What’s the Cure for Sadness?

I’d been going through a tough time. Waking up I had no motivation to do anything. I forced myself to read my Bible, and have a prayer time, and then, workout. After that any motivation I had was used up.  Pushing on. Coffee, and my standard breakfast of an apple with peanut butter helped me get over the hump of not wanting to continue on with my set-in-stone steps of a usual day.

Pushing on.

I wrote and posted a blog article, and then, I felt completely depleted.

Shower? No way.

Get out of my sweats? Not a chance.

I talked with one of my kids, and then, fell into a deep dark hole. I was sinking lower and lower.

Dark. Empty. Lonely.

No motivation to climb out. I was sunk.

I forced myself to stop thinking about me and instead focused on helping someone. I focused on doing something I could do and jumped into action. A friend needed help with an event and I reached out to numerous people who I knew having contact with would lift my spirits. Can you help with… the text went out. Then, responses started coming in. Every yes, gave me a surge of energy.

Before the day was over my recruiting was over. All the helped needed was filled.  We had enough.

In the latter part of the day I received an email thanking me for my blog post with an explanation of how it helped this lovely person. (I love those emails!)

After dinner, I was able to let my friend know we had all the help we needed to fill in the gaps for the upcoming ministry event. She was SO happy and appreciative.

By the evening, I was no longer in a pit of despair I was happy as a clam. Where did that phrase come from anyway? According to Urban Dictionary, the full phrase is “happy as a clam at high tide.” Clams can only be dug up at low tides, so at high tide a clam is safer and secure, so therefore, happy.

Which makes the phrase happy as a clam perfect for me…I was wallowing in my sadness, and then, dug out of my dark hole.

Getting out of my own sorrow and helping others is what pulled me out from my mud pit. Was what I did a lot? Texted a few people and putting out a call for help? No, not at all. Was putting up my blog post, as I usually do, that difficult for me? No, not at all. Was it more challenging that day? Yes, absolutely!

But I forced myself to follow through.

Two simple tasks—sending out a few texts and posting a blog—focusing on others and not myself cleared the way for happiness.

Could it be the cure for sadness is to help someone else?

I think yes…

The cure for sadness?

Help someone else.

Even in just a small way. It will pull you out of woe-is-me and point you in a better direction, and you’ll be happy as a clam.

Fondly,

Lu

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