Low Mood
Feeling sad is a normal emotion and everyone feels low or down at times. Like adults, children and young people can be upset by many different things that might happen in their lives.
However, if you feel like this for long periods of time, it can have a big impact on your life and may stop you from doing things that are important to you.
What low mood feels like
Low mood or depression can affect people differently. For example, you might:
Have negative thoughts about yourself, other people or certain situations.
Experience thoughts about wanting to hurt yourself or not wanting to be here anymore.
Feel hopeless or no longer feel like yourself.
Not feel like getting out of bed because you feel tired all the time.
Sleep too much or struggle to fall asleep at night.
Eat a lot more than usual or you might not feel like eating at all.
Notice that you do not want to do things that you previously enjoyed.
Not feel as confident about yourself.
Find it difficult to concentrate on tasks such as schoolwork or other activities.
Struggle to motivate yourself to do things e.g. not wanting to get out of bed in the morning.
Self-help tips for low mood
There are some practical steps you can try that might help straight away. “ACCEPTS” is an acronym to help you remember them:
Activities – Try new activities you might enjoy or you’ve tried in the past.
Contributing – Do something in your day for someone else. It can help you feel better about yourself and your difficulties.
Comparisons – Compare how you feel now to a time when you felt different. Why did you feel differently?
Emotions – try to change the way you feel and focus on different emotions to the ones you’re feeling now. For example, if you’re feeling sad, watch your favourite funny film or listen to an upbeat song.
Pushing away – leave the situation or deal with it at a later time when you’re better able to handle it.
Thoughts – Engage in other thoughts to the ones you are having now. Think about a past fun holiday, event or do a puzzle to distract your mind.
Sensations – Focus on your senses to ground yourself. Some things you could try include Some things they could try include:
o The five senses technique, for example, identifying something you can see, feel, hear, smell and taste.
o Squeezing a stress ball helps muscles contract and release, which can ease tension and stress, and be a great distraction technique.
o Taking a cold shower can help when you’re experiencing overwhelming emotions, as it cools down the body temperature. This leads to feeling alert and thinking clearly. It also releases endorphins into your system, otherwise known as the happiness hormone.