Things I do to beat the blues

Sadness is something that we all experience. It follows when a tragic event happens, and sometimes it can come out for no apparent reason—without warning. Feeling sad is normal, but negative thoughts start as it progresses. It’s true that feeling blues last only a moment. Other times, they linger a little longer.

But, I realized that I should not allow it to overrule my thoughts and feelings. For that reason, I tried different ways to beat the blues, find new meaning and achieve inner peace. 

I engage in physical activities. 

Since I was young, I’ve been trained to be physically active by joining our school’s physical activities or sports. Until now, I’m trying to do activities that require me to move and help me overcome the blues.

For instance, whenever my mood is not in a good state, I would do mild exercises like walking outside for thirty minutes or simple stretching. Moving helps me feel better and alive. In fact, science proved, and research findings revealed that physical exercise positively affects our mental health.  

I interact with others.

Interaction with my family and friends is effective in uplifting my mood. Although there were times that I wanted to isolate others and avoid others, this would only get things worse. Hence, even when I don’t feel like doing it, I try to reach out and strike up a conversation with them.

Fortunately, interacting with them is a good antidote to beat sadness, stress, and anxiety. Also, connecting with people in real life or online makes me feel that I’m not alone. I realized that these people are willing to be by my side regardless of what I’m going through.

I jot down my thoughts. 

Another strategy I use to overcome sadness is writing down my thoughts and feelings. Writing down allows me to understand myself and make sense of the happenings around me. It helps me move past negative emotions and reach positive ones.

And when there are moments that I can’t share with others, I will write them on paper—whether it’s about guilt, anger, or confusion. after that, I feel immediate emotional relief. Thus, writing down doesn’t only organize my thoughts but also helps me navigate and manage my feelings well. Just like exercising and socializing with others, writing has a good bearing on my mental health. 

I listen to music 

When blues strike, I often turn to music and listen to my favorite songs. I find it genuinely magical how simply listening to a song can turn a bad day into a good one. Listening to music I can resonate with helps me express how I feel just by listening. Also, there wasn’t a day that I didn’t listen to music.

Music has become part of my everyday life, which is also my instant cure for feelings of melancholy. In particular, listening to an upbeat song makes me feel more positive while listening to songs with a slower melody makes me feel relaxed and calm. I can say that music has a profound effect on my emotional state indeed. 

Although we sometimes get caught up in our sad feelings, we don’t have to. It might be challenging, but we can take care of ourselves gracefully by trying our best to overcome it.