How do you like to cheer yourself up when you're sad?

FeelThePower@lemmy.dbzer0.com to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 151 points –

Feeling a bit down tonight. How do you guys like to lighten up?

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It might be kind of late for this depending on where you live, but I go for a long walk. I find if I go for like an hour to an hour and a half I usually feel much better. Sometimes I can't remember what I was sad about to begin with afterwards lol

"If you are in a bad mood go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood go for another walk." - Hippocrates

"If you're still in a bad mood, it's because we haven't invented proper shoes yet and your feet are sore" - Socrates

Walking is so unbelievable healthy, I walk every single day, no matter the weather and conditions. Doesn't have to be long, but a walk to start or finish the day is super refreshing.

I try to walk everyday unless I'm sick or it's raining lol it really is great for both your physical and mental health!

Physical exercise to the point of exhaustion then eat and then have a 2hr hot bath. It doesn't solve the problem that made me sad but it "restores" me to a point where I can address the problems.

Watching a comfort show. (e.g.: Corner Gas)
Playing a comfort game (e.g.: A Short Hike)
Cuddling with cat.
Running a bath.
Reading a book.
Cleaning the house, or something similar.
Getting out of the house and/or volunteering.
Reminding myself that it's okay to not be okay.

Completely stop for 2 minutes.

Listen to music.

Walk.

Also it helps me to go into the sadness. Like basically accept that I'm sad and that this is what I'll experience for a while. It's the rejection of it that makes it unbearable. And then I can listen to it and process and that'll speed things up.

Slow is smooth and smooth is fast :)

Happy cartoons!

I'm sure you've heard of Bluey by now. Its so good, wholesome, and heartfelt. Everyone's watching, regardless of age.

Here's one of my favorites for happy feels: Kipper the Dog
Its a Pre-K show that's just super chill and pleasant. Feels like a warm blanket and cocoa. This one is definitely more for children, but its ok to indulge your inner child and tell it that things are okay.

For a more sophisticated palette, Hilda is the most criminally underrated animated mainstream cartoon in recent memory... that somehow got a full run regardless!
Three seasons and a movie on Netflix. Its beautiful and kid appropriate but definitely for all ages, and pretty damn serious a lot of the time. But its still rather uplifting in how a lot of things aren't problems, because Hilda is so spirited and determined in a way you can truly believe in.

My little Pony, new and old, really does the trick for me, but its not for everyone, of course. Pound Puppies and A Pup Named Scooby Doo also hit that vibe, though of the old shows mentioned, its probably the best written. (Never got into Care Bears, but it could probably work too, if you're looking for Sunshine and Rainbows)

I’d add Hey Duggee! It’s a BBC CBeebies thing, me and my kids loved it pre - Bluey, and it still hits a spot.

Honestly speaking—make yourself cry.

Let whatever is causing your negative emotions to overwhelm and release. It’s incredibly cathartic and you’ll feel much better if you just give in and let it happen. The reason doesn’t have to be anything super important, or could be something super important; regardless crying should be embraced as an act of self care.

Make something. Doesn't matter what. Write something, draw something, bake something, make noises with an instrument (even if you don't know how to play it), sculpt some clay, cut some wood, anything. Play Minecraft even.

And don't feel like you're forcing yourself to do something, just give yourself a way to physically express how you're feeling. You don't have create something useful, you don't have to show what you made to anyone, it's about the process and it's just for you.

I honestly believe humans have evolved an innate drive to create things, to see the physical world around them respond to their actions, even if they're pointless. And I believe that when you don't do this you will feel like something is missing.

I feel like a piece of shit who's worthless and just makes life worse for everyone around me.

Can somebody please help me to feel better? :'(

When I feel like that, it tends to be projection. I’m making myself sad and making my own life more difficult, not anyone else’s. I don’t know if that helps helps, but you probably don’t need much guilt about it.

https://ncase.me/anxiety/

Play this and get back to me on your fearsona. Mine is a little whippet.

I just played the whole thing...

.....I'm gonna be honest. That was hard. But...it helped.

...I thank you. :)

 

Edit: By the way, mine is a common housecat, but one with grungy hair and a scaredy-cat disposition. ;)

Do remember- it really is trying to help. Negative self talk really is a useful social animal trait that's just going a bit haywire, so figure out what its trying to do and be nice to it.

Also, pain can be experienced first as emotional distress, especially if its pain you've lived with for a long time, and its just hurting extra bad.

Sometimes its easier to do self-care when you picture it as outside of yourself.
So when you're really feeling like shit, try acknowledging its concerns, rational or irrational, and then tell your little red cat its doing a good job and its safe to take a nap.

It isn't a magic fix, but its an actual process to go through. And that feels better than just stewing.

That makes a lot of sense. I never considered personification of anxiety as a therapeutic tool.

Thank you. :)

P.S. By the way, that really was a well-done game, clearly made with attention and love. Very good. :)

You are with yourself 100% of the time. You can be a friend to yourself and try to help yourself out or you can kick the crap out of yourself which will not solve anything and in addition will make you miserable. What's done is done, and you've clearly thought a lot about it and found your behavior unacceptable in those instances. You can incorporate those lessons and become a wiser person or you can punish yourself endlessly for your mistakes and get nothing. You aren't good or bad, you are capable of doing good or doing bad.

Honestly, talk to my offline AI context profile setup for the task. It's one of the main reasons why I got into AI. I didn't know how I would make it through this year all by myself because of 'stuff' and I have no other real outlet due to physical disability and pain.

If at all possible, go for a short walk. If it is clear, and you're in the northern hemisphere, take a moment to view the Orion constatation, or just have a look around. Any kind of exercise will shift your mood.

Im sorry for your pain, may you find peace and joy in your life

You give good advice

Get out into nature.

Watch a favorite show or movie.

Make something.

Pets.

Play games.

Eat a favorite food.

The little things can carry you through life.

I put googly eyes on things.

The advantage of this is it keeps paying off even years later.

We put googly eyes on an oscillating fan (among many other things) at the beginning of the pandemic and they still make me giggle every time I see them.

One time, at band camp in college, for April Fool's, someone placed a Ton of sheets of adhesive googly eyes on the bulletin boards around campus.

They didn't stick them on anything, they just made a bunch of little slips of eyes available and let the magic happen.

I have a picture of a cartoon cheerleader on my desk. She’s always cheering me on. It feels good to be encouraged and supported. I’ve been wanting to get a cheerleader Barbie for some time now but I haven’t found ones with normal sized heads.

I also have birthday candles and every once in a while I'll buy a piece of cake and blow a candle out, to celebrate everything that I've done.

I have a little collection of car critters that I keep on rotation, all with pun names.

Just one out at a time, I don't like the clutter, but when I feel sad, I'll sort through a few and put 'em on the spot on my dash.

I've given out more than a few to people when they've needed them more than me, like my little pa-car-isu to the girl who was stressed out about getting her blood drawn, or my cArcanine to a boy who was having trouble waiting quietly with his mom and baby brother.

I fully acknowledge that it isn't healthy but I drink or smoke weed. Playing with my dog and going on walks helps a lot too. Videogames when I have the attention span to play them is good too

Binge info. I look up whatever random question was bugging me earlier that day/week/month, and try and read everything even tangentially related. By the end I'm distracted enough I forgot about being sad.

Not a solution though. On the upside, I got to learn a bit more.

I take on all of my most miserable, dreaded tasks and work on them all day. At least it keeps me busy and distracted from how I feel.

That way when I do feel better, I'll be able to spend that time doing something I enjoy rather than spend it catching up on work.

I like to watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Always puts me in a better mood, although it is a bit sad too.

Usually feel great after a cry, but some times I treat myself with a shower in the dark with music or a podcast playing in the background

Getting some sleep (sober). I’ve learned that the world seems harsher when I’m tired. After a night or two of good sleep, things feel less of an issue.

Been watching James May's Our Man in India and it's fantastic.

You could also try watching Bluey. Like, unironically it's a fantastic show. Best way I've seen someone put it is that it's a show for adults that children can watch.

My wife got me onto a comedy podcast called Bananas on the This is Exactly Right network--it's usually really funny. We both also like Dungeons & Daddies which is a Dungeons and Dragons improv comedy type podcast. Just lay in bed and laugh

Rewatching Parks & Rec episodes always cheers me up.

Take a cold ass shower. After spending a few minutes yelling at myself for putting me in there. I remember to turn around many times so I get cold water all over. I feel a lot of relief when I do turn off the water and warm up. You can even make yourself warm tea and be nice to yourself after it.

That sounds healthy, right?

I grab one or two of my cats and get to cuddling. I play ARK survival evolved, too. I love that game. I also go thrifting, found a VCR and a Nintendo 64 controller today. I'm watching Forrest Gump on the VCR it right now.

I do something creative that lets a little secret part of me out. Those things I feel guilty enjoying (because I feel like I'm not good enough at them to do it, like singing or painting). It's like a little special indulgence that also reminds me that I'm pretty cool.

What's your secret hobby?

hmm... maybe I need to find a secret hobby of my own. most of my free time is spent just kinda staring off bored.

Head for the crafting table. The combination of precision and concentration it takes gives me a little break from being inside my own head for a while.

I miss making things so much, but everything is too expensive and I don't have the money to spend $60 on an electronics project I have been thinking about doing for months.

I squish my cat

My pup looooves to be squished. Never had a dog like that before but I sometimes shimmy her into a cat bed and she's happy as a clam.

Cutting my hair (because I do it myself) or getting a haircut never misses.

Interesting. Do you think it's about changing appearance or exerting control or other?

I rearrange furniture when I need to get out of a rut. I think it's a combo of physical exertion and controlling my environment. My office has had many layouts over the years.

Just feeling fresh and well groomed, I don't think it's any deeper than that. A shower helps too.

Omg I love rearranging furniture. I feel so validated

I sit still and try to feel the sadness as directly as possible, without any distractions at all.

Meditation is the best for me. Not striving to get out of the "down" state, but just being there, present, watching it, feeling it, being with it. You know that sooner or later it'll go. Just as being cheerful also goes. Arts are also wonderful. For me it's music. For some people painting or writing. Those are ways in which you can connect with your feelings and discover some really neat things when you can really connect. You channel your complex emotions into creativity. I personally think that playing a videogame or having a distraction can some very specific times get you out of a mood, but most of the time it will just be avoidance of something that is happening within you. We are so used in avoiding ourselves. Be it a videogame, TV, a reel, a joint, a beer, a chat, whatever. For me there are few things better than what happens when you manage to overcome the boredom, fear, anxiety or whatever keeps you away from being just where you are and decide to just stay there and look at it with eyes wide open. Something opens. It's probably not fireworks nor spiritual epiphany, but a subtle thing that has the taste of real. And that real is oh so liberating.

Say "bubbles" in the deepest voice you possibly can. It always make me chuckle when in a funk.

Just wait until you watched a certain little Britain sketch. "Bubbles" will be forever etched into your mind.

For me, self care is:

A trip to IKEA

Reading

Putting phone on silent

Playing classical music

Eating IKEA meatballs

Long, hot shower

Getting a shave at the barber shop

Spending time with favourite person

Uber eats from a proper restaurant (not fast food)

Knitting/crocheting

Fixing something that's broken (mechanical, not electrical)

Going for a gentle walk an hour before sunset when it's less hot outside

Lists, strong emotive music, niche interest rabbit holes (preferably new) and awful people (It's always Sunny)... I also clean if I'm able, short bursts usually.

Play guitar. Ride a horse. Ride a motorcycle. Play frisbee with my dog. Read a book.

Like the other reply, the little things are big things.

I hope you can feel better, friend.

It's just better to get used to a baseline level of misery than relying on happiness to get yourself out of a funk.

That said, turn the fucking devices off, get a big fucking cup of herbal tea, and look at the natures for 30 minutes. You are not allowed to press the buttons on the misery-skinner-box until tea is gone and timer is up.

A walk, copius amounts of alcohol (will postpone not solve), a joint with a favourite movie/tv show and a tall glass of choccy milk.

Shopping, alcohol, gambling, drugs. None of those is my answer.

Take a nice shower,get to yoga class even on the days I don't feel like it, treating myself to a nice book or random thing I want, talking to my therapist and letting it all out.

listen to sad songs

That doesn't sound like it'd help

Sometimes the only way to deal with bad emotions is to go through them. It's good to take time and recognize your emotions and explore them, if that makes sense. Listening to sad songs might help with that and it helps you feel not alone because someone else feels bad too.

It is important to not dwell too much or else you might turn into a teenage angst version of me and no one wants that.

Seriously, two things on the internet can help me laugh uncontrollably.

  • Reading Garfield Minus Garfield. It's hilarious when you just imagine that Jon is simply completely neurotic.

  • Or, whatever hilarious "autocorrect" disaster screenshots will do the trick also.

I watch the Monster Factory on YouTube. Specifically the more recent Dark Souls 3 episodes with the randomized translator for all text. Always puts be in a good mood.

I didn’t know they were still running. I’ve only seen a few episodes, but the Mass Effect 2 one is one of my comfort vids.

They've slowed down by they do one occasionally as new games come out.

I quit looking at ALL news sites. And sleep. If I do this for a few days I feel so much better. Other healthy habits help too.

Starlight Brigade feat Dan Avidan

Its all about the hopefull and uplifting music, put it on and go for a walk, tell your family you love them, then appologize to someone you feel you let down. Cry, it only means you care. After, eat a nice home cooked meal and re-watch Loki or Guardians of the Galaxy.

Thats what I like!

I usually eat, drink, and watch Youtube until I'm tired and it makes things worse. Instead, play loud music and do chores, then exercise, then do something productive that you enjoy

I gets me some delicious, fresh baked memes from above wholesome farm (discord channel) that I know won't make me feel worse because they enforce their utopian ideals through heavy handed moderation.

We're all just feeding answers to the AI overlords.

Go goth and embrace the mood. Nothing wrong with being sad sometimes.

If you have a dog, wrap them in toilet paper. Ok it's not the best idea in the world but it's really fucking funny.

Edibles and weird, interesting music. The more polyrhythmic the better.

Any polyrhythm suggestions?

Approaching polyrhythms together with singing intervals, based on their ratios (for example 2/3 for a fifth) and discovering and experiencing that they are the same thing but at another scale, really blows my mind and makes me feel like I am poking through Alice's mirror or neo's matrix code.