The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry and I prefer to laugh, because crying gives me a headache.
-Marjorie Hinckley
Lip color Peach Blossom with Boss over top
Now before I go into this, I want to make one thing clear. These tips that I have found to help cheer you up when you’re feeling blue ARE in fact great way to turn that frown upside down. However, for those who may be suffering from depression, this will not be enough (helpful yes! But not a cure). And that’s NOTHING to be ashamed of. Depression is a health problem, just like any other health problem. You need to see a doctor. Depression is a result of the neurotransmitters in your brain not functioning on all cylinders (per say) and there are doctors that can help with that to get those cylinders firing again. GO TALK to somebody if this is you (I don’t mean being sad for few days-that’s not depression lol 🙂 but if you’re sad for weeks and months…)
1. SMILE-Don’t feel like smiling? Smile until you do. Smiling on the outside can make your mind think that you are happy, and then you will actually FEEL happy. Even better, smile in front of a mirror. I learned this trick from my mom back in Jr high (because everything is bleak and depressing in jr high right? 🙂 ha) And you know what, it would work, I’d smile for one minute at myself in the mirror (feeling like a crazy person I might at) and I wouldn’t feel happy right away, but I couldn’t STOP smiling afterwards, and pretty soon because I was smiling I started smiling happily on the inside as well
2. SAY “I LOVE YOU” to yourself! This is absolutely a 100% proven way to feel happy. Look yourself in the eyes (if you don’t have a mirror then saying it to yourself will suffice) and say “I love you, I really, really love you” This may feel weird, it may even feel wrong. That’s a good thing! It means that you have been going for too long, not really loving yourself…and as a result you are not happy, and you’re life may not be working the way you would like it to. This technique comes from Louise Hay, and is called mirror work. She is a world renowned therapist and author that found many diseases and emotional illnesses as well as worldly complications & relationships were all a result of not loving yourself.
3. PRAY! “If you don’t feel like praying. Pray until you do” (Gordon B. Hinckley)
This is by far the most effective way to feel joy and happiness in your soul again. If this sounds too cliche to you, then clearly you have never had the fortune of sincerely praying and feeling the love that can come, through a faithful, simple prayer. I’m inviting you to try it. You don’t have to belong to a church, you don’t have to be “worthy” you are already worthy. The only requirement is being a child of god and oh look you are! Haha.
I learned in Portugal years ago, that prayer, even a brief but sincere “I’m feeling drained and discouraged. I want to feel happy, please help me” kind of prayer would turn everything around. BUT SINCERiTY is the key.