5 Ways to Come Out of Sadness

Some time-tested ways to defeat sudden attacks of sadness

I feel sad for no reason at times. The sadness comes like a dark cloud. I feel dull, and I have no idea about what might be causing it.

Everything starts to feel meaningless, and I want to quit. Life just sucks or at least it seems to me like that.

It always disturbed me until I decided to learn more. I have no single strategy to fight this uninvited sadness, but I have found — mostly by reading a lot — that one of these methods usually works to get rid of the sad feeling:

Choose positive minds to accompany you

1. I generally try to read a good book that reminds me of the importance of my life and all the good things in it.
2. You can try watching an inspirational movie or listen to some good music with inspiring lyrics.
3. You can listen to your favorite podcast or a new TED Talk that engages your full attention and teaches you something new.

I try not to read a sad book or listen to sad music. I wish to listen to sad music — as it matches my mood — but I feel better if I listen to some inspiring stuff. Do not rely on just any podcast or lecture; go for something that you know will lift your spirits as well.

Talk, write and do what you like

I accept that experiencing sad feelings is necessary for my mind’s overall health, and I know I must express them. Repressing your sad feelings is only going to intensify those feelings.

1. Sometimes, just talking with someone you love and trust can change the state of your mind in minutes.
2. Writing can help you take something off your mind and onto a piece of paper. Most of us think that writing is for writers only, and we cannot write. We can all sing in the bathroom though we are not singers, right? This kind of therapeutic writing is just like bathroom singing — you can call it bathroom writing if you wish. Just sit on your toilet seat, and write your sad thoughts on a paper, read what you have just written, and flush it down the toilet.
3. Try to do something that you’d love to do, and you feel passionate about it. It can become your hobby or your side project. You must feel that you are doing something close to your heart.

Let go of your worries

1. I usually think that I have enough for today, and tomorrow will be another day. By showing gratitude for what I have right now, I let go of some of my worries.
2. Our worries are merely thoughts in our heads. Our perceived problems have no basis in reality — most of the time. If you let go of these thoughts in your head by thinking something else, you can let go of your worries. Try to do it every day before going to bed, like brushing your teeth.
3. If you are sad because somebody said something, try to forgive the person. I have often found it helpful.

Physical exercise

1. It improves mood when pleasure hormones — chemicals called endorphins — are released in your body. They help relieve bodily pain and mental stress.
2. Physical exercise has almost magical effects on your mind and body. As studies suggest, neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline — that the body releases in abundance — help improve your brain functioning.

A moderate amount of exercise, thirty minutes for three to four times a week, is usually enough to get these benefits.

Mindfulness exercises

Mindfulness is a big word, but it simply refers to paying attention to the present moment.

1. At times, there is nothing in the present moment that is making us sad. It is something that happened in our past, and we haven’t gotten over it yet. For example, the untimely death of my father always acts as a trigger of sadness attacks. If we start focusing on our breathing and notice how breath goes in and comes out, we can shift our focus of thoughts to the present moment in a few seconds.
2. You can focus on where you are sitting and what’s going on around you, you can shift your self to the present moment and recognize that the sad event lives in the past only and you can choose to live in the present.

“It is impossible to avoid negative emotions altogether because to live is to experience setbacks and conflicts.” ~ Sauer-Zavala, Ph.D., University of Kentucky

Conclusion

The most important thing to understand is that you have to change the direction of your thoughts for a few minutes. You have to distract yourself.

Sadness is caused by your thoughts and not by circumstances and hardships you are facing in your life. You can choose to do something to snap out of this sadness before it overwhelms you — or you may relive the sad moments again and again.

It may seem difficult if you are not accustomed to doing something about your sadness. It may take a few hours — or a few minutes sometimes — before you are your happy self again.

You don’t buy every book when you go to a book store. You read the book reviews for guidance. The curation is a review of your written piece — by Medium. What Medium wants and what you can do about it — an explanation of the requirements for successful curation.

It was double-curated and distributed into: PSYCHOLOGY and SOCIETY. We can only guide ourselves with intellect to experience life through observation and study, but our feelings and emotions must ultimately guide us in living a good life.

It was curated and distributed into: SELF. Your psychological health, career, aging process, and almost every aspect of your life can benefit from such a change. I have often faced criticism for changing my mind. I try to avoid stubbornness, and I try not to be rigid in my opinions.

It was quadruple curated and distributed into: MINDFULNESS, SELF, PSYCHOLOGY, and MENTAL HEALTH. Since I first read the mantra, ‘All is well’, years ago, in a book written by Louis L. Hay, I have often overlooked its importance more times than any other thing. It feels simplistic, too simple to be true or effective, I don’t want to believe that it can work.