How To Cheer Someone Up In 9 Simple Ways

Remain cheerful, For nothing destructive can pierce through The solid wall of cheerfulness. ~ Sri Chinmoy (Tweet this)

We have all been there at one point or another—a time in our lives where we desperately needed to be cheered up. It may be an ongoing issue, like a recent breakup or the loss of a new job, or it may just be an inexplicable bad day. Regardless of the reason, it is nice to help a friend, family member, or partner out when they are feeling down.

Here’s how to cheer someone up ….

Life can be difficult sometimes, especially when your loved one is depressed. Here are some solid ways to cheer them up.

1. Just listen

Once you have permission from your person, listening is one of the best things you can do for them. Asking permission before you insert yourself into their bad day is necessary. Sometimes—oftentimes, even—people who are feeling down would rather be alone. In that case, offer your ear for a future time and give them the space they need.

Once you can be there for them, listening is a very important step to cheering someone up. All that most of us need from time to time is the space to vent to someone who will simply listen without responding or offering up a solution. Getting everything off of one’s chest is a great step to feeling better in the long run.

2. Relate to them

It is human nature to share your own experiences, but relating to your friend can be tricky. The old saying “misery loves company” is true, but no one appreciates someone trying to trump their situation.

If your friend has recently lost his or her job but you have an even worse story about losing your job, do not overshare the details of that experience. Just because you have a potentially worse story does not mean it is appropriate to share that with them at this time. Listen to your friend’s situation, let them know that you understand how they are feeling (but only if you actually understand), and let them continue to do most of the talking.

3. Offer to give advice

As aforementioned, asking permission before you offer your advice is key. If your friend simply wants to vent to you, offering unwarranted advice is not going to cheer them up. If there is an appropriate time to offer your advice, try asking your friend first.

It is as simple as asking, “hey, would you like my advice?” or “would you like to know what I think?” If they say yes, go ahead and gently offer the advice you have for them, keeping in mind the potential sensitivity of the issue. Your friend will appreciate not only that you have advice to offer them, but that you respected them by asking permission first.

4. Spend time with them

Sometimes, being there for your friend is all they need. Whether your friend is having a bad day or a bad year, just taking time out of your week to spend time together can make a world of difference. Schedule some time to take your friend to happy hour, or go jogging in the park, or to have a movie night.

Spending time with the people you love is a guarantee to cheer someone up. Ask your friend what he or she would like to do and make an effort to routinely spend time with them. Even if it is a temporary fix, being happy for a little while is a start.

5. Distract them

Is your friend worried about an upcoming meeting with their boss, or were they recently broken up with? Being distracted in some situations can be a blessing. Though not every situation requires a distraction, having a person you love take some time out of their day to attempt to cheer you up is sometimes just enough.

6. Check in with them

Seeing your friend once a week or so is sometimes not enough to keep them in a chipper mood. Luckily these days, there are a lot of ways to keep in touch with our friends throughout the day. Something as simple as sending a brief text message can cheer us up. Writing on a Facebook wall, sending a tweet, posting an old picture, or interacting in any other way in the social media world can be a huge step to helping cheer your friend up.

Though phone calls are not everyone’s favorite method of communication these days, leaving someone a voicemail at the end of a long day is a beautiful gesture in the journey of how to cheer someone up.

7. Be there physically

Though text messages and social media connections can be a very special gesture, being there for your friend in a physical manner can be even more important. Something as simple as a hug can change a person’s day. Hugging a friend, kissing your partner, even high-fiving your coworker who is down can cheer you both up. Physical touch—with permission—is vital for human connection as well as for general happiness.

8. Make them laugh

We are not all natural comedians, and that is okay. Even without being a professional comedian, we all have the capability to make our loved ones laugh. Bring up an inside joke, make a funny face, buy something silly, or just smile big enough to make your friend laugh. They say that “laughter is the best medicine,” and that has always been true. Laughter is the best answer to how to cheer someone up.

9. Relieve their stress

If your friend has something tangible that’s making them down, cheering them up may be as easy as relieving their load. Is your friend having financial troubles? Help them host a garage sale or offer up financial assistance. If your friend is overwhelmed with the balance between work and children, offer to babysit. There may not always be something you can do to help, but if you can offer your assistance in any way, your loved one will feel better automatically.

Final thoughts

Knowing how to cheer someone up is a knack. It doesn’t always take much to cheer up a person, but even the tiniest gestures can make the biggest differences. Being there for your them, letting them vent, and just talking to them helps in a big way!