20 Lists to Make When You Need a Quick Pick-Me-Up

Today, I want to share a version of one of my favourite journaling exercises: lists.

After my daughter was born, I experienced a couple of episodes of “the baby blues.” Each time, I knew that nothing was wrong per se. In fact, I was—and am—loving motherhood. The way I felt was mostly due to a combination of tiredness, hormonal changes, and the fact I was (and again am) still finding the balance between caring for my daughter and meeting my own needs. I knew it would pass but, in the meantime, I decided to do what I could do to improve my mood.

Something I found helpful was a simple journaling technique I share in The Ultimate Guide to Journaling: lists. Lists are among my favourite journaling techniques because they are quick but powerful exercise for getting clarity, exploring ideas and having fun. To start with, I got meta and created a list of lists to make when I needed a quick pick-me-up. Then, the next time I needed a quick mood boost, I’d pick one and spend a few minutes writing out as many responses as I could think of. Taking just 10 minutes to do this when I was feeling down helped me get out of a negative feelings -> negative thoughts -> negative feelings pattern and left me feeling refreshed and more like myself again.

I know we all have blah days, so I’m sharing my meta list in case it’s useful for you too. None of these lists are particularly profound, but they are a helpful reminder of the positive and potential in our lives during times when we might lose sight of those things:

20 lists to make when you need a quick pick-me-up

1. A list of places you’d love to visit
2. A list of people you can connect with/spend time with over the next six months
3. A list of memories that make you smile from the last 12 months
4. A list of values you want to embody (and a list of ways you’re already embodying them). Get your free workbook for this here.
5. A list of lovely feedback you’ve received recently, personal or professional
6. A list of things to do for artist dates
7. A list of books you’d like to read
8. A list of films and TV programmes you’d like to watch
9. A list of movies you loved when you were a child
10. A list of things you feel proud of
11. A list of people you’ve made a difference to, however small
12. A list of skills you’d like to learn
13. A list of 30-day challenges you’d like to try
14. A list of recipes you’d like to experiment with
15. A list of gifts to give other people
16. A list of gifts to give yourself
17. A list of feel-good music (why not create a Spotify playlist?)
18. A list of things to look forward to (can’t think of anything? Then write down a list of potential ideas)
19. A list of self-care ideas
20. A list of the ingredients (qualities, values, beliefs) that make you you

What feel-good lists would you add to this list? Leave a comment and share your thoughts