Whether you go to college on the east coast or the west coast, whether you’re studying medicine or film, whether you’re a theater kid or a sports lover, we all have at least one thing in common: we’ve all had bad days. Sometimes it’s for a specific reason like a bad grade on a paper you worked particularly hard on, a nasty break-up, homesickness, or perhaps just a grey, dreary day. Sometimes its for no reason whatsoever, you’ve just got a bit of the blues and can’t seem to fix it. We all know what it feels like to be sad and we all know the feeling is simply inescapable so when it happens to a friend we all have the power of doing something about it because we’ve all been there. Here are three different ideas for things you can do to cheer up whoever you’re trying to cheer up- a roommate, a friend, a girlfriend or boyfriend, even a stranger that lives in your hall- because no one ever deserves to be sad without someone who can turn it around for them.
MUSIC
One of the best ways to lift someones spirits is to do so with a thoughtful CD or playlist. There are a few ways to go about making playlists for your crestfallen friends. If you know your friends’ music taste really well, go ahead and throw on some songs by his or her favorite artist, or some tunes that you know fit their tastes. If you are having a hard time with this, Pandora is a great way to find sounds and songs similar to the ones you know your friend loves.
If your friend is in the T-Swift/Adele/Backstreet Boys all-I-want-to-do-is-sing-loudly-cry-and-eat-nutella-with-a-spoon mood, a sad songs CD is the way to go. Sad music can range from angsty alternative bands that were all the rage in 2005 (like Breaking Benjamin and Blue October) to tear-jerking, beautifully melancholy music like “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen or “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles. Some good examples of sad music include:
“Hearts a Mess” by Gotye
“Better Days” by The Goo Goo Dolls
“Hurt” by Johnny Cash
“Running Up That Hill” by Placebo
“Best Not To Think About It” by Athlete
“Fix You” by Coldplay
“Hurt” by Johnny Cash
“Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss (There has never been a song that has made me cry harder. Ever).
[Photo of Adele singing]
While some people like to indulge their gloom, others want to do whatever they can to get rid of it. If you know your friend is more like this, a cheerful and lighthearted playlist is definitely the way to go! Some suggestions of really chipper, optimistic, and feel-good songs include:
“I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash
“Another Sunny Day” by Belle and Sebastian
“Faberge Falls For Shuggie” by of Montreal
“I Will Survive” covered by Cake
“Happy Together” by The Turtles
“5 Years Time” by Noah and the Whales
“Doo Wop (That Thing)” by Lauryn Hill
“What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
If you don’t want to use any of these own ideas and play a musical instrument, write your friend an original song! All it takes is a few cords, a rhyming dictionary, context, and a bit of practice and voila, music! Then you can either perform it live or record it on your computer.
CRAFTS
Though college undoubtedly has more benefits than kindergarden did, some of us sometimes wish the level of difficulty of our college tasks was a bit more like it was in kindergarden, and instead of writing so many papers we did more crafts. If you’re one of these people doing little “feel better soon” craft projects is the way to go. It’s a great way to both unwind and let some of artistic talent flow and cheer up that person you care so much about. Some starting ideas for craft projects are:
- Pop up books or pop up cards. Add a little surprise to something that’s already a surprise! (instructions for pop up art: http://ohhappyday.com/2011/05/diy-pop-up-cards/)
- Candy message boards! Take a large piece of poster board, the side of a cardboard box, or part of a trifold poster and write your friend a message using candy! Here’s a fantastic example (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_d8lPykMliNg/S-HP-ZhJdyI/AAAAAAAACNA/-X5o4UEMkpM/s1600/SECRETARY+DAY+CANDY+GRAM.jpg)
- Photo collages. Whether it’s on a normal piece of 8 ½ by 11 paper, a piece of decorated stationary, or a giant piece poster paper, photo collages (especially if you leave a little room for captions or art!) can be a great way to brighten up a space and a friends day.
BAKED SURPRISE
Whether you make it yourself or buy it from a local coffee shop or bakery, there’s nothing that says “Cheer up!” better than a sweet treat. Cupcakes, chewy cookies, and brownies are always a safe option, but it’s more fun to add something you know your friend will like. For example, if he or she likes salted carmel, add little pieces of carmel you’ve salted yourself on top of a plain chocolate cupcake- that way, you don’t have to spent a lot of time thinking about making a salted carmel flavored cupcake, but you’re also not giving your friend a present without any thought. To make things easier, here’s a website with quick, five minute recipes that are good for any college student. http://www.yummly.com/recipes/5-minute-dessert