-Question submitted by Anonymous

—

Dannielle Says: 

Me personally? I lay in bed and stare out the window, take deep breaths and sleep in later than normal. I write in my journal, i play minor chords on my guitar, i ignore everyone, i put things off, i stop giving a shit, i think everything is annoying, i can’t possibly be bothered to do anything productive.

I don’t know why it happens, but it does, we all feel like we don’t belong at one time or another and it’s even worse when you feel terrible and you don’t know WHYYY. It’s not fair, at least when something awful happens you can pinpoint why you’re feeling a certain way, but when you have no idea? That’s the worst.

If anything, remember you’re NOT alone in feeling alone… it sucks and it feels like it’ll never end, but it will. “THIS TOO SHALL PASS” - Jersey Shore… Remember it’s okay to feel like shit once in a while, it’s okay to close yourself off to the world, and it’s okay to sleep all day. After you’ve done a few days of wallowing, get out and force yourself to have some human interaction, start small - get coffee, grocery shop, blockbuster (they still open?), go to the gym, take a class. Do something, day by day add to your list of human interactions and try to reconnect with the friends you haven’t been talking to. Take it slow, move at your own pace and remember it’s totally okay to feel like this for a little while. 

Kristin Says:

For me, writing, talking to the people closest to me, and being patient with my emotions have always been the two most important pieces in fighting my way through that vague yet powerful feeling of sadness.

Also, Dannielle is correct: it happens to all of us.

Sometimes you think there isn’t a reason, and after a week of going in and out of feeling blue you realize that you are extremely anxious about the fight you had with your best friend last week, or you are worried and uncertain about going away to college, or you are sad about your job doesn’t inspire you. Those are things that you can look square in the eye, once you arrive at them, and figure a way forward that makes sense to you.

Sometimes, though, it’s just life that overwhelms us. And, how wouldn’t it? We live in a place (see: this world) where the most beautiful things occur simultaneously with the most horrific things, and we are witness to more of all of those moments than ever before in history. Seeing the good in people can overwhelm, as can seeing the hurt and struggle that many people face each day in the tiniest and the largest of ways.

We can’t control the whole world, but we can interact with the world in a way that brings a feeling of hope to ourselves and those around us. Think about what makes you hopefl. Think about the things you’d like to achieve. Make lists. Draw pictures. Reflect on those things in your moments of melancholy, and remember that you simply wouldn’t be human if you didn’t get overwhelmed by it all sometimes - with or without a concrete reason.