15 Things to Do When You're Sad: Part 1

Some days you are just having a rough day. You're sad because someone started a horrible rumor about you. You're mad because your boyfriend cheated on you. You're stressed because you have crazy finals coming up. You're worried because your parents are starting to talk about divorce. Whatever it is that is ruining your mood isn't fun and sometimes you just need something to lift your spirits and get away from all of the noise and the stress. I've compiled a list of fifteen things that I do whenever I am having a really bad day. You may think that some of these things are really weird and that's okay, because I am really weird. But maybe they will help to make your day better. I've split this list into three parts because it was really long so today I am just going to list 5 of the 15 things.

1. Read your favourite verse or passage of Scripture: 

This is kind of hard for me to do sometimes because I get so easily sidetracked. When something bad happens, I tend to be preoccupied on the situation instead of being focussed on the One Who can fix it. My favourite chapter to read when I am not in a good mood is Psalm 139. It's really encouraging to me. It reminds me pretty much in every verse how much God cares about every little thing that I do, every thing that I am feeling, everywhere that I go, every little detail of my life. It's great to know that even when I feel as though no one cares how I feel, that God does.

Whatever your favourite verse or chapter is, read it. Maybe you don't have a favourite verse. Well, I would encourage you to find one so you can always pull it out, like I do, on a bad day.

2. Go for a run or workout:

I don't usually get to go running that much because my schedule doesn't allow for it, but when I do get to run I feel so much more awake and refreshed. If I don't have the opportunity to run then I will instead do some yoga. Yoga really relaxes me and releases stess. Find some sort of physical activity that works for you. Not only will exercising lift your mood, but it is also obviously good for your health.

3. Listen to encouraging and uplifting music:

I don't know why this is true, but when my friends are in a bad mood they will listen to really depressing, sad music. I'm guilty of this too sometimes. Why do we do this? I don't know. Maybe I feel like the songwriter understands me. But it never makes me feel better.

So what I have done is created a playlist on my phone (because I'm too cool to have an iPod) with my favourite songs--songs with great lyrics and upbeat instrumental accompaniment. 

You should do it too so you will always have something quick to turn on when you're feeling down. Plus you will know exactlty what song you need to hear at exactly the right time. 

4. Write down things that make you happy:

Maybe it's just me because I'm weird, but I just like writing things down and making lists. It helps me think better and it helps me remember things. So instead of dwelling on sad thoughts, I challenge myself to see how many things I can think of that make me happy. One time I listed almost 120 things that I love. That list included really simple things like these: 

1. Long hugs

2. Chai tea

3. Good hair days

4. The sound of rain when I'm sleeping

5. Texting

6. Flowy skirts

7. Getting a tan

8. Acoustic guitar

9. Being an inspiration to someone

10. Fangirling :)

You can even make your list really cute by adding pictures and using colourful pens (I'm not very artistic, though, so my list turned out to be really plain). Then when you're done, you will have a list of happy things to read anytime you are having a bad day.

5. Give someone a hug: 

I've noticed that whenever I'm upset or not feeling well I will sit on my bed and hug my pillow or stuffed animal (yes I'm 19 years old and I still have stuffed animals. Don't judge me!) It's almost an immediate reaction whenever I'm not feeling myself. Usually when 

I'm mad about something I don't want to be near anyone; but when I'm sad, all I want to do is hug my mom or my best friend after

a long, hard day. Just a 10 second hug relieves so much tension. It makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. 

So if you are having a bad day or rough week I would encourage you to do one of these things.Just try them. Maybe these won't work

for you. But don't worry. I still have 10 more coming up in my next to blog posts! I hope your day gets better and also let me know in the comments if these helped your day go better or let me know what you do when you are having a bad day. I would love to hear what you all think! 

Have a lovely day!