Cheering yourself up when you're sad (that doesn't involve food)

thelastnightingale

I fell off the wagon yesterday because I missed out on celebrating a family birthday and used food to cheer myself up. I didn't realise I was doing it at the time, it's only with the wisdom of hindsight that I know I used food as a crutch. (Some of these bad habits are so deeply ingrained, it takes a while to realise how you're sabotaging your progress!)

Now, we've all missed out on things over the last year due to the pandemic. Food is a terrible comfort blanket. What do you do to cheer yourself up during those dark moments that doesn't involve stuffing yourself full of food? Especially if it's crept up on you and you haven't had time to plan?

I thought we could perhaps share some good tips to help us all stay better on track.

AnnPT77

Fresh air and sunshine. Accomplishing some useful task (bonus points if it's somehow a little difficult so feels like overcoming some roadblock or limitation). Music. Exercise (for me, especially short but very intense exercise). Stretching or self-massage techniques can help, especially if there's a stress component to the unhappiness. Creative hobbies, particularly ones that let me express the unhappiness (mixed media visual journaling would be where I usually externalize negative emotions; other creative hobbies are more about generating positive feelings (or overcoming a challenge, if the technique is challenging).

Machka9

This past year of pandemic has been nice.

But when I've felt down in years before that, I've used exercise. Especially strenuous exercise.

For me, food is a celebration thing ... for my birthday or at Christmas ... not a sad thing.

vanmep

Awareness is the first and hardest part! I struggle with that a lot of times and I have noticed that strict logging helps. The second thing for me is sometimes just as hard. But I am getting better at realizing in advance that doing some yoga, getting outside or any other distracting thing almost immediately puts me in a better state of mind.

hipari

*kitten* and moan about it to someone. Punch or throw something. When I was writing my master’s thesis, I frequently visited my gym in the middle of writing days just to throw a heavy ball around. Fresh air and sunshine, like Ann said. Blast your favorite energetic music and rage-clean something to get a feeling of accomplishment. Play video games. My personal, if slightly controversial, favorite: *kitten*. If you’re wired that way, an orgasm followed by a good night’s sleep (or a good nap) is a great way of releasing frustration, enjoying yourself and replenishing your energy levels to deal with whatever was upsetting you in the first place.

hipari

hipari wrote: »

Whine and moan about it to someone. Punch or throw something. When I was writing my master’s thesis, I frequently visited my gym in the middle of writing days just to throw a heavy ball around. Fresh air and sunshine, like Ann said. Blast your favorite energetic music and rage-clean something to get a feeling of accomplishment. Play video games. My personal, if slightly controversial, favorite: *kitten*. If you’re wired that way, an orgasm followed by a good night’s sleep (or a good nap) is a great way of releasing frustration, enjoying yourself and replenishing your energy levels to deal with whatever was upsetting you in the first place.

Edit: the *kitten* is a verb for providing yourself with physical enjoyment... I think you know.

vanezache

I been struggling with my emotions lately , I go into nature. Listen to the birds and admire the beauty around me. Before I know it, I'm running, singing and smiling ! Pick something that makes you happy and makes you smile!!!

GummiMundi

Usually, I go out for a brisk walk. If for some reason I can't go out, I put on a playlist that I created with my favourite dance songs and dance the sadness away.
Sometimes watching a movie or reading a book helps me too.

penguinmama87

Definitely recommend the outdoors if possible. A shower or bath or some other hygiene thing that helps you feel refreshed. I often tackle some small kind of household task like @AnnPT77 mentioned - there's always things that need doing. Organizing a junk drawer is incredibly satisfying.

Recreation and genuine leisure are also really important for human happiness - if you don't have a hobby find one! It feels good to make or do something with your hands, or to think about something just because you want to, not because you have to.

kellyiris6

I walk my dogs and try to enjoy the outdoors. I also like to shop online haha. But it’s more like window shopping, I just like to browse at different stores, keeps me preoccupied.