8 Ways To Pick Yourself Up When You’re Down

1. Treat yourself.

This doesn’t necessarily have to mean splurging on the most exorbitant items. It can be as simple as buying your favourite ice-cream or wearing your comfiest PJs after a long tough day. Sometimes you just deserve a reward for getting through the day.

2. Parks and Rec Theme Song.

Or Parks and Rec in general. There’s something about the utterly endearing characters that just warms your heart and guarantees a good laugh. Sometimes I just play an episode to hear the theme song, just because it’s all happy and cute. I will not stop raving about this show, period.

3. Music.

The genre doesn’t matter; make a playlist of your favorite songs, or songs that remind you of the best moments of your life, and blast it out loud. You’ll be jammin’ along in no time.

4. Friends.

Another TV show, because what can I say, I am the living embodiment of “Netflix and chill”. And friends never gets old. Just putting it out there: Ross and Rachel were so NOT on a break.

5. Friends.

Literal, real, actual friends this time. Random conversations with your closest friends are the best because they just get you and never fail to make your day ten times brighter. Need to rant about your terrible day? Friends: your one stop shop for unloading your troubles, literally.

6. Books.

Sometimes when life gets overwhelming, it helps to put everything on pause for a while and just enter the fictional (or non-fictional – the world is your oyster, pal) world. Consider yourself warned though – the pain of being too attached to fictional characters is real.

7. Your spot.

This is probably the most cliché thing you read in teen fiction stories. Boy meets girl. Brings her to “special spot” that NO ONE else has discovered. Girl feels special. They fall in love. But that’s besides the point. Sometimes it really does help to have a special place that you feel the most comfortable, or content at. It could be a park, café, or even your own backyard. You may question the point of going somewhere else just to sit idle. Sometimes certain sights or smells calm the mind. Some people like watching other people while thinking. Some people like looking at the stars. Some people like the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

8. Home cooked food.

You really don’t appreciate things until you don’t have them. Your mom’s (or dad’s) cooking is the best example of that. I used to stay on campus last year and boy did I miss my mom’s food. Tasteless microwaved food or in my case, shitty canteen food, just lacks the affection associated with your mom’s cooking.