Been feeling or know someone whose been feeling a little too glum lately? Well, it's time to cheer up! In this Times article I will share with you a few helpful hints to help you turn that frown upside down.
Stay Healthy
Keeping healthy will both benefit you later in life and make you feel happier now. Exercise releases endorphins in your body that make you feel happy and good about yourself. Eating healthy foods will also help to keep you in shape. Stay well!
Think Positively
Life sucks. We come here, do homework and leave. Thinking negatively like this will only make it worse. Forget that horrible thing someone said to you once and that time when you embarrassed yourself doing a speech in front of the class. Focus on the good things that have happened in your life.
Appreciate the Good Things
We have so much that we take for granted. So what you don't have the most recent iPad or the coolest phone? There are many kids and teens out there that don't have any phone, laptop or iPod. Some people in poor countries don't even get enough food on their plates. If you live in the poorest part of Africa, had to look after your little brothers and sisters since the age of nine and walk for four hours each day to collect fresh water then you can claim your life sucks. If not, I'm sure you have a lot to be grateful for.
Love People
You'll spend the rest of your life with them. Don't just learn how to get along with them learn how to love and enjoy them. Spending time with family and friends can also make you feel happier. When feeling depressed socially withdrawing yourself from your peers will just make you feel more sad and isolated. Laugh with others and enjoy their company.
Take Time Out
Take at least a little bit of time out your busy schedule each day to do the things you enjoy. Doing the things you find fun will make you happier. This will also make it easier for you to focus on the work you need to do later and give you a break to refresh. A relaxed mind is happier than a stressed one.
Explore
Go outside and sniff the roses. Adventuring the outside world will make you feel more alive. Even if you won't be able to visit every country in your lifetime don't just limit yourself to your own house. There's a big, big world out there just waiting to be seen!
Do Something Kind For Someone Else
It doesn't need to a huge thing you do. Being kind to others will make you feel better about yourself. Others will also enjoy your company more if you are nice to them. Any act of kindness no matter how big or small is never wasted.
Love Yourself
You cannot love life without loving yourself. Focus on the good things about you and ignore the bad aspects. We cannot be good at everything or be the world's most likeable person. Face it, nobody's perfect, but no one's completely horrible either.
The above are suggestions. They can help you but in the end only you can make yourself happier. There are also circumstances in our lives that make us feel more than just depressed, but devastated. Hopefully these suggestions have also given you a little bit of an idea of how to cope when bad times come.
Cheers!
- Zicker
