Do You Suck Or Are You Just Thirsty?

Feeling worthless? You might not be spiraling, you might’ve just skipped a meal. Plus, 11 other quick mood enhancers to try.

Photo by Seth Doyle on Unsplash

I’m a real bitch when I’m hungover. For me, the day(s) after an epic bender is a relentless cacophony of catastrophizing.

• “I’ll never live up to my potential and still don’t know what I want to do with my life”
• “I’m lonely and a garbage son/brother/boyfriend/friend”
• “I’m 40 and I’ve never owned a home, walked down the aisle, made an NBA roster, or moved to Europe”
• “I get winded walking up the stairs; it must be respiratory failure”
• “I’ll never be anything but the kid who threw up on the bus during the fifth-grade school trip to Washington DC”

You’re not you when you’re hungry, or when you’re hungover. When our capacity for joy, clarity, or diligence has been compromised, we often don’t ascribe negative emotions to our circumstances, we ascribe them to our character all too quickly.

If I can make a bold assumption, I’m going to guess you’re not an irredeemable prick. In my eight years on this platform, I’ve been graciously afforded a pretty warm reader base; I only get sideswiped by assholes when I…