to you, consider this true story.  It’s 8 pm at the Metropolitan Opera.  The curtain is about to rise on Ponchielli’s 4 act La Gioconda.  The theatre’s warm.  The seats plush.  My eyes close and open again at the first intermission…  at the second intermission… at the third intermission… and again at midnight when we’re finally released.  Lori still laughs whenever she remembers me trying unsuccessfully to keep awake.

Mozart’s Different

Happily for you, you need know nothing about classical music to enjoy Mozart.2 There’s a good reason why Mozart is considered by some to be the greatest composer who ever lived.  Whether this is true or not, his music is accessible.  I challenge you to be able to remain gloomy and discouraged while listening to 10 minutes of Mozart.

Interesting Fact

Here’s something I just learned when looking up information on Symphony No. 34 in C.  Allegro means quick, lively or cheerful.  That’s how I feel whenever I hear it.  Perhaps you’ll find a dose of Mozart the same way.

The Best Mozart Option

Philips in 1991 put together a collection of 45 boxed sets encompassing some of the best recorded Mozart performances.  Most of these are readily available new or used.  Take a look at the list of sets, pick one from sets 1 – 25, and put it on your MP3 player.  Let it run whenever you need a little burst of something good.  Some examples:

Free Mozart Option

Download no-cost recordings from the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart MP3 Page.  The performances are good, and they are free.  You’ll have to do a little work to find the ones you want.

3.  Start a Gratitude Log

This may be one of the most significant things you can do.  Very little effort is required – yet the benefits for many who try this are profound.  Some suggestions:

  • Keep it private.
  • Add something “more days than not”.
  • Add at least one thing.  If many things come to mind, write them all.
  • You don’t need a fancy book.  Format is less important than just doing it.
  • There is a benefit for writing it on paper or keeping an electronic log.  Just thinking about it is not likely to provide the same benefits.

You can read more about gratitude logs at the simple abundance site.  But rather than read, I’d recommend you just start one, right now, today.  If you have questions, leave a comment below or contact me.

4.  Get Up Out of Your Chair

In the 1970s, there was a slang expression, Keep on Truckin’,which was perhaps inspired by an R. Crumb comic.  In the cartoon image, a person is viewed from a low perspective, giving the impression of a very long leg walking forward.

It turns out that this is just what the doctor ordered.  Recent research is showing that people who walk are healthier than those who don’t.  The application: start walking a little more every day.  Take the stairs.  Park a little further away.  Walk an extra block or two.

10,000 Steps

If you would like to try an experiment, purchase an inexpensive pedometer like this Omron Pedometer HJ 112 or this Omron Pedometer HJ 150 and wear it for the next week without making any changes to your daily routine.  Many people walk only 3-4000 steps per day.  If you can slowly increase your daily step count to 10,000 or more, you will be surprised at how much better you will likely feel.

You can read more about 10,000 steps at the PBS 20% Boost Page, the Walking Site 10,000 steps Page and Shape Up America.
smiling-antidote-gloom-x86x86
(Happy photo credit: x86×86)

5.  Find Something That Makes You Laugh

Laughing feels good, and is good for you.  Have you laughed at anything yet today?

When was the last time you laughed so hard you couldn’t stand up? Has it been a year?  Two?  Longer?

Even small chuckles are good.  While forced laughter may not be your cup of tea (or mine), it may be better than no laughter at all.

Start building in opportunities to laugh.

Think about starting with one or more of these:

(Smiling Larry photo credit: spamily)

  1. Source TED website. [↩]
  2. Though once you start listening, you might find The Compleat Mozart of interest. [↩]