Sometimes the world can be a depressing place. When despair threatens to overcome you, you might need to cheer yourself up.
Whether the problems are global (like climate change) or personal (like a breakup), life can be sad. We won’t be happy all the time, nor do we necessarily want to be.
Despite whatever hardships you may be going through, sometimes is necessary to be in social situations. You may need to put on a smile for the public no matter what you may feel in private.
Also, there are times when you need to be hopeful when you feel despondent. In order to keep motivated despite long odds or a difficult situation, hope can be crucial.
Other times, you may just feel it is necessary to move past whatever troubles you have. You may need to just get on with your life.
In that situation, how do you manage it? Simple denial of your feelings probably isn’t helpful. How can you accept defeat, or loss, or sadness, and learn to be happy once again? How do you cheer yourself up?
Related questions: How can we turn sadness into constructive action? What makes you the happiest? Why do we put up with unhappiness? Is happiness the most important purpose in life? Optimistic or pessimistic?
Anxiety can occupy several hours of my Sundays with fear, the perception of isolation, sadness, and (sometimes) physical pain.
Thankfully, listening to and getting lost in music—especially watching live performances of my favorite songs—often cheers me up. In fact, on Sunday evenings, I’ve been known to create YouTube concerts to turn what is likely my worst day of the week into something bearable, as doing so eases up or erases the Anxiety.
U2’s aspirational “Walk On” may be followed by Mary J Blige belting out “No More Drama.” Ben Harper’s collaboration with the Blind Boys of Alabama on “There Will Be a Light” could segue into Peter Gabriel being backed up by Paula Cole as they sing “Don’t Give Up.” Tracy Chapman might be paying tribute to David Letterman on one of his last shows with “Stand By Me,” which could then be followed by Disturbed’s amazing cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” while on Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show.”
To all the great singers and musicians out there, “Thank you!”
I go for a walk, with or without golf clubs. Better yet, I try to walk and pray at the same time.