What do you do when you're feeling down to get past it?

[RJC]

Nearly midnight here on a Saturday night... staring out the window into the dark... contemplating life - mine & life in general -- thinking about all the things that have not been going smoothly recently.. been having an up & down month or so with work, family stuff, personal relationships & such... have really found myself swing back & forth on the emotional scale a lot because of it. Sitting here thinking about where I'd rather be than here right now trying to distract myself with episodes of Californication... probably not the best choice since all the sex scenes just remind my that I'd rather be with my gf right now.

Just been kinda thinking back over my 21 years in this damn chair about ... how many nights I've spent similarly trying to "get through the moment" when I know I'm not really in a positive optimistic mood. Anyway, I was just thinking that I always go back to 2 things dependant on the time of day to try to "deal"... if it's during the day & I'm down I take off for a walk with some bunch of songs playing in my iPhone that either mimics what I'm feeling or if I really down gets me a little angry to try to bounce out of the funk to another emotion. (Green Day, Boulevard of Broken Dreams & Collective Soul, The World I Know, seem to be resonating most lately)... or if it's late in the evening past dusk I just watch tv episodes/movies on my PC one after another until it's time to go to bed basically to distract myself from thinking about my troubles.

So I wondered what everyone else did when they were in a funk & looking for something to get them through it. I've got nothing better to do at the moment so I figured why not ask?

[crypticgimp]

i give myself a time out of sorts. so for x amount of time i can feel however i want, but after that i go off and do/watch/buy something fun. usually i find myself being bored of feeling that way when i give myself a time frame and it forces me to really think things through.

if i am feeling particularly upset then i automatically take a nap. i always feel slightly better and more mentally prepared to think afterwards

[RJC]

Being tired is never something that helps moods

[crypticgimp]

it has nothing to do with being tired. it's just like when you have kids and they get upset give them a time out or tell them to lay down. i do the same for myself. it works.

[djrolling]

I ride my handcycle

[swh2007]

I try to develop plans the solve the solvable problems, and I try to adjust my perceptions of the problems I cannot solve. And I try to only worry about problems that will persist for over a year. Most things will work out within a year.

[t8burst]

I either work (write software) or read a book. Works for pain as well.

[grommet]

I spent yesterday doing some metalworking. The hours melted away and I noticed pain a lot less.

[Curt Leatherbee]

I go into a meat warehouse and start pounding on hanging beef when I feel that way.

[TomRL]

I try to socialize with others (not real practical at midnight). Other alternatives are to put some time on the book I'm writing or to come up with a way to help another person or some cause.