Those of you familiar with Rumer’s music will know the line ‘I got Aretha in the morning high on my headphones and walking to school, I got the blues in springtime ‘Cause I know that I’ll never have the right shoes.’ Not only does she sing about having the blues, but the song manages to sum up how most people feel when they’re sad. However, being sad doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing; it’s actually sometimes good to feel bad in order to accept and deal with situations. Many people working in the arts in fact regain strength and become creative again when they’re feeling blue.
Many people expect you to always be in a good mood and when they ask how you are, do you always tell the truth? How many times have you said ‘I’m fine’ to a person, even though you were in a bad mood? I guess sometimes this is because you either want to avoid questions, or you just want to be on your own. The way you deal with sadness is the most relevant. If you have to cry, you should not try and control it because it can be very relieving; many people wrongly consider crying as a weakness, and for boys maybe more so than girls. Socio-cultural factors influence this behaviour and attitude. There are so many ways to overcome sadness which can prevent you from falling into a depression; because being constantly sad is not healthy. So you have to take action. You can be creative like writing a poem or a short story, playing an instrument or even singing a song can be very liberating as well!
However, the most important thing to do is to understand your sadness. People who are sad might also be furious at the same time because something happened to them that they felt was unfair. It’s good to talk about it. True friends will ALWAYS take time to listen to you because they value your friendship and don’t want to lose you as a person. It can also be a member of your family that comes to help. But I would personally suggest to talk first to people close to you before making an appointment with a counsellor or psychologist because it takes the pressure off, and you may just need someone who will listen to your worries and problems. From there, you can consider other options such as counselling if you feel this will benefit you.
Services like Aberdeen Student’s Niteline can be very helpful as well because it’s anonymous and confidential, and you can call them between 8 pm and 8 am.
Their number is 01224 272829, and you can also find out more information or even look into volunteering on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AberdeenNiteline
The Aberdeen University Students’ Association also often organises ‘Paws Against Stress’ events to play with ‘Therapet’ dogs! Therapists think it’s a wonderful way to relieve stress, and who doesn’t love puppies? Sport is also a great way to improve your mood; maybe taking an hour to swim at the Aquatics Centre will help you to relax and unwind for a while. Watching a funny movie or TV Show can make you feel better, because after all laughing is the best medicine. No matter how you feel, I can promise you one thing; things will improve and you will be on the bright side of life again.