1. Think back to the last time you were happy. You are still the same person as you were back then. You were capable of being happy then and you’ll be able to feel that way again.
2. Think of the last time you were sad. This seems counter-intuitive, but remembering previous hardships also reminds you that you were capable of overcoming them. Remember the last time you felt like you’ll never be happy again, and realize that you were wrong about that. Know that you’re wrong about this too.
3. Think of the people who make you happy. Even if there’s only one or two, that’s one or two more than some people have. That’s one or two people who care about you and are worth holding on to.
4. Think about the future. Think about how great it’ll feel one day to look back at this moment and know that it was the past. You’ll be a stronger person one day because of this; you just need to push through.
5. Get something done. You don’t have to write a novel or climb a mountain to feel accomplishment. Do a bit of schoolwork, reply to an email, make yourself a decent meal, do your laundry. The world doesn’t stop just because you’ve been knocked down. Keep yourself going forward, in anyway you can. It’ll help occupy your mind with something other than your problems and help you move on with your life.
6. Indulge yourself a little. Take the guilt out of your guilty pleasures. This is the time to pull out all the stops in order to make you feel better. Eat the chocolate, binge watch that TV show, buy something you don’t really need from Amazon. The little things can mean a lot when you feel like you have nothing.
7. Talk to someone about it. The worst thing you can do is keep your pain trapped inside. Remember those one or two people who make you happy? They’re also the people you need when you’re sad. Tell them about your problems; let yourself cry in front of them. They might not be able to solve your problems, but by confessing your burdens you’ll no longer be carrying them alone. Trust me, you want someone to lighten the load.
8. Know that you’re not alone. At any given moment, there are millions of people out there who are also hurting, who are also facing problems they don’t know how to begin to solve. No life worth living is easy all the time, and everything that happens to you will help shape you into who you will become. Every battle fought can be a battle won. Don’t let go of hope, keep going; you’ll make it, I promise.