What do you do when you are feeling melancholic and want to change it?

Going out into nature. It is calming and makes my problems seem smaller.

A walk and a talk.

I’m a writer – so I tend to channel all my frustrations, anger etc into creative works. Even if you’re not a creative person, putting pen to paper is so stimulating. It’s like having a conversation with oneself. Of course, there’s only so far you can take this if you’re down in the dumps. When I’m feeling down I like planning ahead – trips with friends, when to meet family or when to get together with someone to watch that movie that’s been out forever in the cinema. If you’re feeling lonely it’s a good idea to just take the plunge and be as social as possible. Join special interest groups, fitness clubs etc.

Anything to take your mind off the sadness or ennui you’re experiencing :)

Games, books, music.

I don’t know why, but I prefer keeping my sadness to myself. I only come to people when I need help resolving the problems. When I’m sad I prefer to be alone.

Melancholics Anonymous, fruit juice abuse…just say no.

It’s not something that I experience often, but when I do, I don’t treat it as a problem to be solved. It’s like the weather: there are sunny days and cloudy days. Given the choice, I may like sunny days better, but here’s not really a whole lot of choice to it. A cloudy day is still a day of life and there’s no use wasting it away wishing it were sunny. Better to live that cloudy day fully in all of its cloudiness.

Change of scenery. Take a nature walk, or road trip to a new location (or a favorite old one). It’s good to feel the potential again.

Get some vigorous exercise. Get plenty of sleep. Eat healthful, nutritious meals.

Avoid alcohol. Any problem can be made worse by adding booze.

Drive around blasting music that makes me feel good.

I drink a couple of beers and then I drink a couple more.

Roll a spliff brah!

Sometimes I’ll stay in my pajamas and curl up with a blanket and a good book. Other times I’ll go out for a drive with the windows down and the music up.

I walk, and if I think, I think about nothing in particular, enjoying being outdoors.

@thorninmud I can appreciate your perspective on this subject. It will give me something to mull over.

While also relevant to some of our talk on technology, this Louis CK clip touches on the issue of experiencing sadness.

Sometimes, I wait for a rainstorm, get in my car, and drive around crying as hard as I can. Nobody can see inside the car when the windows are getting pelted with rain, so it’s like a little Fortress of Solitude. And, the sounds of rain and windshield wipers cover my sobbing, so I don’t have to listen myself cry. I always feel much better after.

I will generally explore and indulge the feelings – the are there for a reason, so I try to figure out what the trigger is and whether there are any actions I can take to manage the situation and/or my reactions to it, so that it won’t be a burden on me. Journaling has been a valuable tool for this purpose.

I am prone to melancholy and depression and they run in my family, so if I have done what I feel is in my power to address it, but the feeling is lingering or I feel like I’m teetering on the brink, that is when I try to purge the feelings by watching movies or listening to music that will bring those feelings to the surface and help me express them.

I usually sleep. Nine times out of ten when I wake up I feel better.

Gourd, what a sad, solitary image, @SadieMartinPaul. Maybe you should look into a therapist. Your friends and family obviously aren’t getting it. Were you and I friends, I hope we’d get to a place where you just said, “It’s car wash time! The $14 job!”

Holding it in that long isn’t healthy.

Play guitar, annoy the neighbors, listen to sad/angry songs too loud, go out and annoy the people at the pub, call a friend and be all “I don’t give a shit” though I might be dying inside, yup. I also hope for a storm, every time.