6 Little Things You Can Do to Overcome Sadness

Someone I know is sad. So I’ve been thinking about “ways to get happier” advice.

Of course, it’s a lousy idea to give advice. Because really, the only way to get happier is to get fed up enough with being unhappy that you finally decide to make some changes.

Little Things to Make You Feel Happier

But my desire to give advice is boiling up, so I’ll share my advice with you. And then, though my friend may never even read it, at least I’ll feel better!

1. Though you may think it’s the big external things in life that are making you sad, it’s probably not. Sadness is a small internal lump that makes the external things seem bad. Often, the sadness lump isn’t caused by the external things themselves.
2. The best way to start to break up the lump of sadness lurking inside is by changing your internal chemistry so that the new chemicals can soften and break apart the sadness lump.
3. It’s been well documented that what you do on the outside actually changes what happens on your inside. If you put a pencil crosswise in your mouth, forcing a smile, actually start reacting to things more positively. Really!
4. Regular exercise — even little bits of it — 10 minutes here and there, for example, changes your chemistry for the better.
5. And so does meditation. It’ll soften your heart and melt your lump of sadness.
6. Finally, if you’re sad, make a list of all of the things you can remember that make you feel happy… the things that are fun for you. And every day, do more of one or another of them.

Even if you don’t think these things will amount to anything, I promise you they will start to reshape your chemistry and melt your sadness lump. And then everything will go better.

Sadness Eats Away at You

Being persistently unhappy keeps you from functioning at your best in most every way. It quite literally colors what you see when you look out into the world.  And that shapes in turn, the way the world reacts to you.

So when you’re ready to give up being sad, try some of the little things listed above. Keep a list of the moments in the day when you feel a bit happy. And now and again, read the full list as it grows.

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Share Your Wisdom on Sadness

Everyone feels sad now and again. But when a lump of sadness takes residence in your heart, what do you do to help break it apart?

What advice do you have for my friend? Please share your thoughts.

Please share your suggestions in the comments below or leave a comment on Facebook.