It’s A Funny Old World:
Arthur Smith
Do you ever find you feel miserable? For no apparent reason? If you answer ‘no’ to this perfectly reasonable question then you’re either lying, or you’re a children’s TV presenter. Feeling down is a part of life as surely as is breathing. But worry not, because here come Arthur Smith’s Top 6 Things You Can Do To Stave Off Misery. Unlike similar regimes dreamed up by doctors and therapists, this one requires very little effort (no jogging!) and can be knocked off during the course of a morning, at the end of which I GUARANTEE* you will be feeling far better than you were:
Start gently by congratulating
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yourself that you’ve managed to get up, clean your teeth and put your clothes on, not only in the correct order but also the right way round. Well done!
Think of a good friend you haven’t 2
seen for a while, and then send them a postcard. Yes, a proper postcard – with a nice picture on one side and a fond message, an address and a stamp on the other. As you post it imagine your pal receiving it, their pleased face, that smile you’ve seen so often… then pop into a shop and buy yourself a little edible (or drinkable) luxury, such as a slab of your favourite chocolate. Put this to one side.
Have a clear out. Come on, gather 3
up those shoes you know you will never actually wear, the old DVDs, tapes and videos, the chipped teapot etc and squash them into that suitcase with the broken wheels. Deposit the whole damn lot in your local charity shop. (NB if your despair is really extreme you could, additionally, throw out a member of your family). You and your house will feel lighter. And, hey, while you’re in the shop, take a quick shufti at the clothes racks – it may be your lucky day!
Remember that song you used to 4
love but haven’t heard for a while? Yes, that one. Go and stick it on really loud – even if it is Lady in Red. Shut your eyes and, if necessary, dance! As Katie Price once remarked, ‘music hath charms to soothe the glum lady.’
Make a cup of tea. We British
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know this better than anyone; if in doubt, make a cup of tea.
Turn on the TV, sip your tea, and, 6
for five minutes, watch any reality TV show; savour the beautiful fact that you are not one of the poor saps taking part in it. Then switch the TV off. You have now successfully completed the six activities. It remains only for you to sit quietly and tuck in to that little treat you bought after you went to the postbox earlier. Oh yes and – why not? – make another cup of tea and, go on with you, take the afternoon off.