How to Battle Sadness

The key to happiness isn't being happy all the time; it's learning how to battle sadness and move on. Everyone experiences sadness to a certain degree at times in life. When you learn how to deal with those situations, you learn how to choose a lifestyle of happiness. You can seek professional help to battle sadness, or you can try to address it on your own.

Instructions

• 1

  Set goals for yourself. Write them down, so you can visualize what you need to accomplish. When you start thinking about achieving goals, your brain chemistry changes, which can actually help you battle feelings of sadness.

• 2

  Let go of others, and forgive others. Harboring unforgiveness doesn't negatively affect the other person, but it does negatively affect you. Forgiving that person doesn't excuse what happened, but it does release you from carrying the burden of that offense.

• 3

  Be a friend to the people around you. When you listen, appreciate and love the people in your life, they're more likely to do the same for you. When you want to battle sadness, you need friends you can rely on to help you work through your feelings.

• 4

  Find reasons to be thankful every day. When you count the blessings that you have in your life, it helps put things in perspective. Try to list 100 things you're thankful for to get started.

• 5

  Sleep. When you feel overcome by sadness, it can be difficult to get the sleep you need. However, it's important you make adequate rest a priority, so you can effectively battle sadness.

• 6

  Start an exercise routine that includes one hour of cardio. Exercise boosts endorphins, which are natural mood boosters.

• 7

  Find an excuse to spend some time in the sun. Seasonal Affective Disorder, also known as SAD, occurs when your mood slips during the winter. One of the best cures for SAD is sunlight. Even if you don't have SAD, spending time in the sunlight will help brighten up your mood.

• 8

  Seek advice from a book. Not only does reading provide you with a valuable opportunity to relax and do something you enjoy, it also can provide valuable insight on how you can battle sadness.