How to Cheer Someone Up

If you’ve ever had a bad day, been sick, or gone through a breakup, you know it’s not fun to feel like you want to cheer up, but you simply can’t. It can be frustrating when this happens, so it’s very helpful when someone comes along wanting to help you cheer up. In this article, you’ll learn how to cheer someone up and certain things you should avoid when trying to cheer them up.

Who Needs to Be Cheered Up?

Everyone needs to be cheered up at some point in their life, and you’ll likely need to cheer someone else up at some point too. Feeling down at times is normal and simply part of life.

Someone who suffered from job loss.

Losing their job will likely impact their life greatly. Depending on their financial situation, why they lost their job, and the likelihood of them finding another job soon, you’ll have an idea of how much this is affecting them and be able to determine how much cheering you’ll need to do.

Someone that recently had a breakup.

Even if they had decided to break up with their partner, it’s still difficult to go through a breakup. A lot of emotions come along with it, and they will likely need to be cheered up at least a little bit until some time has passed and they’re not thinking about that anymore.

Someone that had a family or friends loss.

Losing someone you’re close to or love is extremely difficult. It makes sense that the person going through this loss will be sad, and if no one is there to cheer them up, they’ll take longer to get over this loss. It’s important to try your hardest to cheer people who are going through a loss like this to help them through it. However, you want to make sure you are allowing them moments to grieve as well.

Someone who suffers from constant depression.

Before trying to cheer up someone with depression, remember that you’re not going to make their depression go away, and that’s what you expect, it’s a very unrealistic expectation, and you will most likely be disappointed. However, don’t lose the motivation.

You have to cheer them up because of this. The times you can cheer them up will greatly impact them, and it can set the mood for the rest of their day, which in turn helps them overcome their battle little by little.

Someone who is having a bad day.

Everyone has a bad day every now and then. Maybe you got into a fight with your significant other, lost your keys, or got a flat tire on your way to work. Whatever the case, you know it doesn’t feel great when little things like these affect your day and make it a not-so-great one.

Having someone come along to cheer you up will make it so much better, and because most of the time these little things have somewhat simple solutions, cheering up can be easy if you set your mind to it.

Someone who is sick.

Being sick is never fun, and lots of time, it means they’re missing out on things they need to get done, but also on fun activities.

Especially if they’re battling a serious illness, it’s important to help them and be there to support them and cheer them up. This will make a huge difference in the quality of their day and even life.

Someone in a long-distance relationship.

Long distance relationships are difficult, and there are days where one person misses the other way too much and struggles more with the distance, or days where there is an argument. It’s normal to experience some difficulties, but having someone to cheer them up always makes it better and easier to go through.

How to Cheer Someone Up

Below you’ll find five things you should do when you’re trying to cheer someone up to ensure that you are successful in doing so.

1. Talk about why they’re feeling down.

The best thing you can do is have them talk about why they’re feeling down. Ask them what’s wrong, why they feel this way, or what happened. Usually, once you ask them what’s wrong, they’ll start elaborating more and sharing details with you on their own.

2. Ask them about what they’re sharing with you.

It is important to engage in the conversation, so they feel like they have your attention and that you’re really listening to them. Make sure you ask a few questions about what they’re sharing with you, perhaps encouraging them to elaborate more on certain parts.

3. Be relatable and share experiences.

Being relatable is a huge plus when trying to cheer someone up. When someone is feeling down, it’s easy for them to think that they’re the only ones that have felt like that, so if you share a past experience when you felt a similar way, it’ll allow them to see that things do get better and that they won’t feel like this forever.

4. Give them advice.

Offer words of encouragement, and if you think you have helpful advice to give, go for it. They’ll appreciate it, maybe not right then and there, but once they have a moment to think, they’ll likely put it to good use.

5. Get their mind off of what has them feeling down.

The next best thing you can do to cheer someone up is to distract them. After listening to them and giving them the chance to share what’s going on, don’t let them get hung up on that for the rest of the day, instead distract them.

Ways to Cheer Someone Up

Now that you know how to cheer someone up, here are some ideas to successfully execute your plan.

1. Ask them to do their favorite activity together.

Everyone has a good time and feels good when they’re doing their favorite activity. Even if their favorite activity isn’t your favorite activity, it’s important you try to do it with them if your goal is to cheer them up.

2. Take them to their favorite restaurant.

Lots of people get excited to enjoy tasty food, more so if it’s their favorite restaurant. If they’re not in the mood to eat a full meal, maybe ask them about their favorite ice cream shop instead.

3. Bring them a treat.

Sometimes when someone isn’t feeling the best and needs to be cheered up, they don’t feel like getting ready and going out. Instead, bring them a treat, even if they don’t feel like hanging out or going out. This will help cheer them up.

4. Give them a gift.

Everyone likes getting gifts. Pick out something thoughtful they can enjoy, and drop it off at their place. If you can surprise them, that’s even better.

5. Watch their favorite movie with them.

Even the smallest thing, like watching their favorite movie or show with them can make them feel better. Bring some popcorn or other snacks you think they might like, and have a fun movie night to get their mind off whatever has them down.

6. Go on a walk to clear their head.

When you don’t feel the best and need to be cheered up, you don’t always have the motivation to get out and get some fresh air. However, most of the time, this can really help you clear your head. So be the friend that forces them out of their house, and go on a walk together. Even if it’s a silent walk because they don’t quite feel like talking just yet, it’ll allow them to gather their thoughts and have a change of scenery.

7. Simply listen to them.

Sometimes all you have to do is be there for them, and listen. It doesn’t take much effort, just make sure you don’t get distracted and that you’re actually paying attention to what they’re sharing with you.

8. Give them a hug.

A hug can do a lot for a person, believe it or not. Whether it’s the first thing you do when you see them or something you try, it will surely make them feel a little bit better if nothing else has worked.

9. Listen to their favorite songs in the car.

Similar to the idea of getting them out on a walk, another option is to go on a drive and blast their favorite songs in the car. They’ll likely find joy in doing this, helping them cheer up a little bit.

10. Send a thoughtful text.

Even if you’re far away, or you can’t see them until later, sending a thoughtful text can also really help whoever is feeling down. Knowing you’re thinking about them and hoping they feel a little bit better can surely help cheer them up.

What to Avoid When Cheering Someone Up

The following are things you should avoid when cheering someone up, because if you don’t you might make it worse.

1. Be distracted. Avoid getting distracted at all costs while listening to someone who needs to be cheered up. If they feel like they don’t matter or that they’re not important enough to have your attention, it could make them feel worse than they already do.
2. Stand them up. If you say you’re going to be there, be there. Don’t stand them up because they’re probably looking forward to seeing you and getting their mind off whatever is making them feel bad.
3. Talk about how great things are for you. If you start going on and on about how great everything in your life is right when they’re not having the best day, it could make it even more challenging for them to cheer up because they might start comparing themselves.
4. Tell them you’ve never felt like that. Don’t tell them you’ve never felt how they feel because they want to be able to relate to you, not feel like they’re weird or the odd ones out.
5. Tell them to cheer up. If they can’t cheer up on their own, it’s because something really is going on, and telling them to cheer up as if it was simple will hurt their feelings, so don’t be impatient, and try to help them cheer up rather than instructing them to cheer up.
6. Get annoyed with their negativity. If you’ve had a good day and are in a good mood and overall happy with your life, it can be challenging to help someone you feel might bring their negativity into your good day. Don’t let it get to you; avoid getting annoyed with their negativity.

Conclusion. There are lots of great ways you can cheer someone up when they’re having a bad day, going through something difficult, or if they struggle with depression. Listening to them, being there for them, and maybe even offering a hug or a shoulder to cry on to get their emotions out will be the most helpful. Remember, a little can go a long way when cheering someone up.