It’s hard to know why, but some days, despite having a glorious toddler who is great company, a loving husband and a great family, I feel alone, isolated and sad. Perhaps it’s a shade of depression, and if that’s all I’m left with, that’s pretty damn good. On those days, I miss my mum (Hi Mum!). That’s an inside joke. I never call her mum, I have always called her by her first name. And we keep in touch most days on the phone, and we skype. But it’s not the same. And she uses all of her extra money to visit us whenever she can. So rather than wallowing in my alone-ness, here is what I do to drag myself out of the pit.

1. Treat Yourself

I so didn’t feel like leaving the house today. I wanted to snuggle with the doona. But I got myself out of the house. Driving makes so much difference! I went down to our local shopping centre, and treated myself to a real, caramel-infused coffee and bought some banana bread for the munchkin. We wandered about, picked up some groceries and she played games with her shoes.

2. Reaching Out

It’s a fact that when you least feel like reaching out to someone, is when you most need to do exactly that. Today I contacted a friend on facebook who I’ve known for ages, but haven’t talked to in a long while. I wasn’t sure if she was ignoring me, or if she had just been busy. She had been busy. Another lesson learned, it’s usually not about you. We now have plans to meet up in the future and I’m so excited to see her – she hasn’t had the chance to meet Riley yet.

3. Make Plans

While I might feel like I will be sad for the forseeable future, I won’t be. So I’m making plans that might not seem like fun right now, when nothing does, but I know I’ll have a ball once I get out of my own head. So I’ve said yes to the Sydney Mum Bloggers meet-up. I’d love to see anyone who’s within striking distance of Newtown there as well!

4. Snuggle Time

Few things in this world are as nice as snuggle time with the munchkin in the big bed. She’s been wanting to nap in there during the day. Which in some ways is easier, because I can just lie down next to her until she drifts off. It’s one of the few times that she actually does the whole quiet time thing. And I get to cuddle her and kiss her. And she usually cuddles and kisses back and there’s some nuzzling there too. When you feel alone, feeling wanted and needed is pretty freaking awesome.

5. Housework is Not a Priority, Unless . . .

I don’t worry about housework on days like this. It will be there tomorrow. There’s always time for cleaning. That being said, sometimes forcing yourself to stay active is just what the doctor ordered. So today I’m doing a combination of mucking about with the blog and pottering about the house.

6. Connect with Generous People

This is why I love blogs. I can sit back, relax and catch up on my blog reading. Particularly those blogs written by lovely women who I also count as friends. Who have been really generous in time and spirit with me. It’s the next best thing to sitting down and having a cup of tea with them in person. Yes, I’m a coffee drinker, but tea is always comforting. It reminds me of good friends. And I drink tea at my mum’s place. I’ll give you a hint one of my favourite people blogs over here.