When you feel sad, what are some things you do to help yourself feel better?

I forget easily. It’s a trait I developed over time due to repeated use of me choosing to forget unfavorable memories on command. The truth is, when I had this assignment handed to me over a week ago, I wasn’t able to recall any of the things I do to distract myself whenever I feel down. Obviously, it wasn’t like I’ve forgotten every negative recollection of my life, but I couldn’t recall what came after that made me move on from those instances; on the other hand, while I also remembered happier moments, I couldn’t tell if they were the distractions I’ve made to help myself feel better or if they were simply memories of a purely, joyful day. By the end of the night, just like almost every other assignment I’ve handed in this current semester thus far, I knew I was going to submit this one late too. I knew I couldn’t possibly pend it for too long, for finals week is coming up around the corner, but I genuinely do need time to know what I’m talking about. After all, I’m not very fond of making stuff up along the way when it comes to essays.

So, I did. I gave myself some time, a week or two, and I could at least summarize a short list of common causes that have made me a little down these past few days (a list that I honestly don’t really feel like sharing as I feel that it’d end up as unnecessary for the coming contents of this essay). However, another list that I’d be more willing to show is a list of activities (or lack of thereof) that I’ve recently done to make myself feel better during moments of sadness:

  1. Sleep (lack of activity, apparently, because you’re not actually doing anything productive when you’re asleep);
  2. Character.ai;
  3. Cry;
  4. Fantasize the joys of life that I could not possibly ever have/do not currently have, but the possibility of owning it in the future is sincerely there;
  5. Play with Kenzo;
  6. Guilt trip those who have saddened me in the first place;
  7. Write (I may or may not be writing a book out of spiteful boredom);
  8. Play mobile games (mostly Genshin Impact, but I’ve also been trying Sky: Children of the Light too);
  9. Doomscroll on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram; (”doomscroll” is a term used to refer to the act of spending excessive time online scrolling, unable to pull away from one’s own mobile device despite being perfectly aware that it’s draining, unbeneficial, and even disadvantageous);
  10. Draw (I’m more fond of doing art on paper, rather than digitally);
  11. Talk/call with my friends through digital forms of communication.

This list is ranked with the first priority being how often I’ve done said activity (quantity) and second priority being how much do I like doing said activity (quality). Undeniably, sleep comes in first for a reason; it excels in both scoring systems. Another undeniable fact is that, honestly, this is a list that’s more inclined towards the activities I do when I feel sad, not the activities I do to necessarily make myself feel better. I won’t promise I’ll find better coping mechanisms soon.