Daily writing prompt

What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?

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I was first diagnosed with Depression in my early twenties, since then I have developed several key ways to help me deal with some of the more intrusive negative thoughts and feelings. This is obviously anecdotal, as I’m only talking from personal experience based on what I have found useful, what works for me might not work for others, also I’m not a mental health professional, so whether there’s any actual scientific basis to what I do if I’m feeling low to make me feel better is disputable.

Firstly, I listen to music, mostly Rock and Metal music and their various sub-genres. There’s something about Heavy Metal, or Death Metal etc in particular, that is cathartic to listen to, I have no idea what exactly, but I always feel better after listening to it. I always feel my sadness lift and anger and frustration melt away. I don’t know if there’s ever been any studies on how metal music affects mood, but I, for one, would be interested to find out! Other music helps too, but Rock and Metal are my go-to most of the time.

I recently started doing regular long walks again, after doing them on and off over the years. Getting out in to the fresh air and just getting moving always helps me. I don’t walk particularly fast or anything like that and I stop every so often if I see something interesting or find a bench with a nice view, just watching and listening to the world around me, in a local park can be very relaxing.

Speaking of exercise, I try and do weightlifting two to three times a week, similarly to metal music I think there’s something cathartic about. If life has got you frustrated and a bit annoyed, taking those feelings out on making yourself stronger and lifting, helps relieve those feelings and burdens. Even on days that I might not feel like it, if I just go and do something, anything, I come away feeling better for it.

Current favourite hobbies of mine are video games and Warhammer 40K. I find both of these hobbies really relaxing. With video games there are so many great stories and characters you can get lost and get emotionally invested in that by the time you put the controller down you have gone through a whole range of different emotions and can be in a great mood when you’re done. With Warhammer, it’s all about concentrating on building the models and then painting them in a style of your choice, it’s almost meditative and trance inducing, hours fly by really quickly without you realising it.

Maybe people can try these things or not to help them when they need it, maybe they have their own things, I’m not judging, people deal with their own stuff in their own way, I just hope that they find their own way to happiness. There are so many people struggling that it’s important to help each other in any way they can. I’d be interested to hear how other people deal with negativity in their lives as a comparison.