a gallon of fresh air

someone else's jacket

three cups of hot tea or coffee

one pair of earbuds

an hour of honest music

that book you've read a thousand times

wool socks

time to spare

Ingredients:

1 nanoblink of courage

1/2 Pinch of moxy

3 ideas that scare you

Time

Directions:

Do something completely outside your comfort zone. Make a list of things you would never be brave/smart/rich/wild enough to try and start checking them off. Check feeling after first idea is complete. Continue until sadness is a fleeting and situational emotion.

Remember that you are perfect. Remember that there is a happy ending in store for you, despite all the sadness your soul may feel. Remember that the soul, unlike the body, can heal any wound instantaneously. Remember that feeling of pure wonder, joy, and thrill you once felt as a child. Remember that you are a perfect soul, and therefore cannot truly be sad.

Favored laughter,

Time to spare,

helping hands,

or simply,

quiet walks

in consoling

conversation.

A shoulder to cry on

An honest I love you

A comfy bed

A snuggle buddy

Some happy music (preferably with someone who will sing along - even if they are terrible)

And some chocolate ice cream never hurts

The best medicine is to be heard.

When a lover slides their fingers across the fiber of your soul and it crackles with divine energy,

When you burst through your armor and let your heartbeat echo into their bones,

When they finally sees the universe floating in your eye,

the Greek god Eros will pound his mighty drum and lift the sadness from your soul.

There are several degrees of sadness. What makes such an unpleasant state even more complicating is the fact that everyone approaches the internal illness differently.

However, one thing stays true: not everyone is happy all the time. In life, being the way that it is, even the seemingly "happiest" person in the world has at least, at one point, experienced some sort of the blues.

Such a condition is also commonly know to "come and go." For some, the state of melancholy lasts a few minutes, if not seconds, until they are once again in the state of contentment; while, for others, the emotional decline may last several years, if not entire lifetimes. This is why there is no cure for such an ailment, but, luckily, there are several possible treatments.

_______________

(In No Particular Order)

_______________

-Time. As some say, "time heals all wounds." Just like on a physical gash, time might leave a scar, but, with enough dosage, the once unbearable pain can be replaced with numbness.

-Travel. The world is great and vast. Seeing the beauty of the world in person, instead of through pictures or tales, can often bring inspiration and alter a person's outlook on life. There is much more than meets the eye.

-Love. Giving their heart to someone or receiving someone's heart can teach a person what it's like to be valued and how to value others. Sometimes even the smallest display of affection can make someone's day.

-Self expression. People often clog their feelings and emotions within themselves. Unleashing such things in healthy ways can make it much easier to breathe.

-Self acceptance. We are not perfect. Some things about ourselves, things that can make us insecure, no matter how much we might want to change them, cannot be altered. The only way to move on would be by learning to accept the things that we cannot work on. With self acceptance comes confidence, and, with confidence can come a more positive outlook on life.

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