Many Forms of Therapy

When shit hits the fan, it's important to find out what combination of indulgences will keep you from having a perpetual frown on your face. Here are some things that work for me:

1. Bingewatching Trashy TV

When you suddenly find yourself with lots of new, free time, what are you to do but fill it with crappy TV? One of the first shows I watched over the summer (on the advice of my brilliant sister) was Bachelor in Paradise. I can barely remember who was on the show, but I do know that for at least one-two hours per week I was able to distract myself. And if a train-wreck like Elise can find love, anyone can.

[video quality sucks but it's worth watching this incredible, hilarious monologue again]

These days I'm letting TLC suck up my brain cells with shows like "Cheapskates".

And now we can all proudly shout in unison, "At least I'm not in THAT relationship...!"

2. Eating All The Food

I've tried to stick to the 80/20 rule the last few months. You know, 80% of the time you eat whatever the F you want, and 20% of the time you either don't eat or you eat an entire watermelon. It was extremely liberating to spend a few months NOT thinking about food. I ate a lot of delicious things, a lot of gross things, and even some healthy things. But alas, my jeans are getting snug so it's time to get back to normalcy. Just in time for the holiday feasting. Boo.

[source]

3. Exercise Avoidance

Every piece of breakup advice out there will tell you that if you do nothing else, get your ass to the gym. In July and August I did this -- every single day I got myself in motion and it was seriously helpful. And then suddenly, it stopped. I found myself looking at the ground as I passed by my gym to hide my face from the staff, or I'd make plans to go out for drinks instead of going to my usual Tuesday night class. As with eating, it felt pretty good to just not think about it. Sometimes it seems silly that I've spent years obsessing and complaining about how I look/how I eat/how I exercise. I kind of want to roll my eyes at the Julie of 6 months ago and tell her to take a chill pill. In any case, exercise is vital for my health, so I'm slowly and reluctantly climbing back on the horse treadmill.

4. Saying Yes to Dates (...And Then Bailing 5 Minutes Before)

I feel a little bad for the poor men who have fallen into my path these last few months. At some point I started to interact with the opposite sex and I have to say, it felt pretty good. Riiiight up until I was supposed to actually go out with them. I mean, can't we just continue sending flirty emojis and never see each other in person?!

[source]

5. Spending Hard Earned Dough

I never imagined I'd be one for retail therapy, but I suddenly have a bit of a shopping addiction. I've basically been showering myself with new clothes, makeup, jewelry, and stuff for my apartment. Let's all be thankful that I don't care about designer purses because by now I'd be living on the streets with nothing but a blanket made of Chanel bags to keep me warm. Some recent purchases:

Black booties.

Brown booties.

The prettiest earrings I ever did see.

Another favorite ring.

These delicate rings are *almost* too trendy for me.

So that's what's working its magic for me!

Any readers, what healthy/unhealthy things do you do to lift your spirits?