We all sometimes feel unbearably sad – so much so that our hands just drop. It is not clear where to draw strength to move on. And the direction of movement, in general, is also unclear. Here are some simple practical tips that can help.
1. Go outside – at least for a little while. Perhaps an unpleasant feeling of hopelessness, a dead end, that your own life is “small” for you or your own skin is “cramped”, appeared due to the fact that you have not left the apartment for a long time. So go out for at least a few minutes and, regardless of the weather, take a walk around the house or block.
2. Make yourself a strong tea or coffee and drink it while it’s still hot. The warm liquid has an incredible calming effect, and the caffeine in tea works differently from the caffeine in coffee: energizing, but not overstimulating.
3. Make a list of 10 things that bother you. This is the best way to unleash your worries, releasing your brain and overwhelmed nervous system.
4. Buy yourself a fresh flower and put it in water. See how it will enliven the space around you.
You don’t need all the answers right now. Every day try to find one small answer, one small solution.
5. Go to the park and play with a strange dog (with the permission of the owner).
6. Ask friends to list your best qualities — you as a person, colleague, friend, partner. Think about what you heard and finally praise yourself for all this.
7. Based on what your friends have said, think about what you would like to do in the coming month. Set short-term goals for yourself: what can be done in this time? Maybe start seeing others more often? Or talk to your boss about being handed a new work project?
8. Stop being afraid. Stop being afraid that you will never find your purpose in life. Stop worrying that you don’t know what you want to do right now, until the end of today. You don’t need all the answers right now. Every day try to find one small answer, one small solution.
9. Call someone with whom you feel calm, relaxed and at peacewith whom you can freely talk about everything. Devote the evening to a long heart-to-heart talk about everything that has accumulated, about what is happening right now and what you expect from life.
Put on your favorite clothes, look at yourself in the mirror and remember how wonderful it is to be you.
10. Plan something for the near future – a week or two ahead. Something that you will look forward to. Sign up for a yoga class or book a table at a restaurant you’ve been wanting to go to for a long time.
11. Find a music album you haven’t heard of before, and listen to it from beginning to end.
12. Cook yourself something very tasty. Feel free to look through the recipes (in the book or online), choose the one that interests you, go to the store and stock up on all the necessary ingredients. When the dish is ready, eat it slowly and with pleasure.
13. Decide which egg dish is your favorite: soft-boiled or hard-boiled, scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs or shakshuka? Try different options to decide on a favorite.
14. Identify your favorite alcoholic drinkslowly trying different options.
15. Wash, comb, style or otherwise tidy yourself up. Put on your favorite clothes, look at yourself in the mirror and remember how wonderful it is to be you.
Instead of focusing on failures, do what makes you happy.
16. Talk to a professional in the area you would like to try yourself. So say that you would very much like to hear about his or her activity, and invite him to coffee. Of course, he or she can refuse, but what do you have to lose?
17. Learn a new skill thanks to YouTube. For example, learn to knit, fold paper boats, or dance a popular dance.
18. Read the poem.
19. Realize that we all feel lost sometimes. Moreover, this unpleasant feeling actually means that you are no longer satisfied with the current state of affairs, that you are striving for something bigger, deeper, more meaningful. You strive for growth, and this is very important.
20. Go to the store and buy yourself something beautiful and pleasant. (previously designating the budget) – for example, scented candles for the home. Decorate your space with them.
21. Finally go to the dentist – it is very likely that you have been putting it off for too long.
22. Instead of focusing on your failures and what you need to fix or fix, do what brings you pleasure. Read, draw, cook, watch movies. Rejoice in your freedom to do what you want.