75 Things To Do When You’re In An ‘I Want To Die’ Mood

1. Go for a long walk. Get out of your current environment and headspace by changing your scenery. See how you feel when you get home.

2. Take a long, hot shower.

3. If at all possible, sleep on your feeling. Notice how you feel in the morning when you wake up.

4. Write down 5 things you are thankful for.

5. Watch a movie that will make you laugh out loud.

6. Find a meditation video on YouTube that is aimed at helping you get through a rough feeling.

7. Remember that you have a 100% track record for getting through bad days.

8. Make a plan to see a friend in the next few days.

9. If you can’t see a friend, make a plan to get your hair cut. You can find a cheap hairdresser or find a nicer place but either way you will get the benefit of someone touching you and talking to you which always feels good.

10. Do a thought record.

11. Remember that life goes in cycles. Just like happiness comes and goes, so does sadness. You won’t feel like this forever. You will feel good again.

12. Consider adopting a cat or a dog so you have a built in snuggle buddy to comfort you when you’re feeling down.

13. If you can’t. See if you can volunteer at a humane society to play with the dogs or cats that they have.

14. Write a list of 10 happy memories. Think about how you can recreate one of them in the near future.

15. Journal about why you are feeling the way you feel right now. If journaling is hard for you, just start by making a list.

16. Listen to some of your favorite songs. Spend some time making a playlist in Spotify to chronicle how you are feeling.

17. Ask a trusted friend to tell you what they like about you. Screenshot the message so you can keep it and remind yourself that other people value you.

18. Try a yoga practice at YouTube aimed at soothing and comforting:

19. Read stories about other people who have been in a difficult place and come out of it.

20. Watch a stand-up special on Netflix.

21. Find a place to go for a swim.

22. Get out some crayons or markers and let yourself draw. Try not to have feelings or expectations about your artistic abilities but focus on how good or relaxing it feels to just play and be creative.

23. Get some sunlight or take Vitamin D.

24. Go for a long drive and listen to music you love. Maybe you can see something beautiful near your city, or just get out of town and clear your head.

25. Get lost in a page turner of a book — try a thriller or that beach read everyone is talking about.

26. Change something in your life. Maybe just an address change, maybe you take up a new hobby or shift your routine. Do something little to get out of a situation that isn’t making you happy.

27. Watch a compilation of funny Vines:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0uXVy4fzUA

28. If you’re a competitive person, think about how you’re going to prove the voice in your head that says “It will never be okay” wrong.

29. Go on Pinterest and make a bucket list of things you want to do in the future. Look forward to being in a place where you can actually do those things.

30. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a long time and catch up.

31. Write down a list of things you love about someone and send it to them to brighten their day.

32. Plan an exciting mental health day where you get to take it easy and do things you really like to do. Even if you just plan a marathon of your favorite horror movies to watch on your couch, you’ll look forward to it and enjoy yourself.

33. Spend time with a little kid who loves you.

34. Put lavender oil on your pillows to help you relax, sleep better, and wake up feeling more calm and rested.

35. Try an online therapist.

36. Post a selfie in r/freecompliments.

37. Reread a favorite book.

38. Start a comedy TV show on Netflix that will make you laugh, and you can keep watching it each time you need a boost. (I recommend Parks and Rec).

39. Go to the beach and lay in the sand soaking up sun.

40. Or, if it’s the middle of winter, try hitting a tanning booth for just 10 minutes to get some warmth and sunlight into your body.

41. Join an online group for something you’re interested in and make new friends without the pressure of having to make conversation in person.

42. Or join an IRL Meet Up or try something like Bumble BFF to make new friends.

43. Go on Pinterest and find a special meal you can make for yourself tonight.

44. Watch a video of kittens doing things for the first time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmjlMgDSYFo

45. Google jokes and read through them. See if you can make yourself laugh.

46. Burn some cedar or sage and make your place smell relaxing.

47. Write a letter to someone who has hurt you. You don’t have to send it, but getting everything out on paper will feel cathartic.

48. Massage the back of your neck, your legs, your feet — any place you can reach.

49. Plan something to look forward to. It can be small, like a trip to visit family or a road trip to a nearby city to see or do something you’ve always wanted to do.

50. Talk to your doctor about trying an anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medication.

51. Volunteer somewhere that will make you feel lucky.

52. Go through your phone and turn all the notifications off so that every day is less stressful as you aren’t being pinged constantly.

53. Make a list of 5 things you like about yourself.

54. Make a list of 3 things you’re excited to do in the upcoming year.

55. Try something creative you’ve never tried before like writing a poem or a scary story.

56. Clean your whole place up. When everything is shiny and orderly, you might feel better about life. (It works for some people!).

57. Read other stories of people with anxiety and depression and realize you are not, at all, alone.

58. Go through old journals or photos and think about the good (and bad) times you’ve had before, and will have again in the future.

59. Watch a scary movie. It can be good for helping release anxiety.

60. Make a list of everything that is worrying you or making you sad. It might feel good just to get it out of your head and onto paper.

61. Eat a meal outside somewhere you can enjoy the view, the breeze, the sunshine and the food.

62. Get some extra cuddles from a partner or trade backrubs with a friend. Even if you don’t realize it at the time, getting some extra skin contact will make you feel better.

63. Drink water, eat food and get enough sleep. Make sure your bad mood isn’t just because you are hungry, dehydrated or tired.

64. Take the “try not to laugh” challenge:

65. Browse through inspirational quotes.

66. Color a fun version of an inspirational quote that really resonates with you and display it someone only you will see it.

67. Rearrange your furniture and see if you feel like a mini “fresh start”.

68. Mess around with watercolors. You don’t have to be good at painting, but you can get a set for $2 and the colors are soothing to look at.

69. Make a list of 10 things that are totally unique about yourself.

70. Consider deleting Facebook/Instagram/Twitter — any app that makes you feel bad after you use it.

71. Bake yourself cookies.

72. Read through a list of calming quotes.

73. Buy yourself some flowers and display them in your home. All week you’ll appreciate a little kind gesture you showed yourself.

74. Rub a scented lotion into your skin. The scent and massaging it in will be calming, and your skin will also feel great.

75. Read a zen story and see if it has a calming effect on you.