The Silver Lining – Five things to do on your off-day

5.  The Wave Theory

It is as original as it sounds. Friends are like waves. They fall together with you. And they rise together with you. Studies prove that a person is almost always better off in company than alone when he/she is going through a bad phase. The truth is, they may not end up solving your problems completely, but they jolly well know how to take your mind off it. A beer here and a joke there, and your heart shall be lighter than ever.

4. Silence is golden. So go ahead, lock it away.

Contrary to popular belief, silence is not the solution in troubled times. Silence reinforces the thoughts that reside in a person’s conscious mind. It is the classic ‘don’t-think-of-a-mango’ scenario. The more you try to keep your mind blank, the more the mind fills itself with the existing thoughts. Not thinking of the mango only makes you think about it further. A better approach to this problem would be to not think of an apple. That way, your mind thinks of the apple, in the process, rejecting the mango. TALK. The mind perceives your negative thoughts as weight, and every word you send out of your mouth is a lessening of this burden.

3. Distraction = Undesirable event – True or false?

False. When your thoughts are solely about your current predicament, a distraction could prove a blessing in disguise. After all, the best way to force something out is to replace it with something else. Every person has a certain activity that takes their mind off everything else. Sports, literature and art can work their magic all day long.

2. ORS

Not the Oral Rehydration Solution. Optimum Retrospection and Solution. This could actually prove to be the real ORS for your dehydration. While taking your mind off the problem is good, there needs to be some stage where you have to reason with yourself and find a solution to the problem. If it is an incident that is the cause of worry, retrospection and learning from the mistakes helps one make peace with oneself. But caution is to be exercised while spending time reflecting on the incident. Too much of it can be counter-productive. Optimum is the word.

things to do when you are sad

1. Life’s like Just-A-Minute. No room for repetitions.

Once the ORS provides you the reason for your situation, it’s time to root out the cause and make sure you don’t have to go back to square one. If a tangible solution to your problem arises, make sure it gets implemented. If there was an irrevocable event that is responsible for your mood, make sure you identify your mistake in the lead-up and make it a point to learn from it. If you had nothing to do with it, there is no reason to be hard on yourself.