This blog has been around a while: it’s been over ten years since I first embarked on the journey of keeping a blog running in addition to all my other writing projects and responsibilities.

I went on a “blog hiatus” a few years ago as the result of a combination of factors, from website challenges to caregiving for a parent with dementia. Unfortunately, when I returned, I had a problem: I got little to no engagement for my efforts, with nary a comment.

Periodically, people who follow me on social media have reposted some of my posts, which is always nice. However, I’ve still gotten nothing from it, either in comments, or, most importantly, engagement that leads to income.

So now that I’m officially retired from the workaday world, I’m taking another blog hiatus. It might be for a week or it might be for a year. I’m going to enjoy living in the country, going out and looking at cows, water buffalo, and chickens. And while I may feature more guest posts in the weeks ahead, I’m not going to keep putting effort into something that gives nothing back…at least not this week.

Peace!

I don’t have a vested interest in Memorial Day. Although I have had many veterans in my family—father, both grandfathers, an uncle—none of them died in combat.

However, in recent years, I’ve become aware of a troubling trend: that of treating every holiday with a generic “Happy ____” greeting. This is probably fine for everything except Memorial Day.

Granted, not every person who loses a loved one is going to a cemetery today. The thing is, they are likely to think about a lost soldier, or even a veteran parent who is no longer with us. The “thank you for your service” tag is applicable to all of them, whether they fought a battle or not. At least, that’s how those from military families seem to position it.

So “Have a great weekend” or “Have a great holiday” may suffice. But adjectives like “happy” or even “blessed” probably shouldn’t be in there.

Every once in a while, I get an offer from a fellow writer who would like me to share a guest post. Today turns out to be a great day for that, so without further introduction, here’s Davis Jameson on how to boost your mood on tough mental health days:

Busy parents juggling work, relationships, and basic responsibilities often hit days when motivation disappears, and everything feels heavier than it “should.” Managing bad mental health days can bring mental health challenges like foggy thinking, irritability, or numbness, and none of that is a personal failure. Beginner mental wellness strategies don’t require a perfect mindset, just a willingness to try one small moment of emotional self-care. With a few gentle, uplifting activities for mood improvement, it’s possible to shift the day from stuck to slightly steadier.

Try 7 Mood-Lifting Activities You Can Do Anywhere

On tough mental health days, I try to treat my mood like a dimmer switch, not an on/off button. Pick one small, kind step, something that fits the energy you actually have, and let “good enough” count.

1. Take a tiny nature walk (or nature pause): Step outside for 1–10 minutes and look for something specific: a tree shape, a cloud pattern, a patch of sunlight. The few minutes of exposure to nature approach can be enough to nudge your attention and stress in a better direction. If leaving home feels like too much, open a window and stand where you can see the sky.
2. Press play on an uplifting playlist: Choose 3–5 songs that reliably help, comfort songs, upbeat tracks, or anything that feels like a friendly voice. If you can, use headphones and take three slow breaths while the first song starts; it’s a simple way to tell your body, “We’re safe right now.” When motivation is low, make it a “one song only” deal, continuing is optional.
3. Get a mood boost from a pet (or borrowed pet time): Spend five minutes doing one focused thing: brushing fur, tossing a toy, or simply sitting with your hand on their back and noticing their breathing. Pets can gently pull you out of your head and into the present moment. If you don’t have a pet, watch a friend’s animal, visit a shelter, or even enjoy a few minutes of calm animal videos.
4. Try a two-minute stretch reset: Set a timer and do three moves: shoulder rolls, a slow neck stretch, and a forward fold with bent knees. Keep it gentle, aim for “easier,” not “deeper.” This works well when your feelings are loud but your energy is low, because the body often softens before the mind catches up.
5. Write a three-line gratitude note: Keep it small and real: “I’m grateful for warm water,” “I’m grateful I texted someone back,” “I’m grateful for one quiet moment.” Research on gratitude interventions suggests they can support mental health, including fewer anxiety symptoms. If gratitude feels impossible, write “what didn’t make today worse.”
6. Do a screen-free reset (even briefly): Try 15 minutes with your phone in another room while you drink water, shower, tidy one surface, or step outside. A little distance from feeds can reduce comparison and information overload, which often lowers your emotional “static.” If 15 minutes is too much, do five, and notice how your body feels after.
7. Choose one small act of kindness: Send a check-in text, hold a door, leave a kind review, or put a note on the fridge for someone you live with. Kindness helps because it gets you moving toward your values instead of your worries. Keep it simple and expectation-free: you’re doing it to practice being the person you want to be, even on a hard day.

Turn Words Into Support: Make 3 Affirmation Posters

When your mood feels fragile, it helps to leave yourself encouragement where your eyes naturally land. Pick a few affirmations or inspiring quotes that feel believable to you today, then turn each one into a simple motivational poster you can print and place where you’ll actually see it, on your fridge, by your desk, or near the mirror. The goal isn’t perfect design; it’s daily morale, made visible, so the words can meet you again and again throughout the day. If you want it to be quick, try making your own free printable posters PDF in minutes with an easy-to-use app that lets you design, customize, and print high-quality posters using templates and intuitive editing tools.

Mood-Boosting Ideas: Common Questions Answered

Q: What if uplifting activities don’t change my mood right away?
A: That’s normal, especially on heavy days. Treat the activity as a vote for your future self, not a test you have to pass. Try repeating one tiny action for 3 to 5 minutes and notice any shift in tension, breath, or self-talk.

Q: How often should I do these small mood boosters?
A: Think “often and small,” not “rare and perfect.” A quick reset once in the morning and once later in the day is a solid start. Building consistency matters because maintaining stability helps keep emotions in balance.

Q: What can I do when I have zero motivation?
A: Lower the bar until it feels almost too easy: sit up, sip water, open a window, or step outside for 30 seconds. Pair the action with a simple cue like a timer or a favorite song. Momentum usually follows motion, even if it’s slow.

Q: Can I use a checklist without making mental health feel like homework?
A: Yes, keep it kind and short, like three options you can circle. Use it as a menu, not a mandate, and let “done” count even if it’s messy. Many people find emotional wellness checklists make it easier to follow through.

Q: When is it time to seek professional help instead of trying more tips?
A: If things linger, disrupt your life, or feel scary, support is a wise next step, not a failure. Guidance on persisting symptoms can help you decide when extra care is warranted. If you’re in immediate danger or thinking about self-harm, contact local emergency services right now.

Small Habits for Steadier Mood Support

On tough mental health days, habits work best when they are small enough to repeat without negotiating with yourself. These routines turn “I should feel better” into “I did one caring thing,” which builds confidence and steadier mood support over time.

Two-Minute Morning Check-In

• What it is: Write one feeling, one need, and one next tiny step.
• How often: Daily, before your phone.
• Why it helps: Naming the moment lowers overwhelm and clarifies what would actually help.

Midday Breath Reset

• What it is: Take a 60-second deep-breathing break with slow exhales.
• How often: Daily, around lunch.
• Why it helps: It signals safety to your body and softens spiraling thoughts.

Ten-Minute Light Movement

• What it is: Walk, stretch, or pace while a song plays.
• How often: Daily or every other day.
• Why it helps: Regular exercise reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety over time.

One-Line Gratitude or Relief Note

• What it is: Write one thing that was okay, even slightly.
• How often: Daily, before bed.
• Why it helps: It trains your attention to spot small footholds.

Planned Tech Pause

• What it is: Put your phone in another room for 15 minutes.
• How often: Daily, once in the afternoon or evening.
• Why it helps: Fewer inputs gives your nervous system room to settle.

Turning Tiny Self-Care Habits Into Steadier Mood Support

Hard mental health days can make even simple tasks feel heavy, and it’s easy to mistake that weight for failure. The gentler approach is to treat mood care as a reflective mental health journey, small, repeatable acts that honor where things are today instead of fighting it. Over time, these positive steps on difficult days build momentum, making it easier to return to yourself and feel a little steadier. One gentle step is still progress, and progress is enough for today. Choose one move right now, one song, one stretch, one gratitude line, or one tech pause, and let that be your whole plan. That’s how hope and empowerment in wellness turn into real resilience, one ordinary moment at a time.

“All men should start off in jail and prove their way out.”

—The dizziest broad on the internet

I didn’t think I would ever write a follow up article to last year’s post, Misandry, Hypocrisy, and Understanding Toxic Feminism’s Failure. After all, the title of the blog alone pretty much says it all, no?

The thing is, it’s getting worse out there, not better. I mean depressingly worse.

As I explained in the previous article, fourth-wave feminism has become something so extreme and disturbing that it appears more like a mental health problem than a good-faith search for equality.

The original idea of women’s rights came within the context of the suffrage movement. The law considered women and children a man’s property unless a woman had neither husband nor children. The notion that “all men are created equal” did not include women.

Many men fought right alongside women for their right to vote, then for the right to choose, and then for equal pay for equal work. The idea was that “all people are equal.” Not better, not worse, but equally deserving of rights, while recognizing our inevitable, natural differences.

A Depressing Trend

However, from the horrific “Girls rule, boys drool” slogan that started popping up on t-shirts in the early 2000s (great message if you have a son) to the enforced feminization of boys in schools (stereotypical boys’ behavior = bad, stereotypical girls’ behavior = good), we have continued to devolve, not evolve.

Again, I hasten to add that this is about feminism, not femininity. As I wrote in last year’s post, I would never call femininity toxic, but toxic feminism is a real thing. And calling masculinity “toxic” was always a pretty bad idea. Let’s try machismo instead, okay, ladies? It might get the point across better.

To show how much worse it’s gotten out there, I’ve compiled a few TikTok and YouTube videos that show it. The above mentioned dizzy broad doesn’t sound like she’s joking about men (it would have to be boys, really) starting off in jail. There seems to be more than one of these women saying this stuff (is that the same one as in this video? They look different, but equally unattractive when they open their mouths).

I googled this “trend” and the AI results call it a “Joke/Meme,” implying that it’s merely a “provocative talking point.” Oh, I see. And if I posted a video stating that a woman should be a man’s property unless otherwise designated, I could just later say, “It’s a joke, gals! Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” Sure.

There’s Some Hope

Thankfully, some women have finally gotten the point. As one mentioned in a YouTube short, what’s happening today is a radical form of a woman’s movement. Emphasis on the word radical.

Another, documentarian Cassie Jaye, came to terms with her own gender biases, as documented in her TED talk. Unfortunately, this video dates as far back as 2017, and things have gotten much worse in the intervening years. To document it, a Reddit group called “Everyday Misandry” has formed, reposting countless memes and other online postings saying horrific things about men.

Even worse, a new online trend is to demand that men “protect all women” and to state broadly that any man not actively fighting for women’s rights is “complicit” in their oppression, and any man not actively protecting strangers is “not a protector” at all. Say what?

I searched high and low for the meme I saw that said that about complicity, to no avail. What I did find put me in mind of my February post, Silence, Complicity, and Consent in the Age of Digital Arguments. One meme said, “Your silence is complicit,” while the other said, “When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.”

I don’t have the time today to thoroughly counter such horseshit (my “complicity” blog post addresses the first one), but I will say this: stating all men should start off in jail and “prove their way out” is dangerous rhetoric, not humor. And the whataboutism that comes out when men fight back against misandrist rhetoric is also very telling. Let’s not talk fairness or equality while advocating violence toward, or the imprisonment of, men whose only crime is to exist.