What to Do on Down Days



My Mom and Amber (her grand niece)

At some point in my past I talked to my Mom about being down.  When I feel sad, lonely, or isolated, I spend way too much time thinking about what I wish was happening, or what I wish other people would do for me so that I would feel happier.  I too often get stuck in the trap of thinking that if nobody is calling, or writing, or visiting, then nobody must care about me.   My wise mother had a suggestion for me.

 

She suggested that any time I am feeling down, I should get out the ward list (that's a list of who is in our church congregation) and read it, and see if anyone comes to mind that I can help.  Obviously, if a ward list isn't handy, I can easily think of people that I know, and see if I have any ideas of how to help them.  Of course, the idea is for me to follow through on whatever idea I have.

 

This simple activity changes my focus from me to somebody else, and can change a "bad" day to a good one.  Even if I am still feeling down at the end of the day, I can at least look back, and feel like I did something worthwhile.