How To Handle Being Sad

Anonymous
How To Handle Being Sad


Sadness is a horrible feeling. Tears sting at your eyes as you try desperately to hold them in, a knot forms in your throat to the point where you feel as if you're going to choke, and your heart physically hurts while your stomach ties up in knots. This is not a good emotion at all, but it's one that people feel frequently. It is inescapable, and we pretty much just have to deal with it. Tonight has been one of the worst nights I've had in the past 4 months, and I just can't seem to shake the sad feelings I have as I overthink my problem into a much larger scale than it started as. I feel absolutely horrible, and I don't wish this feeling on anyone else, so I'm going to share a few tips to handle sadness.


1.) Find a safe distraction


A TV show or movie, a song that always makes you happy, excessive cleaning, reading a book you enjoy, doing a hobby, just find something safe and enjoyable to keep your mind off of the problem at hand until you're emotionally stable enough to assess and solve the problem. Trying to think while overcome with sadness can lead to more issues.


2.) Focus on your breathing


When you cry, it may seem hard to hold in tears and catch your breath through the knot in your throat at the same time. You need to focus on your breathing and get it under control before you can start to calm down, so that should be your primary goal at first. If you can't focus on two at once, just let the tears flow and deal with the puffy eyes later. Make sure to inhale and exhale deeply and rhythmically. One breathing exercise you can use is the 4-3-4. Breathe in for four seconds, hold it for three, then breath back out for four more.


3.) Drink a lot of water


When your body is releasing water through tears, it is very important to stay hydrated to avoid getting a massive headache. No one can think rationally with a piercing throb in their temples. I know that it's embarrassing to let others see you cry, but if you have to show off that puffy face to reach water then you need to do it. Taking care of yourself is more important than acting tough.


4.) Try showering


I know that a hot, steamy shower always makes me feel a bit more relaxed. You can soak up the warmth and wash yourself clean all while cooling down at the same time. It may not fix the issue, but it will feel nice to focus on nothing but yourself for awhile. You may even have some helpful shower thoughts that can aid you in your problem solving mission. Plus, by the time you finish the redness will fade from your eyes.


5.) Watch cute/funny videos


No one can be too sad if they manage to get themselves laughing. Focus on the goofy kitten in the video and your troubles will start to fade. This is an incredibly temporary fix, but it does allow you some time to cool down and you may even feel a bit better afterwards. Laughter is the best medicine!


6.) Get comfortable


You'll feel so much better if you're in comfortable clothes in a soothing environment. For me that happy-outfit and place would be my fuzzy pajama pants, my baggiest t shirt, and my soft kitty cat socks while snuggled up in my big ol' comforter watching Netflix in the dark It's a setting that makes me feel happy and at ease. No one can hurt me when I'm buried in fluffy fabrics and drowning in the world of Netflix.


7.) Talk to someone


The person I really wanted to talk too was the one person I couldn't cry to about the situation, so I turned to my cousin. I'm horrible with emotions out loud, so I typed out my sadness in a gmail message. It felt just a little better to have someone to try and comfort me, even if it got kind of annoying when she hugged me. (I don't like being touched while sad.) You can message a friend or talk to a family member, but however you do it, talking to someone else may allow you to vent and feel just a bit better even if it doesn't fix what's really wrong.


8.) Try to solve the problem rationally


If the thing making you sad can be solved somehow, try to think of ways to make it better instead of worrying about impending doom like I do when I'm upset. Having a positive mind leads to positive feelings, even if those positive feelings are hard to reach.


9.) Focus on yourself


Pamper yourself. Eat that brownie and drink that cup of coffee. Play with your hair or do your nails. Focus on things that will make you happier, even just slightly, because outside sources are the easiest way to slowly begin cheering yourself up.


10.) Rest


Sleep will often help a sad heart. You get hours of thoughtless darkness, and your body will feel exhausted after a good cry anyway. You should feel a little better come morning time.


11.) Don't be afraid to let it out


Sometimes, a nice crying session is just as refreshing as a hot shower. Bottling up your emotions is harmful to your emotional state and you shouldn't feel the need to hide your emotions. Letting out those tears after trying to hold them in for so long will feel great, eve if you need to do so in the shower to hide the tears from family members you may not want to have to deal with while in this state.


12.) Remember that it's okay to be sad.


No matter what internet jerks or the "cool" kids with 0 emotions tell you, it is perfectly fine to be sad. Being sad does not make you weak. Being sad does not make you lame. Being sad does not make you selfish. Being sad does not make you attention seeking. Being sad makes you an ordinary human being, and you should not let anyone else tell you that you aren't allowed to be sad. No matter who you are, what genitalia you have, what age you are, etc, you are allowed to feel sad, and you're allowed to talk about it if need be. Don't let others tell you that you can't.



I hope that these tips help someone out there who's having a bad day and needed to know how to handle their emotions a bit better. If you have some more ways to feel better while sad, go ahead and post them in the opinions! This post is all about helping people who need it, so any good advice helps! :) And to anyone out there who truly needs tips like this, I hope that whatever is making you sad can work itself out or become more manageable over time. I wish you all the best in life, and I hope you feel well soon <3

How To Handle Being Sad
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