1. Take a deep breathe. If you feel like you’re losing control, it can help calm you down to focus on your own breathing.
2. Talk with somebody else about what’s going on in their life. Hearing about what’s happening to others may help you tune out a bit and offer a little perspective on your own issues.
3. Spend some time with a pet. Whether it’s yours, or someone else’s, petting an animal can really help improve your mood.
4. Watch your favorite TV show. It’s a great distraction.
5. Take care of some plants. Water them, trim their leaves, repot them in fresh soil… it can feel empowering to nurture something, but it’s also nice to connect with nature, even if it’s in a small way.
6. Drink a glass of water. You might be dehydrated. When was the last time you drank a glass of water just for the sake of drinking it?
7. Listen to white noise. If you’re feeling over-stimulated, white noise–like the sound of falling rain–can help you concentrate on something else, or ignore what you’re trying to ignore for a little while.
8. Take a different route home. It’s an easy way to get out of your routine, and you might find something new along the way.
9. Put on your favorite article of clothing. It could be your comfy pajamas, or your sequined jacket … what’s most important is that it makes you feel really good.
10. Make a playlist with the songs that you loved as a teenager, and enjoy the nostalgia.
11. Or watch music videos that you used to love as a teenager, and that haven’t really seen since.
12. Make your bed. It’s a simple activity, and it doesn’t demand too much, but it can help make the atmosphere much cozier and tidy.
13. Read a book. Get lost in someone else’s story.
14. Or read a magazine. Or a comic book.
15. Get a blank sheet of paper and a pencil, and just start doodling. You don’t have to draw anything in particular, just do something with your hands.
16. Plan your next trip. Even if you have no idea when it might happen, think about how–when the opportunity arises–you’re going to be all ready for it.
17. Take a shower, just to take a shower.
18. Try to put into writing exactly what is making you feel like this.
19. Spend five short minutes out in open air. If you’re feeling down at home, or at the office, take a little time to get outside and to feel less suffocated.
20. If you spend most of your time on social networks, comparing yourself with others, take a break. But, if social media helps you forget your problems, by all means, feel free to indulge.
21. Get some sleep. It could be that you’re just tired.
22. Go to the movies. Get out of your own head for a couple hours.
23. Eat something. It doesn’t have to be a feast, but if you’ve gone a few hours without eating anything, you may be out of energy.
24. Have a good cry. Sometimes you just need to get it all out.
25. Let yourself be down for a wile, without demanding so much from yourself, and without ignoring how you’re feeling.
26. Talk to someone you trust about what you’re feeling. Maybe you need some outside help, and someone else may be able to help when you can’t do it all on your own.
If you’re worried that you may be depressed, or if nothing seems to help make you feel better, you should consider talking to a doctor or mental health professional.
Via Flora Paul / Image Credit: Wikipedia