How to Fake Being Happy When Depressed

Surprisingly, lots of people with depression have figured out how to do this. It simply involves hiding one’s sad feelings and putting on a happy face, which is sometimes called smiling depression. But this can be tricky because it might stop you from getting help when you really need it. Fortunately, there is a foolproof way to fake being happy when depressed.

You might think that faking happiness can help you feel better, even if you are just feeling a bit sad. It might work well when you are stuck in tough situations and can’t do much to fix things. However, this trick might also be a lifeline on days when people with depression are feeling really, really down.

Now, let’s dig into this plan and see how you can act like you are happier until you can’t even remember why you were sad in the first place.

How to Fake Being Happy When Depressed

Pretending to be happy can actually help lift your mood when feeling really down. When you put on this “fake” happy face, it can make you look more attractive to others, and that can help stop the cycle of feeling bad. Let’s check out some simple tricks you can use to fake being happy when depressed.

1. Put on a Happy Face

Smiling can make your brain feel happy, even if you are tired or sad. When you smile, your brain releases tiny molecules called neuropeptides to help fight off stress.¹ Even when you are not feeling great, it can make you feel better, reduce stress, and help your body stay healthy.

People think that smiling a lot might even make you live longer. This happens because when you smile, your brain releases chemicals called endorphins and serotonin. Endorphins help with pain and can make the heavy feeling of sadness lighter. Serotonin is like a natural medicine for feeling down.²

Some experts also claim that even if you force a smile, it can still make you feel more positive.

When you smile, it can make others smile too. This helps everyone feel happier, and it creates a nice and happy atmosphere, especially at work.

2. Get You Some Energetic Music

Happy music can help with feeling less sad. The kind of music you pick can also make your body feel better if you are dealing with depression.

Music tends to change how anxious or stressed you are, lowers your blood pressure, help with pain, make you happier, keep your mind sharp, and helps you remember things.³

But if you are feeling depressed, you should be careful about what music you choose. Some music might make you feel even worse. If you are already depressed, sad music can make you cry more.

When feeling sad, it is best to stay away from sad or slow music. That kind of music can make you feel even worse.

Instead, try listening to music that is cheerful and makes you want to move. You need the kind of music that will make you feel better and more energetic.

3. Have Fun with Exercise

Exercise could be all you need to fake being happy when depressed. Moreover, body movements can make you feel better if you are dealing with mood issues.

It is not a magic fix for serious sadness, but it can make tough times easier to handle.

Engaging in some physical activity every day can help make those feelings of being down weaken out. And it is also great for people who are not normally sad but just have a rough day.

Body exercises tend to work for someone feeling less sad. When you do exercises such as running or dancing, your brain gets more oxygen, which can help clear up your thinking and make those unrealistic thoughts go away. Plus, your brain releases happy chemicals called endorphins when you work out, giving you that awesome feeling known as a “runner’s high”.⁴

People also think that exercise helps your brain make new connections, which might balance out those chemicals causing depression.

And don’t forget—regular exercise can help you stay healthy and control your weight. Feeling good about your health can boost your confidence and help fight off being depressed.

4. Practice Meditation Before Going Outside

Meditation is good for different kinds of sadness and problems like anxiety. This old practice has lots of good things it does, and even just a little bit of deep meditation can really change how you’re feeling.

Meditation helps you stop thinking too much and keeps your mind from jumping around, which can make you feel not so great.

It’s really nice for calming down if you are feeling anxious and it helps you stay focused, thereby being able to fake being happy when depressed.

If you have trouble meditating, you could try using nice smells like aromatherapy or a spray that helps with stress while you meditate. After you meditate, you should feel more relaxed and in control of your feelings. That way, people will find it difficult to tell when you are moody.

5. Use Positive Statements

When dealing with depression, a big problem can be not liking yourself. The thoughts you have about yourself when you’re feeling like this can be really mean.

And every time you think bad things about yourself, you make yourself weaker, feel worse about who you are, and sink deeper into sadness. Words are really strong, and one great way to feel happier is by telling yourself good things before you leave your place.

Pick a few positive sayings that are easy to remember or short enough to put up where you get ready or in your bathroom. Say these nice things about yourself, and you will start feeling more positive soon.

6. Enjoy Humorous or Adorable Videos

Apps like TikTok are really famous now. Even though it can be easy to spend too much time on it, or not use it safely, it can actually help with feeling down.

TikTok and even YouTube Shorts have lots of short videos that are funny or show cute stuff like animals, babies, or people doing funny things. You can even watch satisfying videos, like cutting soap, mixing slime, or playing with kinetic sand.

When you watch funny videos, your brain releases happy chemicals called endorphins. These special hormones can make you feel even happier and might even make you laugh along with others.

Watching cute animal videos can make your body release oxytocin, a love hormone that helps you feel less lonely.

Also, when you watch satisfying videos like soap cutting or slime kneading, your heart rate slows down, and it has a calming effect on your body.

This is a great way to relax when you’re feeling worried. ASMR might also help people with sleep problems or those who feel sad to fall asleep faster. You can even watch fun videos that make your body release happy hormones called dopamine. But be careful, dopamine can be addictive and might make it hard to stay away from the internet.

7. Stay Away from Social Media for Some Time

When using the internet, make sure to reduce or avoid social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These sites can make depression worse because people usually show only their happy moments, not their tough times. Seeing others so happy might make you feel worse. On days when you are feeling depressed, consider some offline activities and socials with people around you.

8. Don’t Forget to Ask a Professional for Help

It is normal to feel down sometimes, but if you often feel tired, stressed, sad, or angry, you should talk to a professional. Home remedies can help too, but if your condition is serious, you want to ask a doctor for medicine or therapy.

Conclusion

While this guide is designed to help fake being happy when depressed, we have largely incorporated methods/suggestions that will help you heal faster—you don’t need depression weighing you down.

Ultimately, we hope this guide helps you not only look happier when you are depressed but also feel permanently better. If you want more health and wellness tips. Our guides are made to help you take care of yourself and have a happier life.

Read also: How to act happy when you want to cry