If I am feeling down or blue, I don’t do anything to make myself feel better.

I don’t surround myself with friends, go drinking, do drugs or resort to anything that might assist in escaping from myself.

This is because I have found any distraction to be temporary. My feelings of sadness are right there, waiting for me when I get back, and typically manage to get stronger while I am away.

Also, if my whole body is down, me trying to yank it into not feeling what it’s feeling is the equivalent of not listening to myself.

Instead, I mope. I sulk. I cry. (Crying feels both horrible and amazing.)

I lie around trying to sit with what I feel (which, I won’t lie to you, is uncomfortable as hell.)

I try not to look at my devices or my phone (except to write.)

I go on a walk or a yoga class so I can just breathe and move, breathe and move.

It takes me a while to process whatever is making me feel down but when I get out on the other side I feel much stronger than when all I have been trying to do is evade myself.

I deserve my full attention. I deserve to listen to myself, and so do you.

This original article, entitled What to do when you feel sad. (Just because you feel something doesn’t mean it has to own you), was written by Dushka Zapata, on Quora, November 17, 2018.

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