(Quick shoutout to "The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie, as this was the book where I got this piece of advice from!)
If you're ever feeling down in the dumps for whatever reason, one activity that really helps me feel a lot better is taking out a pen/pencil and paper, and writing down my favorite/best _____.
That _____ can really be anything, as long as it makes YOU feel happy thinking about it. Here are some examples from my side:
Animated TV Shows
- Spongebob Squarepants
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Hunter x Hunter
- Regular Show
- The Amazing World of Gumball
Pizza Toppings
- Olives
- Jalapenos
- Pineapple
- Mushrooms
- that's pretty much it, I'm vegetarian lol
Boba Stores
- Mr. Sun
- Sharetea
- Feng Cha
- TPT
- Yi Fang
Guitarists
- Zakk Wylde
- Marty Friedman
- Synyster Gates
- Nancy Wilson
- John Mayer
Youtubers
- Samuraiguitarist
- Penguinz0
- Good Mythical Morning
- JHS Pedals
- Tolarian Community College
Friends Who Make Me Happy
- (Edit from 05/01/25: Meh, probably best if I don't include that here for the sake of privacy haha)
Places to Sleep on Campus
- Mainstacks Study Cubicles
- East Asian Library Carrols
- Moffitt Third Floor
- Cory Supernode
- Random Dwinelle Room
Video Games
- Mario Kart Wii
- Super Mario 64 DS
- Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
- Persona 5
- Guitar Hero 3
For me at least, everytime I finish writing these lists out, it makes me feel a lot better knowing that even if times are tough, there are still many, MANY things out there in life that make me feel happy. I don't know, in the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy, it just helps remind me that there definitely ARE things/people/places out there that make me excited about life itself!
It's also worth noting that it's best to do this with a pen/pencil and paper: there's something special with the pen/pencil and paper combo that really beats typing things up or just thinking of it in your head, almost as if writing it out brings these things to life more, making them more tangible!