There are days that we just feel so dejected and depressed, maybe because of a reason or none at all. It doesn’t matter which situation you are in, it is always so important to value your feelings, take some time for yourself, and patiently process it.
Sadness could take away our usual spirit and cause us quite many difficulties sometimes. Our daily tasks seem a lot harder to get done, a friend’s joke is harder to laugh at, and yes, understanding and bringing ourselves out of the dark seems to be an impossible mission! Don’t worry if you are struggling with these problems, I got your back!
This is my diary on a gloomy day. These tips have helped me tremendously each time I've been really sad. I hope it could help you too!
1. Be Honest with Yourself About How You Feel
It is common to hide problems with a smile so as not to make our loved ones worry. Yet, we even deceive ourselves sometimes about how we feel to go about our days and make no distraction from our daily tasks. You could feel worse by doing that, as the “gloomy could” has not gone away but stayed there and drained your energy.
Thus, being honest with yourself about your emotions and welcome that feeling is essential. Why? Because your feelings and emotions deserve to be valued, no matter how good or bad.
2. Be Gentle with Yourself
Yes, self-compassion is super vital. It could mean and include a lot of things, so I will just write down some examples of the self-compassionate act.
- Don’t force yourself to be happier instantly. We are human beings, not robots.
- Remind yourself that being sad without any reason is okay, everyone has days like this, and you are still worthy of love and support. Moreover, it is totally fine to take a break, destress, and recharge emotionally and spiritually. Don’t feel guilty!
- If you want to cry or scream, let it out! Do whatever you think as an effective way to release your emotions. You should find a safe space where you can express yourself fearlessly without bothering or harming anyone.
- Don’t judge or criticize yourself. You are trying your best.
- Don’t let anyone tell you anything negative and affect how you think about yourself. Be confident in your opinion about yourself than that of anyone else.
3. Handle your Emotion Wisely
It’s important that you handle your emotions wisely so that it won’t have any bad impact on your thoughts, decisions, and even health. The goal is to focus on those emotions, but not let it overpower your mind.
I have a story to tell you. It was my first day joining the school’s theater group and I was very nervous. I screwed up during the audition and ended up having the characters that only stay on the stage for a few minutes.
Yes, it was hard to explain how shameful and inferior I felt among my peers, but now I am glad that I didn’t withdraw from the group just because of some bad days. Why? Because I knew in my mind that that was where I wanted to be and some handlable emotions shouldn’t be the main causes for any decision.
It is true that you should value your emotions, but letting them affect how you make important decisions is not very wise. You might even end up regretting later. Remember to be mindful in all situations, and be careful when you decide something during your not-so-best self!
4. Treat yourself!
It’s time for some self-care! This is my favorite part of any me-time and I think it will be yours too. Treating yourself nicely should be practiced all the time, but we need to go a little extra when we don’t feel well, am I right? Treat yourself however you want! Listen to music, devour a big bowl of ice-cream (okay not too much), anything! There is an endless list of activities that we can do with the resource that we have. Here is mine as an example:
- Take a hot shower for a little longer than usual.
- Change out to my comfy clothes and snug under a cozy blanket.
- Ask for an extension if I have homework to do.
- Eat everything I desire but in a moderate amount. (If you don’t feel like an emotional-eating session, maintain a nutritious diet and you'll feel much better).
- Talk to a person that I trust. Hugs are super effective in curing sadness!
- Go for a walk or a run if the weather allows.
There are so many more you can do in order to show yourself some love and boost your mood. Mind sharing some of what you do so that we could all try out? Comment down below!
5. Slow Down and Recognize the Bright Side of the Problem
The act of self-care is to show yourself some love, and also to slow down and see what has always been there, maybe a solution, a good side, or luck.
If I was so focusing on the shameful feeling, I would have forgotten that being anxious and afraid is a sign that I was outside of my comfort zone. Therefore, I should have been proud of myself instead!
There are always two sides to anything. If you can see the good one and choose to focus on it, you win. If there’s absolutely nothing good about the issue, then a solution is waiting for you to be discovered.
In a case when you cannot see the problem and figure out why you are feeling this way, try to sit down and think about or write down a few things that you are grateful for or a few people that you appreciate. Sometimes when life gets busy, we start to be so caught up in our work that we forget to be thankful for what we have, and that how lucky we all are!
Expressing gratitude during a hard time is not easy, so if you can do it, I’m proud of you! You are a lot stronger than you think and capable of so much more than you know!
6. Always Hope for a Better Tomorrow!
Last, but not least, always look forward to a brighter future! It’s important to keep in mind that nothing is permanent. Happiness is coming your way very soon. Why? Because you deserve every good thing in life!
Every teenager has their own struggle and hardship, so being kind and non-judgemental is very important, even to yourself. Just remember, you are never given anything in life that you cannot handle, and you are a lot tougher than you think!
Thanks for reading my article, and I hope that these tips will be helpful for you!
