The View From Here – Tips For Fighting The Sad

I wish I knew how to fix the sadness that everyone is feeling.

I’m barely getting by myself some days.  So easy to fall into negative thinking.  So easy to say “screw it -I’m just going to live my life.  Nobody is guaranteed tomorrow.”  Because we’re tired.  So tired of rules and restrictions.  Masks and sanitizer.  Circles that keep us six feet apart.  Unable to hug those we love.

But we have to keep going.  We have to keep doing what we need to do.

I think I’ve gone through enough in my life to realize time is precious.  I get the whole “nobody is guaranteed tomorrow”.   But I also know those “it’ll never happen to me” situations, happen.  And they happened to me.

So I don’t want to take chances.

I don’t want someone I know to be the one who doesn’t recover.   I don’t want anyone to be the one.  I know the pain of losing a loved one is just too great.  No matter the reason.  So if we can stop even one life lost, why would we not want to do that.

The way I see it, we need to work together.  It’s like we’re on a giant super hero mission to save the world and we can’t do it alone.  We have to do it together. So put on your super hero cape and tights and let’s get to work.  So we take back our lives and our normal.

I read today that the pandemic continues to take a mental health toll on stressed Canadians; a recent poll found that half of Canadians are fed up with the restrictive lifestyles we’ve endured.  Yep.  We are.  We’re tired.  We’re tapping out.

A Gallup 2020 Global Emotions Report found that Americans in 2020 are sadder than they’ve been in most years over the past decade, with more than a quarter, 27%, reporting they experienced a lot of sadness the previous day.  Even experts who specialize in happiness are struggling.

Neil Pasricha, author of “The Happiness Equation” and director of The Institute for Global Happiness in Toronto” said “It’s been really hard for me and it’s been really hard for everyone,”

“Everybody is feeling this way.”

BUT – there are some things you can do to help you through those tough days.  15 Small Tips To Make You Happier  even now.

Start your day with a list of what you are grateful for.

Do some yoga.

Jump around.

Write a to-do list.

Take a few minutes every hour to reset.

Give, any way you can – donating food or money to a food bank, supporting small businesses in your community, or doing a random act of kindness for a friend, neighbor or stranger.

Laugh

Stop trying to fight the bad mood

Turn off the TV and social media.

Focus on the positive.

Seek out touch.

Let me know what works for you or what you’ve been doing to help you focus on the good.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan