3 Keys for Staying Busy and Doing it Well…

Article by: happinesspolicy.com

Have you ever been feeling down and been told to just stay busy and consequently tried burying yourself in your work only to find that you ended up feeling more miserable than before? That’s because this is the wrong way to approach the tactic of staying busy to stay happy; you need to keep yourself busy with positive activities. By immersing yourself in activities that keep you thinking positive, having fun and doing your best on a daily basis you can keep your spirits up and keep the blues at bay. Here are a few positive activities you can keep busy with if you’re feeling down.

Going Out With Your Friends

One of the many paradoxes of depression is the fact that the more depressed you become the less you want to go out with your friends and do activities that you enjoy, which in turn is many times exactly what you need to do do overcome your blues. Even if you don’t feel like socializing, force yourself to do so anyway. Don’t be passive about it either, be the one who invites others and initiates the social activities. The reason this helps to keep you happy is because when you’re with friends you are able to escape the self absorbed mindset that is easy to fall into when you’re alone, causing you to dwell on your problems. Also when you do activities with your friends that you typically enjoy, it gives you a critical boost of positive feelings.

Exercising

In addition to the health benefits did you know that exercising is also good for you mentally? When you exercise you release a chemical in your brain known as endorphins that reduce your perception of pain, both physical and emotional. This can be a potent way to give yourself a boost if you’re feeling down. Another benefit of exercising is that it is a great way to improve your self esteem and self image. Keep a log book documenting your progress and you’ll feel proud of yourself as you are able to see yourself losing weight, gaining strength and gaining muscular endurance. For a double dose of good times try playing team sports with a local league or with your friends. This way not only do you get the benefits of exercise but also the benefits of socializing as well.

Volunteer Work

Relativity is the idea that something is only measurable in relation to something else. This being the case, if you can get involve in volunteer work in your community you can make a positive impact in the lives of others while at the same time seeing that your problems aren’t as bad as you think they are in the grand scheme of things. In addition to feeling good about helping others you’ll also be delighted to receive compliments from friends and family who are proud of you for your efforts. There are several different types of volunteer work that you can do. Some examples are doing a food drive, joining a group to raise awareness of a certain issue and coaching a kid’s little league sports team. As with most activities that keep you busy to keep you happy the more social your volunteer work is the better.

Bonus Tip

One thing you should remember is that there is a huge difference between clinical depression and feeling down. While keeping busy with positive activities to stay happy can be effective for both you should see a professional if you suspect you have clinical depression. In the end, staying busy doing positive activities may be more effective as a part of a larger treatment regimen to overcome depression.