It’s that time of year in New York City when everyone I know is sick. At my office, if I take my headphones out of my ears all I hear is echoes of people coughing and sneezing from various locations- that is when I’m not too busy coughing and sneezing myself. I am just on the outside edge of recovering from a particularly nasty cold. I’m talking the kind that makes you end phone calls abruptly to go get a glass of water, when you wake up in the middle of the night because you’ve been coughing in your sleep, and when total strangers start patting you on the back in public to quiet your hacking. Naturally, I have kept up a busy social calendar throughout this unfortunate illness, because sometimes in winter a girl just needs to get out and about – to make it to work at the very least. And if you’ve been a victim to recurring colds/flus/illnesses this winter like everyone else, sometimes you just get sick and tired of staying home sick. Here are some tips from Women’s Health magazine on how to stay looking your best even when you’re not feeling at the top of your game.

Get rid of those puffy, dark circles with eye cream infused with cooling ingredients like cucumber, and then cover them up with concealer. Putting cooled chamomile tea bags atop your lids can reduce swelling in a pinch too! Put on some blush to liven up your washed out complexion so you have a faux rosy glow. Brighten tired or bloodshot eyes with blue tones around your eyes in mascara or liner. Try wearing a fragrance with lemony notes to boost your energy. Since you’re probably over-tired, and cutting corners on your morning routine, pull out the simple, polished looks. Use that bun-maker you picked up at H&M to sweep your hair into a high bun to look pulled together and pull eyes up and away from your tired face. No one has ever accused a ballerina of looking sloppy, amiright? Then finally wear a power lip with lots of moisturizer to keep everyone’s attention away from your chapped nose and puffy lids. A lady with red gloss on never looks worse for the wear.

It turns out that while you thought you were just saving money by taking the room without a window, you may have been accidentally sabotaging your health and good mood. I have always loved living in pre-war buildings with large sunny windows overlooking a courtyard. Though I enjoy  turning my bedroom into a cave for sleeping with a combo of blackout curtains and blinds, there is nothing better than throwing open the shades on a sunny day and looking out to see trees, and now science (brought to me by an article I read on The Huffington Post) backs up why. A recent study completed by psychologists at the University of Illinois found that seeing nature from your windows has a positive effect on emotional health, mental acuity, and productivity. People who see green things – be it grass, trees, or flowers – felt healthier, more productive and less aggressive than people who only saw pigeons cooing in an alley, or looked straight into another apartment ‘s wall. Additionally people who had rooms with a view earned higher scores on cognitive function tests. This finding even extended to people recovering from an illness or medical procedure in a hospital. Patients with the option to see trees and  visit green spaces experienced lower pain, faster recovery, and increase longevity (read: longer lives).

So if you live in an urban location – like me in NYC! – I think the message is pretty clear. Get yourself to a park! And help to support even more legislation that promotes biodiversity by encouraging or requiring public spaces to use plants native to that area that will thrive and support the local animals and insects. When you’re apartment hunting, hold out for a space that looks out on greenery. Or at the very least, bring the park to your own home. Try planting ferns and wild flowers in plain view to boost your mood, and as an added bonus, house plants are shown to clean the air of harmful toxins for happier days and easier breathing.

If you’re feeling not-quite-at-the-top-of-your-game, researchers at Fordham University (oh hey alma mater!) found that listening to hip hop can boost your spirits, especially if the song contains lyrics you identify with, or that match up with a struggle you’re going through. The March issue of Self magazine reported that this particular style can boost your mood, and help you cope with your personal issues. So next time you feel like you have 99 Problems, crank some Jay Z to help you get through it.

Or, if hip hop isn’t your thing, try putting on that one song  that really gets you going. Back in the days before MP3s, I bought a lot of CDs. Most of them had a few good tracks and the rest were garbage. Then I found the one album that I loved every song, and it soon became my go-to morning music. Listening to Aretha Franklin’s Greatest Hits and singing along as I get ready for work is guaranteed to start my day off on the right foot, though it might not win me any bonus points with my neighbors.

Then if you’re still not feeling great try making yourself a get happy mixtape. I am a big playlist person to begin with (see previous comment about most songs on albums sucking), but having one full of upbeat, peppy tunes can distract you from all that bad stuff at least long enough to get through the work day. Here’s an insider tip – it’s pretty hard to stay upset when listening to songs about sunshine and love, and anything mo-town or by Hall and Oates. Here’s what’s on my mix:

1. You Make My Dreams Come True: Hall and Oates
2. No Rain: Blind Melon
3. Only the Good Die Young: Billy Joel
4. Dreaming on a World: Tracy Chapman
5. Gold to Me: Ben Harper
6. Wreckless Love: Alicia Keys
7. Banana Pancakes: Jack Johnson
8. I Am Not My Hair: India Arie
9. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Marvin Gaye and Tammi
10. Signed, Sealed Delivered: Stevie Wonder
11. I Want You Back: Jackson 5
12. O-o-h Child: Chi Lites
13. Oh Happy Day: Mahalia Jackson
14. Fantasy: Mariah Carey
15. Suddenly I See: KT Tunstall
16. Three Little Birds: Bob Marley

What’s music do you listen to when you’re down in the dumps?

I bet you think that this post is going to be a rant about all of the ways the big V-day is horrible. Well guess what? It’s not! I read this cartoon on The Oatmeal last week that reminded me of a post I wrote a couple years ago on my old blog. And you know what? That sentiment still rings true. The most annoying thing about Valentine’s day isn’t couples canoodling on the street, pink lingerie and candy everywhere, or having to buy into the Hallmark hype surrounding the day to make your sweetie feel loved. (I actually think all of those things are kind of great.) No, the MOST annoying thing is listening to people whine about it, whether they are status is single or happily coupled. So I thought I would do us all a favor, and re-post this one from the archives all the way from Valentine’s of 2011.

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A while back, I read this post on my favorite blog Yes and Yes about ways the fabulous Miss Sarah Von will know she’s made it. As a 20-something living in (arguably) one of the most expensive cities in the world, the post reminded me of the little daily luxuries I have given up to carve out the lift I want to lead, while making the salary I earn, and still living in the city that I love. After years of cutting corners to budget in the dinners with friends, nights out dancing, expensive perfume and the occasional fancy beauty treatment I realize that I by no means lead a deprived life. However, there are certain things that I do not indulge in to have the things that I want most. And when I can factor them back in, well, that’s how I will know I really made it.

I’ll have a few bottles of delicious wine around at all times

I’ll order wine by the case from the vineyards I truly love instead of picking up a bottle here and there for festivities and then promptly downing it.

I’ll buy all of my toiletries at Duane Reade

Everything costs $2-$5 more at your corner drugstore because it’s convenient and on your way home. While the budgeter in me says to order all of this loot on amazon with free shipping, swing by bed bath and beyond or walmart for the lower prices, my fancy successful self will buy mascara and cheese puffs at Duane Reade just because I happen to be passing by.

I’ll own furniture that didn’t have to be assembled with an Allen wrench

I love IKEA as much as the next gal for it’s Swedish charms and cheap snacks. While I will probably always shop there for home accessories, someday I would like to own furniture that is delivered in one piece, without cryptic pictures pretending to be instructions.

I’ll have a signature fancy coffee drink at the local coffee shop

While I may already have a signature coffee drink, and the coffee/espresso maker to accomplish it, that steamed milk just tastes a little better when someone else makes it for you, no? My highly accomplished self will exclusively buy lattes rather than making them at home.

All of my sleepwear will be pretty, matching, and luxuriously soft

Everyone has the old pair of boxers and college t-shirt they sleep in when no one else is around to see them, and then the set that they pull out when the boyfriend is over or they’re travelling with friends. My future self will own a bedtime wardrobe composed exclusively of modal and silk sets from calvin klein, gap body, and other frivolous brands.

It’s like when you ponder what you’ll do with the money when (not if) you win the lottery. Luxuries seem like a whole lot more fun when they’re in your reach as just down the road, after you’ve really made it.

How about you?

We all have those weeks, when we’re too busy to do anything except drop into bed when we finally make it home. Then, you wake up in the morning, and you’re hungry, but there’s a whole lot of nothing in your fridge – at least nothing you can coherently make into a recipe. Enter Gojee, the app that lets you input the random left overs in your pantry, and find a delicious recipe to make with it.

And now the app has expanded to sell luxury goods. It hawks items like designer stilettos and fine jewelry with images akin to Pinterest. It plays off of the visual way women tend to shop. We’re looking for a feeling rather than a specific product price, and the images Gojee presents allow us to feel it. Grab it now, free for iPhone and Android.