How To Deal With Sadness
My absolute favourite photo of us
Edited April 2020
Some of you may have noticed that I went MIA for a few weeks. The reason for this is because I was grieving the death of my Uncle; who was a very important person in my life.
My Uncle was like a Father to me and I loved him dearly. If you needed to know anything about history, he was the man to ask. He was a happy, funny and caring gentleman – anyone who knew him would agree. He was ill for a few years, but he never lost his sense of humour and would always tease me about old jokes.
Giving yourself enough time to grieve is very important, it allows you to process what has happened and find ways to deal with the loss of someone you love.
Sadness doesn’t just come from grief, there are hundreds of reasons why you may be sad. I have compiled a list of things that I do when I’m sad in order to try and help anyone out there who may be struggling. If anyone has anymore suggestions, please feel free to leave them in the comments. And if anyone needs someone to talk to, just drop me a message - I’m always willing to listen.
1. Allow Yourself To Feel Sad
This may sound silly to some of you; but some people think that crying is a weakness. Which I cannot express enough that it really isn’t!! Anyone who knows me knows how willing I am to express my emotions, and this is something that I take as a strength. I’m not afraid to express how I feel; no matter what it is that I may be feeling. This in-turn allows me to comfort other people which is something that I am always happy to do.
By allowing yourself to be sad, it helps you to think about and process, whatever it is, that is making you feel that way.
2. Surround Yourself With People You Love
Thankfully I have the support of my amazing family, friends, and boyfriend whenever I’m having a tough time – each one helps me in different ways and I’d be lost without them.
However, I know that not everyone has someone that they can turn to. But, as mentioned in a number of previous blog posts, I am always willing to listen. There is also a range of different helplines that specialise in advising and helping people in a variety of situations. Never feel like you’re alone.
3. Do Something Creative
This may seem odd but hear me out.
By “something creative”, I don’t just mean paint a picture (although if that’s what you enjoy, you should do that). It could be anything from writing a poem, creating a collage, playing a sport or (like me with this blog post) writing. By using the negative emotions and turning them into something positive it can give you something to focus on.
Turn the negatives into positives.
4. Get Some Fresh Air
Although it is more than okay to be sad (see point 1), it’s no use being curled up inside feeling sorry for yourself forever. However horrible it is, the world around you is going to continue turning like always. Everything is bearable eventually. So, go out and see the world and let it help clear your mind.
5. Hug An Animal
Okay so I know that this may be difficult for some of you but whenever I’m in Wales and I get to hug one of my pets, it always cheers me up. They’re so full of love and happiness that it’s virtually impossible to feel sad in their company. Thy also always seem to know when I’m not feeling great and they come over for a cuddle. That always makes me smile🥰
6. Eat
I often find food comforting when I am upset. However, you must be careful to not just gauge on food in order to try and make yourself feel better. Because it really doesn’t work like that.
However, I have also gone through phases of not wanting to even think about food. This is just as bad as overeating as both have negative impacts on your brain as well as your body. Preparing and storing meals at the beginning of the week can really help with this. You only need to find the energy for a few hours on one day and for the rest you can just pop the food into a microwave or oven for a few minutes. I’d forgive you for living off shop bought microwave meals for a few days too.
7. Find Something To Laugh About
Whether that’s reminiscing about happy memories or watching a funny video on YouTube (Friends bloopers linked below). Being sad is okay, but so is being happy. Just because you’re sad about something, doesn’t mean that you can’t be happy about other things. Don’t let the sadness take over.
8. Remember That It Will Get Better
Even though the reason for your upset may never be able to change; time will help you heal and find ways in which you can deal with what has happened.
Don’t ever suffer in silence. I’m here for every single one of you. And there is so much potential help out there.
There are so many ways to deal with sadness. These are just a few things that I have been doing lately. The process is completely individual and don’t let anyone ever make you feel bad for it.
Love You Big Man!!
