Sadness is a very normal part of living, sometimes we will not feel sad at all and sometimes we can feel very sad. This could be caused by losing someone we love, not doing well in something or by making a mistake.
At times it can feel like that sadness consumes you, makes you feel like there is little hope or that things will not ever feel better. All of this is not true, you are always in control of your emotions and can try different ways to overcome those feelings. As the saying goes, we must have a little rain to see a rainbow!
This video explains these feelings very well – Click here.
What can I do when I feel this way?
- Exercise – Sadness is fought best in the open air and with an increased heart rate. Exercise releases endorphins into our brain that fights of the negative thoughts in there. Try going for a walk, doing a workout from YouTube or walking up and down the stairs a few times. It doesn’t matter if you feel silly, in fact, that’s even better!
- Eat well-balanced meals – Some foods and drinks high in sugar can make us feel fantastic for a short amount of time, the problem is as soon as the sugar rush ends, we can crash and feel worse. Avoid too much chocolate, fizzy drinks or sweets. We probably don’t need to tell you that water, fruit and veggies are a good idea too…
- Write about it – There is a lot of value in just getting the thoughts that are negative out of our mind and onto paper. We call this our negative inner thoughts, lets make them outer thoughts and find ways to make them more positive! For example, ‘Can’t do this exam’ on paper, why not cross out the ‘can’t’ and replace with ‘I can’.
- Distract yourself – Once you’re in the rabbit hole of negative thought, climbing back out can be tough. Simply changing your environment can do wonders! Why not go to the kitchen and make a drink, colour in a picture, read something nice or try a puzzle!
- Tell a trusted friend/adult – Our loved ones are always on hand to help so tell someone if you are feeling low as they can help you to feel happier by making you laugh or findings some extra support. Never face the feeling alone.
- Avoid social media – Whilst we all love a good Instagram scroll session or to get lost in Tik Tok videos, sometimes we can lose our thoughts in seeing everyone else’s happiness and forget to see our own. Take a break from it, plan some social media free time, the nature of social media means it is not going anywhere and will wait for you to be ready for it.
Who might be able to help?
Despite trying hard to do things yourself, we always need more help sometimes, remember that this is okay, that it is normal, and it is brave to admit as such. See below for some useful links to further support:
- Speak to your GP, visit nhs.uk or phone 02033176670 to find out about free confidential support
- Kooth offers confidential online support for young people aged 11 to 18
- Anna Freud is also a great website, just head to the tab labelled ‘Young People’ for more guidance
- Togetherall is a community of members who talk openly about their worries, helping each other by sharing what’s troubling them in a safe and anonymous environment with trained guides.
- Whatever you’re going through Samaritans are there to listen – phone 116 123
- If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, phone the 24-hour crisis line on 020 3317 6333
- The Vibe – Peer Support Group this is a space to meet with other like-minded individuals about the challenges you currently face. Sessions are free and weekly, just email Alex (Alexandra.perry@lbbd.gov.uk) or Grace: (grace.kihu@lbbd.gov.uk) who can offer further guidance and direct you to more support
- Young minds is a fantastic website full of useful information on a range of issues