What to do when you're feeling sad
Feeling sad sometimes is normal, but if it frequently interferes in your daily life, it’s a sign that you probably need to do something about it.
When you’re sad, it’s easy to feel that everything is wrong at the same time because we usually focus on the negative side of things and stay in this inertia of sadness.
If you’re reading this, it’s because you probably don’t want to feel this way anymore but don’t exactly know what to do. I’ll tell you some tips that help me when I’m feeling this way, and maybe they can help you as well.
1. Find what triggers you
Here I’m not talking about some unique case that made you sad, as someone died. I’m talking about something that frequently happens that always makes you unhappy. For example, I’m not the most confident person, so when I make a mistake at work, I pressure myself, thinking that I’ll lose my job, keeping me sad for days. For this example, something that triggers me is my lack of confidence. Thus the first step is to recognize these patterns to create strategies for when this situation happens to you.
2. Find what de-triggers you
It’s super important to find what brings you back from this unhappiness so you can use it in your favor. Each person is unique, so you need to figure out what can make you happier, even on the saddest day. It doesn’t need to be something that will make you necessarily delighted again, but each step towards that is a step away from this sadness.
3. Write about it
Get a piece of paper or something to handwrite and write about how you are feeling, what happened and who was involved. Put everything on the paper, every emotion. Doing this will help you take this weight off your shoulders and sometimes even make you see the situation differently. This exercise can also help you find patterns of what makes you sad and what makes you happier.
4. Do some physical exercise
If you have the strength, do it. Exercises make you release a series of hormones that will make you feel better.
5. Do things that you love
When we do things that we love, we get involved in that, and we distract ourselves from the world. I love to go to the cinema, listen to music or walk on the beach, in a park or in a beautiful neighborhood. By just doing that, I feel lighter, and it makes my day better.
Hopefully, that list will help you the way it helps me, and just remember: Everything changes, everything passes.
You can check this article and others on my website: https://www.marinahaack.com/articles/What-to-do-when-you’re-feeling-sad
