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Healthy Ways to Deal with 'The Blues'

We've all been there.

By Becca WillsonPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Photo by Kyle Broad

Feeling blue is a normal part of life. Maybe you didn't get the promotion you worked so hard for or you were let down by your best friend. Maybe you just feel like you're in a funk for no reason at all. Whatever the reason for your low mood, you can rest assured that we've all been there. It's normal and perfectly okay to be sad, but you don't have to just sit on the couch binge watching Netflix and eating way too much ice cream. There are many simple things you can do to get yourself out of your funk.

Here are some of the best ways I have found to handle my own low moods:

1. I don't pretend that I'm not sad. I face it head on. Denying that I’m sad only puts off the feeling until later.

2. I do not judge my feelings or my tears. It really doesn't matter whether I "should" be sad or not. The fact is I am. Judging my emotions does no good. If I need to cry, I cry. Many times just shedding a few tears can help me release emotions I didn't even realize I was holding onto.

3. When I'm feeling sad, I am extra mindful of my thoughts and I make sure that I'm nice to me. I will even give myself a pep talk from time to time and, as silly as it might sound, I always feel better after doing this.

4. I remind myself that all emotions are temporary. This too shall pass. And joy comes in the morning.

5. I look for joyful moments. I'll find a silly squirrel and watch its crazy antics or I'll dangle string over my cat and watch how fascinated he becomes.

6. I count my blessings, all of them! I will be thankful for the warm water I wash my hands with and the Kleenex I use to blow my nose. I will savor my cup of coffee and feel blessed to have it in such a pretty coffee cup. This is really easy for me to do because I simply smile at all I have as I use things throughout my day. And I feel thankful for all the relationships and chances for human connection that I get each day as I interact with others. This has been such a powerful practice and I use it often, no matter what mood I'm in.

7. I do the opposite of how I feel. So, if I feel like crawling under my sheets and hiding all day, I will instead put on some good dance music and start my day. If I feel like having a good cry, I will call up my sister and see how her day is going instead. It’s good to cry; just don’t wallow in your tears for too long.

8. Another really powerful action that always helps clear my gray skies is to find someone else who needs cheering up. When I can focus on helping someone else feel better I will automatically feel better too!

The next time you find yourself feeling a bit grumpy or emotional, give one or two of these suggestions a try. Or figure out your own list of mood lifters because we're all so unique. What works for me may not be all that helpful to you. However, whatever you do, don't let the sadness be your only focus. Go find something beautiful and tell that sadness that if it decides to stubbornly stick around, then you are going to annoy the heck out of it with silly cat videos!

Thank you for reading this! Go have an awesome day!

happiness
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About the Creator

Becca Willson

I am a writer and mindfulness meditation teacher trying to forge a new path in life as I learn to love, grow and share all I know along the way!

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