This morning, I got into thinking about things to do when you feel dull, unmotivated, irritable, disappointed or any other negative emotion. I can guarantee it will help you in feeling completely better again or it is going to motivate you or improve your productivity levels, but it might make you feel good for a while. These are the things I have tried and they have worked for me –
- Binaural beats – I read about them in a blog and yes they work. It’s a very calming tune and there are millions of it for different purposes. You can include them in your daily meditation session or just plug it in at any hour of the day to feel good.
Apart from binaural beats, you can also use Harmonium tune or Om chantings in the background. They make your head vibrate, feel calm and work like magic.
You can also hit up your playlist if that makes you feel better. - Sleep – “The night makes everything alright”. On a bad day, you may like to go to sleep early or you may want to take a nap if you’re not feeling mentally well. Because let’s face it, sleep helps us temporarily forget our pains and sadness and when we get up, it feels like a fresh start.
- Bathing – Or you may just want to freshen up. I don’t know what is it with water, but cleaning up yourself not only makes you feel cleaner and better but also diverts your mind and involves it in something else. So whenever you get back to your problems, you’ll do so feeling better and with a fresh mindset.
- Old memories – Take out those old albums and videotapes and look at the good memories in the past. I’m talking about happy times. The innocent times are good enough to refresh your mood. The things to notice when you’re looking at old pictures – The smile on your face. How happy everyone is. That particular event. Even if you’re crying in the pictures or videos, smile at the moment (if you were a cry baby at that time).
- Stand-up comedy – Well, laughing makes us feel better. Is there anything else to say? ? Well, you can also try watching Ted talks.
- F.R.I.E.N.D.S – Or any of your favourite TV shows or movies that you can binge-watch. Or even better – READ A BOOK. People underestimate the power of reading. It’s pure bliss. Anyway, distraction is again the key-point here.
- Talk to someone – You can call up or text your friend and rant about your situation and then both of you can scold the shitty situation. Or maybe you can call up an old friend, talk about things at both of your ends, scold the situation together (that’s the most fun part) and make plans to meet (that you know deep inside will never be fulfilled).
Some more people you can talk to – parents and siblings. Even if you can’t share your problems, just talking to them makes you feel better. If you’re already staying with them, let me tell you that you are really lucky. 🙂 - Write – it’s not necessary that you can open up about your situation. So take a piece of paper, or open the notes in your smartphone and pour down the ocean of emotions deep within you. I can’t say it has solved my problem but it has been my #1 remedy for any emotional mess for me.
Apart from writing, some people also consider drawing and colouring as a solution. I have tried colouring mandalas (I got the colouring books from Amazon) and it has helped me a great deal. - Meditations – I don’t do it all the time, but when I used to, it helped me keep my calm all day. You can go for guided or unguided meditation. But if you’re a beginner, I’ll suggest you 5 minutes of guided meditation whenever you get up. It can be considered one of the best things you can include in your morning routine. If you don’t have a morning routine yet, I suggest you have one such that it helps you boost your mood and productivity throughout the day.
- Introspect – While the others are optional, this is a compulsory one. You can’t grow if you don’t introspect your own feelings. You have to know why you are feeling the way you are feeling and what you can do about it to be in a better position to solve your issues. I’m not saying forcefully make yourself feel happy, but a healthy state of mind is needed for you to ultimately get through your days. Take external help if you can’t find hope in your own self but you need to face it and solve the problems.
How to introspect? Well, think about your emotions but ensure that you don’t fall into the trap of overthinking. You can maybe think about what you might have advised your friend if they were feeling the same as you. This is called a third-person or neutral perspective and it helps a lot in some cases because in that case, you don’t see the problem as your own but as someone else’s. And like some math problems (this statement is not for you if you’re not good at maths) the problem is easier to solve.
You can’t run away from your problems even if you wanted to. All the above solutions are for you to get a better idea and mindset for solving your own challenges. Make sure you try any of these the next time you’re feeling low (because we all do at some point or the other). You may mix and match any of these activities. I’d love to know if any of these things worked out for you.