While No One Can Say Dealing With Low Mood is Easy, There’s Hope.

Dealing with low mood can be a challenging experience – feeling low and empty can seem overwhelming, and as if it is having an impact on every area of your life. It can leave you feeling like you have no control, and it can start to take its toll on your sense of self.

It can often feel emotively and physically debilitating, the thought that there is no hope or escape can be suffocating and disheartening. But there are things that one can do which can make dealing with low mood more manageable and less risky, even in the most difficult times.

The key thing to remember is that low moods are not something that is permanent or even necessarily unmanageable. It’s important to be kind to yourself and that starts with understanding that it won’t last forever and that this phase of your life will pass eventually.

Trying Not to Supersize Your Woes

When you’re feeling down, it can be easy to focus on the negative parts of life -it can feel like the world is against you and it can start to feel omnipresent. Some of us – myself included – have a tendency to blow our woes out of proportion, to ‘supersize’ them and make them even bigger than they actually are.

We start to come up with irrational thoughts that just don’t add up and we start to become consumed by them. We make decisions that may not represent the person that we are and it can have an adverse effect on our mental health.

Without becoming too overt about the issue, it’s important to learn how to acknowledge the problems without over-dwelling on them. Understanding that not everything needs to be resolved in an instant and that there are stages of coming to terms with it will give you the sense that there’s a way out of it.

See Things for What They Are

Sitting and wallowing on negative thoughts can also lead to creating a warped perception of what’s really going on. Having a bad day or feeling down can become something so much bigger if you let it – and many of us don’t realise the difference between having a few bad days and having a depressive illness.

By recognising the problem, it can help you to create distance between yourself and your emotions, allowing you to see things for what they are and allowing yourself to work out ways to gradually become more content again. It’s important to think objectively rather than getting stuck in the negativity, as that can have a detrimental effect and make it feel as though there’s no escape.

Creating an Action Plan

Rather than sitting and panic-strickenly waiting and hoping something will change, start to take action. Rationally think through what the problem is, then start to come up with actions that could help you to put it right.

Part of this could be surrounding yourself with people who care and trying to open up to them about how you feel. Some people might be able to help to make you feel better and more comfortable, offering the support that you need in order to get through the tough times.

It could also be taking yourself away from certain environments and revaluating what’s causing you stress, or starting to engage in activities that help to release endorphins such as exercise or spending time outdoors in nature.

Finally, remind yourself that although there will be difficult times, it’s not something that will last forever. Give yourself a break and treat yourself with tenderness, focusing on the positives and showing yourself understanding and good will.