Being Sad Isn’t a Personality Trait

**Disclaimer: Being a simp bitch 24/7 is not the same as being legitimately depressed. This article is in no way intended to make light of mental illness.**

We all get sad. It’s a normal human emotion that we love to handle by sending out a self- deprecating tweet or an Instagram post with an, especially angsty caption. But even though these gloomy posts seem to get the most likes, and the hottest music of today is filled with Billie Eilish dark lyrics about loss and pain, we have to ask ourselves: is it really that cute to build your whole aesthetic around being sad?

Sure, wearing all black may be trendy, and posting a pouty selfie with depressing song lyrics that remind you of your ex might be tempting, but let’s not get too carried away. We at Jerk know that there’s probably more to you than the skull emojis you’re using and the depressing poetry you’re writing at 2 a.m. If you feel like you’re falling victim to your sad-boi hours and turning them into your sad-boi life, here are some steps to get out of your bag.

Step One: Stop listening to your “Sad Bitch” playlist when you’re literally just walking to class. You’re not sad right now, but you will be after you listen to that song that makes you nostalgic because you and your friends from high school used to listen to it. Having a playlist for when you’re deep in your feels is fine, but it shouldn’t become your life’s soundtrack.

Step Two: Take a minute before you go off on your Tumblr… do you really need to post something every time you’re feeling weepy because Chad from Phi Psi left you on read? It won’t make you feel any better, and that little bit of validation you get from your friends liking your posts and commenting “mood” won’t last. Instead, try to focus on highlighting the happy moments and things you want to remember. You’re a queen. Believe it.

Step Three: Surround yourself with positive people. We all love our friends, but it’s okay to distance yourself from some people who might be draining your energy with their negativity. That one friend who is always whining about other people and how much their life sucks? Their life probably sucks because of that attitude (yeah, we went there). Instead of joining them and lamenting over mutual woes, be the one to look on the bright side. If that doesn’t work, move on and move towards others.

Step Four: Thinking like a sad bitch leads to acting like a sad bitch. Not to sound like your mom, but remember that the way you think about and present yourself to the world becomes who you are. So please, for yourself, for us, and for the friends and family that have to deal with you, don’t spend all of your time moping about little things when there are bigger and more fun things to not mope about.

While it’s fine to be sad and we’ve definitely all had those Tuesday nights where nothing sounds better than a leftover Four Loko and a cry sesh sponsored by Lil Peep, that’s simply not a sustainable lifestyle. Sadness is real and sometimes it’s impossible (and unnecessary) to fight, but when you’re in a good mental space and have the ability to choose your outlook for the day, pick gratitude over cynicism. Being sad isn’t a personality trait, so stop treating it like one.