Psychotherapeutic Tip of the Day

As some of you may know, I've had my share of abrupt ups and downs, and needless to say, I've been able to overcome most of the downs. Hell, right now, I feel better that I have in years :) Since helping people is one of the main reasons that I got into the field of Psychology, I figured I'd start creating a log of things that work for me, personally, when I get into some rough emotional situations. While it's not necessarily guaranteed to help you, my hope is to at least offer you one more option to try out :)

So without further ado, here we go.

Psychotherapeutic Tip of the Day
#1: If you're feeling sad, down, emotionally distressed, hopeless, whatever you want to call it, here's something for you to try: go to a public place where there is a lot of activity. For a lot of people, when they feel down, they try to stay secluded, usually locking themselves in their rooms, listening to sad music, closing the blinds, and stuff like that. Don't let yourself do that. Go somewhere. The UCD Silo is my personal favorite. Sit down in a place where you can constantly see people walking by, the more people, the better. Don't face a corner or a wall. If you've got some homework, work on it. If you've got your laptop with you, do some work on it. While you work, look up every now and then, just to see if you spot anyone you might know. Even if you don't see anyone you know, believe me, just being in a public place will make you feel better. But in the event that you do see someone you know, and you make eye contact, smile and wave. I can almost guarantee you you'll feel better when that happens. If they come over and sit down to talk, that's even better.

Basically, If you're feeling down, don't lock yourself away. Go to a public place. It's a basic human need to be in a social environment. Think about it, we were born with other people around, we grew up around other people, so why would you try and take that away from yourself? Go out and do something :)

-nesqu!k