10 Ways To Jumpstart Yourself Out Of Feeling Down

You know those days when you just feel depressed?  I’m not talking about diagnosed Major Depression, I’m simply talking about that blue feeling we all get from time to time.

Or, maybe it’s not just from time to time, maybe there has been a period of a few weeks or a few months where things just haven’t felt right to you.  Your life isn’t horrible, but it isn’t great either, and you’re not sure exactly what’s making you feel down.

What do you do with yourself during these times?  When you feel down, it can be hard to make a plan and take action to make yourself feel better, you probably want to just lay around and stare at the wall or something.  😉  Here are some things you can do to make yourself feel better when you are depressed.

1.  Engage in physical activity – When I am feeling depressed, this would be the first thing I would do to make myself feel better.  Getting your heart rate up, sweating and working your muscles really helps to shift your focus from your mind to your body, so you can take your mind off of feeling down.  Don’t forget lighter forms of physical activity either.  Taking a walk, stretching or playing with your pets can also do the trick.

2. Watch what you put in your body – When I feel down, I tend to want to eat fast food burgers and fries, but really, this won’t help me feel better.  I tend to just feel more lethargic.  Better fuel for my body means I generally feel better.  Poor fuel means I’m just adding to my depression.

3. Go Outside – Spending time in nature is rejuvenating for our souls.  The sounds, the smells and the sights all help to remind us that we are connected to the natural world.  We gain a sense of well-being and a fresh perspective when we are outside.

4. Get in touch with a friend – When we spend time with people we enjoy, we can’t help but feel better.  Not only are we connecting with a fellow human being, but hopefully we are doing a lot of laughing.  I have friends where everything is funny when we are together.  Laughter is healing.

5. Find the humor in the situation – Sometimes when we are really feeling down, we can start to take everything way too seriously.  Pull back from your situation and find something funny about it.  When I was depressed because I was in a job that I hated, one day I realized that I was in the exact opposite environment that I needed to be in to really thrive.  Even though I was hating life, this made me giggle.  Humor helps us to gain perspective.

6. Break your routine – Whatever it is that you usually do, don’t do that.  Get out of town and visit a friend, go on a day trip to the world’s biggest rubber band ball (I don’t know that there actually is one, but it might be cool if there was), or simply take an afternoon off from work and go to the park.  Just break your routine.

7. Daydream and Imagine – For me, this is one way I gain tremendous amounts of energy when I don’t feel great – I simply imagine where I would like to be.  Think about the dreams you have for your life.  What do want to be?  What could you be?  Don’t limit yourself here – take off and enjoy the ride.

8. Do something creative – Paint, draw, knit, build something with your hands – it doesn’t matter what it is or if it’s any good.  This is simply creativity for creativity’s sake.

9. Take up an activity that you’ve always wanted to try –  Want to learn a new language, try skateboarding, or create a blog?  Start something that you’ve been thinking about trying.  Who knows? – this could become a new passion.

10. Change something – Finally, realize that your depression may mean that you need to make a change in your life.  Figure out why you feel the way that you do.  Where does it come from?  Make plans for change.

Do you have anything to add? What do you do that helps when you feel depressed? Feel free to add to the list in the comments!