What are some (free) things [to do] that make you happy?

Get lots of light. Sunlight makes me happiest, but if that doesn’t cooperate and I need a pick-me-up, I’ll turn on every light in the house, open every window shade, and even light some candles.

Volunteering is a terrific way for me to feel better. It gets me out of my own head, which is a dangerous place to be, and it helps other people. I volunteer at my local library. Try it. Just walk in and ask what they need help with.

Borrow your son’s coloring book and crayons and do some coloring.

Hugs. I heard that you need 12 hugs a day to be genuinely happy. If other people aren’t available to chip in some, start hugging the hell out of your son. Or your cat, if you have one.

When I’m feeling down I often try to think about my last hug, and it was usually days ago.

Reading a library book is kind of free. As is walking trails at a county park almost free. Sleeping can be free, sometimes. I’m also very happy when being left alone, which is free to those who are leaving you alone.

Pampering myself with a really long relaxing bath.

When my daughter was the same age as your son, we had a lot of fun inventing games to play and making game-pieces out of all sorts of scraps found around the house.

Take every blanket you have in the house and drape them over all the furniture and tent off an entire room and have a picnic under there with your son….read him stories and play some of his favorite games. The giggles and laughter from your son will be too much for you to resist being happy for an hour or two.

Routine. I get up about the same time every day and go through the same routine of showering breakfast, cup of tea etc. It sounds pretty boring but having a reliable structure to my day keeps me happy.

GA everybody <hugs fellow jellies> When I’m really down I hug Jade, our puppy or I play with her in the back garden, she loves to play fetch with her ball, or visit with her friends, our neighbour’s dogs. Seeing them run about together always cheers me up (as does a cuppa, and a gossip, with my neighbour too lol.) I’ll get my laptop out and see what you honeys are doing on fluther and when I settle on the sofa with my laptop, Jade will snuggle up next to me and nap. Happiness is a napping puppy lol.

Spend time with your son honey, I’ll bet every second you spend with him means the absolute world to him, and think of the memories you’re giving him to carry through to adulthood. When he has his own children, he’ll remember how important your times together were and it will make him a wonderful father. There are lots of things you can do together, crafts like paper mache are always fun, scroll down the page here for lots of fun ideas. Hope you feel better soon sweetheart, sending you mountains of love and huggles xx

If I had a 5 year old son,I would be cutting out facial features from magazines and taping them to my face….use scotch tape,not duct…XD I used to do this with my nieces and nephews and we would be laughing in no time flat.;)
Sometimes you just have to goof off!

Finding new music makes me happy. Right now, Walk the Moon is doing it for me. They seem to exude positivity. So is Bear & Boy. I have a need for the outfit made out of ties. Actually, doing something ridiculous, like going out in public wearing something weird like that makes me feel pretty lighthearted sometimes.
Working in my garden and talking to neighbors.
Volunteering.
Learning something new. Making something, finishing something I started.

Toss used teabags from a bedroom window at unsuspecting passers by. Free & easy, it’s good to be a little naughty from time to time :¬)

i know you said you are reluctant to do it, but a walk outside is the best antidote for the blues for me. If the weather is suspect or you are scared, start with a short walk around the block and work up to longer. A Spring walk with a 5 year old can be a delight; as can PB&J in a local park..

It’s a shame that you don’t feel like going outside. Right now I am looking out my window. There are leaf buds on the tree. You can see it is bursting with new energy to come in just a couple of weeks. I am listening to the birds singing. It is so peaceful and pleasing.

A walk in the woods with your little boy should bring you joy. Pointing out things to him (bird nests, insects, etc., looking at the winder on his face as he explores.

Indoors, I get a lot of pleasure from taking a hot bath.

I get a lot of pleasure from enjoying a cup of hot tea.

Going to the beach on a day like today makes me happy.

I take my daughter to the park and play at the playground with her. It’s almost impossible to have a frown when you are swinging on a swing or sliding down a slide.

I second (or third) the suggestion of a walk outside. Sunlight improves my mood, too. I particularly like walking by water, whether it be a lake, pond, stream, etc. I find that very soothing. I live close to Lake Ontario, so that’s often where I’ll go if I want to clear my head.

I like Geocaching . It’s free. It’s in your neighborhood. You can do it any time. And you can take your son with you on a mini-adventure. There are probably two caches hidden in the local park right down the street from you.

I am sorry you are still feeling down.
Your son will certainly detecting this too. Try to start by doing thing to make him smile and laugh.
Help yourself, by helping him be a fun lovable kid that he is.
Go to the library, search out playgrounds, take a hike in nature, set up some playdates for him, get him in the kitchen and cook with you. Just do some silly things and laugh with him.
Try to schedule certain days to do certain things. Something for both of you to look forward to do.

Skipping? I think you could do with the exercise to get the good chemicals flowing. You need 1. Skipping rope 2. A high ceiling.

Walking/spending time with my dogs
Relaxing with good friends
Watching my favourite programme or film (I have a few that I call “comfort programmes” and I watch them whenever I am feeling low)
Swings
Driving

Can you get to the free library?` You could go and find books that your son wants you to read to him. You could walk around inside and see what there is to be seen.

After—I know it costs money—but could you find a place to get him a hot chocolate? Just sit them and see what’s happening?

I also found fluther to be very helpful when I was depressed. It got my mind off my own situation. It’s more fun to answer others than it is to think about my shit. Who knows? Maybe I even helped someone. I’m sure you would! But it doesn’t matter. The fun part is thinking about things. Other people’s things.

@wundayatta took the words out of my mouth about the local public library! Going to the library—especially if you can walk there—can be therapeutic. Once you get there, you are out among people – something that tends to help me when I am down – even if I don’t talk to any of them. To me, a trip to the library is like FREE shopping! You can take anything you want home with you without paying for it! Books, movies, musics – wow! Plus, many libraries often host free speakers series, book clubs, or other events. The one near me even has a knitting group…

I cannot tell you how important it is to get out and walk (or actually hike, which is even better) even if there is snow on the ground or it’s drizzling. If you have a camera, even better, take it with you and find pretty, funny, or unusual things to photograph. If you have a local events or entertainment paper (usually free) look through it to see if there are any free guided tours at any of your local parks or historical areas (sometimes they’ll do these downtown and look at gardens or architecture). Sometimes they’ll have park or beach cleanup and trail maintenance days. You can get a little exercise and do a good deed.

Take a hot bath and then treat your feet to a little pampering. If you have any foot exfoliant cream, use that. If not, put a little bit of baking soda into a bowl of warm water and massage that into your feet. After your feet are nice and dry, paint your toenails. Better yet, invite one or two girlfriends over and you can paint each other’s toenails. Have your friends order (and pay for a pizza to be delivered).

Make some hot cocoa, then curl up on the couch with a soft warm blanket and watch and old, funny movie on AMC or TMC.

Have a garage sale. Have your friends come over and help you go through your stuff that no longer fits, or that you don’t need any more, then put price tags on everything and hold your sale. It can be very cathartic and will help you make a few bucks too.

Cook something interesting with whatever ingredients you have on hand. Either look up recipes online or tell us what you have and we’ll give you some recipes.

Call up a friend or a relative (if you have unlimited long distance calling) from out of town that you haven’t talked to in awhile. Don’t pick a negative or crotchity one. Let them know that you’ve been feeling a little down, but let them know also, that you need a nice light conversation.

Have a drawing session with your little boy. Each of you needs to get out the colored pencils and crayons and draw portraits of each other.

Do any of your friends have dogs? If so, ask them if you can come over and interact with them for awhile. A good dog tummy rubbing does wonders for the soul.

If you have an ice skating rink in your town, you can go and sit in the stands and watch all of the pre-professional kids practicing. They’re always super cute to watch. Just make sure to bring a hat and a coat, because it gets cold in there when you are sitting. But it’s worth it.

Most museums have one day a week (often Tuesdays) that are free to the public. Check your event rag to see if/when those days are. Art museums, science museums, natural history museums can be a lot of fun, especially with your son.

Invite a good friend or 2 to come over to your place and bring their favorite DVD’s (that they already own). If you don’t have something that you can fix for everyone to eat, like a bowl of pasta and sauce, or grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, ask them to bring something.

So sorry that you’re having a rough time right now. If your sister (or a friend or other relative are in a better place) have them help you search online or in the yellow pages or in the paper to see if they can find some temporary therapy for you that is either free or can be paid on a sliding scale. Do you have health insurance? If so, talk to your primary care physican to give you a referral and let them know about your financial situation. If you have insurance, but don’t have a primary care physician, there is usually some type of hotline that you can call to ask for a referral, just let them know about your financial situation. Do you live on your own with your son? If so, maybe your sister or one of your friends or relatives could let you move in with them, temporarily. And just remember that someone is always awake here on Fluther. : )

@ette_ My son & my husband are sensitive to weather & time changes. It sounds to me like you may be as well.
Here’s what our psychologist recommends (and all the books I’ve read back this advise up):

-Get a minimum of 10 minutes of full sunlight per day. If you live in an area where it’s often cloudy and you tend to get depressed look into purchasing a GoLite from Phillips (or likewise device)
-Make certain you are getting enough Vitamin D
-Exercise daily (not just a walk around the block to count as your exercise, you need to get your heart rate up to release the “feel-good” chemicals in your brain)
-Sleep every night for 7–8 hours.

Knowing you have a 5yr old, I’d also recommend taking at least one 10 minute walk per day (I aim for two to three with my 5yr old). Play outside with him for at least 10–15mins even if it’s chalk on the drive way or playing tag/chase. You both need outside activity.

As for saying: I can’t bring myself to listen to music because I’m so down, nor do I particularly want to go for a walk outside (the weather is suspect).

IMO, that is the reason you aren’t getting out of this depression/funk. You need to change your mindset. You are allowing yourself to stay internal and draw inward. It’s time for you to wake up in the AM, put on your shoes and go for a walk. Music is a great tool to rev you up and alter your daily pattern.

Walking through the city with my iPod

A long soak in the tub to shave, pluck and then cool shower after with a slathering of lotion followed by a nap. It’s almost free and no one else is needed in order for me to wake up feeling refreshed.

When down in the dumps then self grooming, mending clothes, organizing the house, that kind of thing has always felt good. I use funks to get done the little things that get overlooked the rest of the time, little chores like sewing seams, buttons, ironing, detailing my car, etc.

I really hope you feel much better soon darling….
What does it for me is singing…just block everything out and sing…and sunlight! Yep,that always makes me feel alive and happy. : )

Hiking and swinging in the park :-)

Thanks for all the suggestions jellies. I suppose I ought to have made my question more simple because the truth is I have been having a hard time getting out of bed and changing my mindset, so while I do think I will try some of the activities above, I’m also just looking for happy words, I guess? Puppies, rainbows, angels? I don’t really know what I’m looking for. Everything reminds me of how sad I am.

Anyway, I have my son this weekend so it’ll be good for me. Earlier tonight I let him help me make applesauce and he took a plastic spoon and started hacking at one of the apple cores trying to get seeds out. It was pretty cute. Tomorrow I suggested that he help me do the laundry.

Start saving empty food boxes. Unglue the edge, turn them inside out and reglue. Work with your son to create a city for matchbox cars. Go outside and blow bubbles. Sidewalk chalk pictures. If you mix food color with rubbing alcohol, you can color macaroni and make stuff out of it.

Make jello. In different colors. Spinning around in circles. Flying a kite. Jitter-bugging in the kitchen with your son.

@BarnacleBill, the Dad of the Year Award goes to…

@BarnacleBill GA for spinning around in circles

Check you diet, be sure to not sludge up your internals with heavy winter meats and pastries as this makes me gain weigh and sleep more. Get some sweet potatoes and steam them and add real butter and drizzle a bit of honey and salt and try eating a piece or 2 of raw organic fruit each day and beware of packaged foods and junk foods ((full of chemicals that mess with your brain waves), get sunshine on the skin to gain energy and convert vitamin D for strong bones and happy mood! Walk outdoors for at least 10 minutes! Get a small trampoline at walmart for $35 and jumo up and down for 3–5 minutes a day to improve lymph fluid flow! (( = Oh yeah, pray every day to the Creator of the Universe!!!