How to cheer yourself up when sad

SAMHSA’s National Helpline | SAMHSA

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SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
Also visit the online treatment locator.

SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357) (also known as the Treatment Referral Routing Service), or TTY: 1-800-487-4889 is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations.

Also visit the online treatment locator, or send your zip code via text message: 435748 (HELP4U) to find help near you. Read more about the HELP4U text messaging service.

The service is open 24/7, 365 days a year.

English and Spanish are available if you select the option to speak with a national representative. Currently, the 435748 (HELP4U) text messaging service is only available in English.

In 2020, the Helpline received 833,598 calls. This is a 27 percent increase from 2019, when the Helpline received a total of 656,953 calls for the year.

The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.

The service is confidential. We will not ask you for any personal information. We may ask for your zip code or other pertinent geographic information in order to track calls being routed to other offices or to accurately identify the local resources appropriate to your needs.

No, we do not provide counseling. Trained information specialists answer calls, transfer callers to state services or other appropriate intake centers in their states, and connect them with local assistance and support.

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Assures teens with parents who abuse alcohol or drugs that, "It's not your fault!" and that they are not alone. Encourages teens to seek emotional support from other adults, school counselors, and youth support groups such as Alateen, and provides a resource list.

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For additional resources, please visit the SAMHSA Store.

Last Updated: 08/30/2022

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10 proven ways to cheer yourself up

May 6, 2021LikbezLife

Everyone has bad days. The main thing is not to plunge into the negative with your head and be able to switch. These simple tricks will help you.

You can listen to the article. If it's more convenient for you, turn on the podcast.

1. Energizing playlist

Make a playlist of your favorite tracks that energize you. No melancholy: sad music will only fuel your already dull mood. If the situation needs to be corrected urgently, and your own selection is not ready yet, turn on ours.

2. Physical activity

Be aware of the connection between mental and physical health. The American Psychological Association recommends incorporating exercise into a psychotherapy regimen. Therefore, dance, jump, do a light workout: any physical activity is suitable for the production of endorphins.

3. Call a friend

Surely you have chats with friends - write there: a good portion of words of support, jokes and stickers with cats will fix the situation! Better yet, call your loved ones or meet them. Pleasant social interactions make us happier.

4. A reason to laugh

If your friends can't help quickly, go in search of something funny in Telegram. Scroll through LaQeque, a channel with memes from all over the Internet, look at cats in difficult life situations on the channel “Pet the Cat” (an alternative for dog lovers is “Pet the Dog”), look at “The Dog Ate” - a channel with ridiculous and funny excuses.

5. Simple goals

Bad mood and apathy deprive you of strength and efficiency. Don't beat yourself up: if the day is so-so, plan three simple things instead of ten difficult ones. Achieving a goal, even a small one, will return a sense of self-satisfaction.

6. A good movie

Go watch the latest news on the big screen: as expected, with popcorn and on the last row. Or arrange a soulful movie night at home: our selection of romantic comedies will restore faith in humanity and goodness.

7. Small desires

Fulfillment of desires is always inspiring. And if right now you can’t go on a long-awaited journey, then you are probably able to do something smaller, but pleasant. Think about exactly what. Delicious food, a warm bath, a spontaneous purchase - such little things seem to work flawlessly.

8. Return to reality

Meditation reduces stress and regulates emotions. Sitting in the lotus position until enlightenment is not necessary, simple exercises are enough to help you switch from painful thoughts and emotions.

For example, look out the window and describe what you see. No ratings, just facts. How many cars, people and houses? What color, size and shape are they? How many red objects and how many yellow ones?

9. Rest time

Bad mood is often the result of stress and fatigue. If this is your case, allow yourself a break. Put down your phone and business, flip through a magazine, take a walk, or just take a nap. A short time-out is unlikely to provoke an apocalypse, but it can restore strength and mood.

10. Thank Yourself

Another simple exercise that will remind you that things aren't so bad, even if it's November and everything is falling apart. Make a list of ten things you can thank yourself for. Did you have a tasty and hearty breakfast? Excellent. Did you read a helpful article? Great. You need to find exactly ten reasons for praise.

Be aware that a lingering bad mood can be a sign of depression. And if you can’t cope on your own, then perhaps this is a reason to turn to a psychologist or psychotherapist.

How to improve your mood - 15 ways

Mood often determines the quality of our life, affects the perception of the world, relationships, mental and physical health.

The reasons for a bad mood are different - both internal and external. Mood swings can be associated with chronic illness or acute injury. If your body is not getting enough food, your mood may change due to spikes in insulin in your blood. Often we can focus on negative events that happened a week, a month, a year ago. When this kind of "short film" keeps spinning in your head, use distraction techniques to reduce the impact of the past on the present, do a crossword puzzle, write down five reasons why you should praise yourself. And just stop blaming and punishing yourself. Our mood often changes when we are denied requests, help, and even likes on social networks. We can worry about an upcoming marathon, a presentation at work, or an important exam days or even weeks in advance. To get out of this fixation, focus on the things that are in your control: doing simple tasks, the amount of sugar in your coffee, meeting friends, choosing a menu for dinner, a movie for the weekend.

Have you ever wondered how you can quickly improve your mood? Things that can effectively lift your spirits often don't cost money or take a lot of time.

1. Smile more often

First of all, to herself. Your reflection in the mirror, your thoughts, state. Psychologists say it is important to smile at least 5 times a day. It will work out even more often if you smile at relatives, colleagues, random passers-by. So you can cheer up yourself and those around you.

2. Listen to sad music

Music always affects our mood, changes the level of energy. You can make a playlist of sad songs. Having lived sadness well, remembering various events from life, you will let go of a bad mood.

3. Dance

In short breaks between meetings and tasks, and just in your free time, dance. Under incendiary rhythms, songs from the 90s and completely new tracks. And if no one sees, you can fool around to the music - this is the most effective way to cheer yourself up.

4. Choose optimism

It adds energy, motivation to change, to achieve goals. Even if the mood is not at all, ask yourself what good is happening right now.

5. Go for an evening run

Anxiety and stress disappear as soon as you start playing sports. 30 minutes of running near the house will fill you with energy. This makes it easier to avoid depression.

6. Be kind to yourself

It's easier than ever to fall into the trap of incessant accusations and self-flagellation. Try to forgive yourself for mistakes and mistakes. Remember, they can be a good experience.

7. Have a cup of coffee and delicious tea

Most avid coffee lovers say that happiness fills with the first sip of the drink. But delicious aromatic tea will always soothe and fill you with warmth.

8. Eat something tasty

Some foods have been scientifically proven to improve your mood. For example, dark chocolate contains flavanols and methylxanthines, which contribute to a relaxing effect and can easily improve mood. Almonds contain folic acid, magnesium, and amino acids that may help improve mental health. (What food improves mood, we wrote in this article)

9. Spoil something

This is not a call for mild vandalism, but it does help some of us. Ripping up old photos with an ex, burning letters, or cutting up a terribly annoying T-shirt - it always eases our emotional state and releases accumulated anger. Try drawing something and then tearing or crumpling a whole piece of paper. Thus, throwing out all the negativity, you symbolically direct it in the right direction.

10. Take outdoor walks

The more help you need, the longer you walk. Along the river, in the park, by the sea. Nature knows how to hear and listen, taking away negative thoughts and bad moods.

11. Retire

Ideal - to leave the noisy city. For example, in the village. You can rent a house, swim in the river in the morning, watch the sunsets and the starry sky. This environment allows you to relax and unwind.

12. Detox

Delete social networks for a while. You will stop reading bad news, you will stop comparing yourself with the people you follow, you will spend more time with yourself and for yourself.

13. Compare yourself to yourself

Do not pay attention to others, do not make their achievements a marker for yourself. Especially if you tend to criticize yourself.

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