December 2, 2014
We should always accept the fact that feeling down is the expression of a healthy emotion. Sadness is something we need if we want to understand what happiness is all about. However, it does not hurt to explore why all of a sudden you might be feeling down. To explore the root of such feelings it is helpful to do a rundown of your most recent interactions and activities. Doing this is helpful because if you can identify the source of your sadness you can take steps to get back to normal sooner rather than later.
For example, if you have not been getting enough sleep, in the last few days, you should make sure to change your schedule so that you can get enough rest from here on out. Your brain does not handle negative emotions very good when it is tired. Diet and medications can also contribute to your inability to feel positive about things. Your energy level can be very low when you do not eat enough to replenish the calories that you use in your daily activities. It is difficult to feel upbeat when you have not had enough to eat in the last few days and your energy level is low. Similarly, as I mentioned in my book, medications like antihistamines and many other types of drugs can depress your nervous system and cause you to feel anxious and emotional about things that you would not normally feel down or emotional about.
However, if you are able to rule out those factors, then it is time to examine your emotions. Sometimes the trigger for feeling down could be as simple as someone looking down on you or that did not treat you with respect. Other times it could be a simple stare from someone that reminds you of past times when people did not appreciate who you were. It could also be an interaction where you felt someone took advantage of you and you began to feel that this type of situation keeps happening to you. Another possibility is that you traveled to visit some old friends or your family and now you are back at your old routine. The important thing is to identify the trigger and if you do find it to feel thankful about the fact that you did and realize that you have not yet let go of the past and that perhaps it is time to work harder at that. If you miss your friends or family then find a way to stay more in touch so that you can continue to have a good time. There are many means of communications today that can make that possible. Whether it is Skype or the many other ways that exist today to talk face to face with your loved ones you can actually experience a level of satisfaction that can help you avoid missing your loved ones so much.
There are nonetheless times when you are feeling down and you cannot identify where such feelings are coming from and that’s OK. There are times where you just need to let things be. Sometimes the more you fight feeling down the longer such feelings stick around. Your main goal here is to not let them interfere with your responsibilities in any way. If you do, then there is a risk that you could start spiraling downwards and you could then find reasons not to feel upbeat about anything. On the other hand, if you continue to live up to your responsibilities, then you can rest assured that your negative feelings will be short lived because there will soon be more things to feel good about than bad.