We’ve all been in a weird place before where we don’t know why we’re upset, but we just don’t feel the way we normally do. Growing up, as we all may know, seems to get weirder every day. One day you can wake up and think you’re going to have an amazing day, and then by noon your mood is completely flipped, and you can’t put your finger on why you’re even upset in the first place. You’re probably going through one of those moods where we beat ourselves up in our heads because we’re not as happy as we were yesterday. The good point of all of this confusion is that it is completely appropriate to feel the way we do right now.
1. Stop saying “well, it could be much worse”
One of the biggest mistakes people often make when someone is unhappy is telling them that they don’t have the right to feel the way that they do. If you feel a certain way, it is essential to approach the way you feel. If you’re upset, there is a way to approach it without ignoring the issue. By simply saying to someone “cheer up, it could be worse!” is reversing someone’s feelings by telling them NOT to feel the way they do. An appropriate way to go about this without making someone feel bad can be simply offering your help. For example, say “Well, I understand, I feel down sometimes too! And that’s okay, we’ve all been there.”
2. Reflect and take a break
Often times, we get so caught up in the day by day college life, 20’s fiasco, forgetting to give ourselves credit for what we’ve accomplished. The problem here is that if this continues, each accomplishment you’ve made in your life will never been like its strong enough for you. Reflect, at least each week, with 5 good things you did for yourself this week. An accomplishment can be as little as making it to your 9 AM every single day (even with being a few minutes late) or going to the gym once more than you did last week. Just because you didn’t make the A you wanted to on your math exam doesn’t mean you shouldn’t applaud your B+.
3. Remember what makes you happy
Sometimes we’re so busy that we lose a grip on the things that really drive us to do the things we do. Although we are all busy, and even though you hear it every day, time management is so important. If you don’t take the time to do the things that make you happy, you will look back with regret. Each week you should make it a priority to write down at least one event that lasts at least 2 hours to have “me” time, whether that means going for a walk in the park with your favorite music or going to your friend’s house for a glass of wine. Forgetting to give yourself me time can make you lose sight of your happiness. Just because you are getting older, it does NOT mean you aren’t fun anymore.
Just because it was a bad hour, that does not mean it was a bad day. Take a deep breath. Life is great and you should be around to see it!