Everyone goes through stressful times. Whether its heartbreak, a new job, graduation, family issues, everyone has experienced a time where they felt low or not their best. I have recently been feeling very down and struggling a lot. These are some of my 5 tips to cheer myself up.
- Time
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They say time heals all wounds. That is a big lie, but it has some truth to it. Time is one of the best indicators and ways to heal yourself after something that hurt you. For me, I like to immediately take the negative thing out of my life. If I can’t see it, it won’t hurt as bad. That means, for me, deleting texts/snapchats, taking them off my story, removing items from my sight etc. As time moves on, the event or thing becomes less painful or sad, and then comfort or exposure later on isn’t so bad.
- Creativity
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Creativity is wonderful outlet to let out emotions. I personally like to paint or write.Not only does it temporarily give me something to focus on very in-depth, but usually my best work comes out of an emotional time. When I am having a hard time, I try to pick a creative outlet to let out my emotions and get lost in my art or writing. It has been a while since I’ve used art as my outlet, but it helps.
- Workout
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I joined a gym for all the wrong reasons when I was being overly emotional about my self image and worth to a man. I joined in late August and my original goal was to look good. My goal is now to not only good, but to feel good. This is a goal for me. I took up the gym as my hobby because it gave me an outlet to get away from my frustrations. I like to run and as dumb as it sounds, I ran from my problems on a treadmill. When I picked up speed, incline or time, I felt proud and wanted to keep going. Thanks to this new hobby, I am stronger than I have been before, and I can run the speeds I did when I was 18.
- Friends
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Sometimes it is really hard to open up to even your closest friends. I struggle a ton with that because I tend to carry m world on my shoulders. Regardless, leaning on friends can be helpful even if you do it in other ways. A girl’s night can be just as helpful as pouring your heart out to them. Surrounding yourself with people who love you is a great way to not feel lonely or sad. Even a night of playing Among Us a good enough for me.
- Meditate
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Meditation has worked wonders for me to calm my anxiety attacks. I started as a joke with my freshman year roommate. We didn’t expect it to work and at first it didn’t. As I tried more on my own, it began to be a much better tool for me. I recently purchased a fitbit and it has an app for guided breathing. This has been a lifesaver for me as it is quick and has vibrations so I can close my eyes and follow rather than watch. I highly recommend guided breathing.
Everyone has their own methods of cheering themselves up in stressful times. Hopefully, you’ll use one of my suggestions next time you find yourself in a pickle.
HCXO, Cecilia
