How to Cheer Someone Up: 18 Ways to Help Them Feel Awesome Again

There are times when you need to know how to cheer someone up. But do you give them a pity party or teach them how to make lemonade? Do you know?

There is nothing worse than a sad sack. No, seriously, someone who is unhappy can bring an entire room down. Don’t get me wrong; it isn’t that I don’t have empathy. If something bad happens, I am the first person to step in and try to make things okay or cheer someone up.

If you have someone in your life who seemingly can’t get past the frown to the smiley face, then it might be your duty to step in and return the sunshine to their cloudy day.

How to cheer someone up – 19 perfect tips that just work

Cheering someone up is not always easy. In fact, if you aren’t careful, you can be pulled into the pit of despair. We all have that Samaritan in us that wants to make others feel good. If they are someone important, then we have a drive to show them the light. Here are some tips for how to cheer someone up.

#1 Send them flowers. If you want to cheer a woman up, sending her bright flowers is the way to go. If you want the cheer to last longer, make it her favorite plant. It can be the gift that keeps making her happy long after flowers have dried up and died.

#2 Buy them tickets to their favorite “thing.” Nothing makes someone happier than getting them out of their element and allowing them to spend a night free from thought. Buy tickets to their favorite show, concert, or sporting event to cheer them up. [Read: 10 ways to cheer up your girlfriend when she’s down]

#3 Set them up on a date with hotness. If you want to cheer someone up after a breakup, then set them up with someone hot. It doesn’t have to be the person that is “perfect” for them, but nothing can cheer someone up more than a little eye candy and a night on the town away from the house and loneliness.

#4 Take them to a funny movie. Nothing takes someone’s mind off their misery more than a funny movie. The key to knowing how to cheer someone up is to help them forget what is dragging them down. A funny movie can definitely do that.

#5 Throw them a surprise party. It doesn’t have to be their birthday or any special occasion at all. Remind them of how many people care and love them.

You don’t have to make a big deal about it, just invite those friends who want to help and show them a good time. Everyone needs a little attention and focus sometimes. Making them the center of attention may cheer them up. [Read: How to throw a perfect surprise party for a friend]

#6 Show up and take them to dinner. Even if they say they don’t want to, show up on their doorstep and take them to dinner. Often, when someone is depressed, they turn down invitations and choose to sit alone wallowing in their own misery.

Stop them from doing that by just showing up. They can’t say no if you just go over and kidnap them from their single pity party.

#7 Plan a weekend getaway. The best way to know how to cheer someone up is to get them out of their situation. Sometimes you need more than just a night away. If you know that a friend is struggling through something, devote an entire weekend escape to get them back on track. Hit the beach or the mountains and fill their time with nothing but distraction and good times. [Read: Best friend bucket list – 15 adventures for you and your BFF]

#8 Let them know how much you care. If someone is down, they just need to know that people care and love them. When you are in your own personal drama, it can sometimes feel like you are all alone. Show them that you haven’t forgotten or moved on to the next crisis by sending them messages of support and telling them you care.

#9 Invite their favorite person for a visit. If you have a mutual friend who comes to town and lights it up, arrange for them to come for a visit. That old friend from grammar school is the perfect individual to shake them out of their funk and remember what it was like to have fun.

#10 Deliver them dinner. If you know they aren’t taking care of themselves the way that they should, but you also know they need some alone time, order their favorite meal and either deliver it yourself or have it delivered. A little comfort food is sometimes enough to make anyone smile. [Read: How to make your man happy in 20 little ways]

#11 Send them a nice note. The card and physical notes are an underrated age-old art. Go to the store and find a funny card to send. In fact, send them one every day for a week or two. Persistence may help to turn their mood around.

#12 Take something off their plate. It is hard to focus on something when you are depressed and down, but the more things around you fall apart and get out of control, the worse you feel.

If you want to know how to cheer someone up, do some chores for them, clean their house, or help them fix something that needs fixing. Not only will you provide them a little company, but you can also help them get things back together and heading forward again.

#13 Show up with a case of beer and a pizza without an agenda. Nothing is better than a spontaneous night of just some pizza and beer. Even if they say they just want to stay home alone, insert yourself. Bringing your good food, your alcohol, and your good mood to them may be just the perfect thing to do when you want to know how to cheer someone up. [Read: 32 awesome sleepover ideas for a fun night with friends]

#14 Take them shopping – retail therapy rocks! If you want to cheer someone up, especially a girl, take them shopping. Nothing makes a woman feel better than to spend a little money on a guilty pleasure. Get them out of their element by taking them to the mall. A good pair of shoes can cheer anyone up.

#15 Send them an old photo. Look through your old photos to find something that is funny and will remind them of something crazy you did. There is nothing that can make someone turn their mood around more than remembering the good old days. Send them a pic of your bad haircut, when you did something stupid or crazy together, or a photo where you were just plain awkward.

#16 Be their shoulder to cry on. Cheering someone up may involve allowing them to get it out. Instead of always trying to be a Pollyanna, sometimes cheering someone up takes allowing them a pity party and time to fall apart.

When someone has a tragedy happen, most people want them to gloss over and forget about it, so they provide distractions. Allow them to work through it and wallow a while by being their shoulder to cry on. Sometimes, the best way for knowing how to cheer someone up is just to let them sit and be miserable for a bit.

#17 Tell them a good story. If you want to cheer someone up, tell them a euphemistic story. If their boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with them, then convince them they can do better, that it wasn’t about them, and that it is their ex’s loss.

Even if you aren’t entirely genuine, they need to hear positive things right now. When they are back on their feet, you can be honest. Save it for later. [Read: Being brutally honest – 13 scenarios when it’s an obligation]

#18 Declare a Gilmore Girls marathon with a gallon of ice cream. Boy or girl, show up at their door and start a Netflix marathon. Gilmore Girls or Raising Hope, makes no difference… just invest the time in them without anywhere to go. Devoting your time is sometimes all someone needs to be cheered up and not feel so alone.

#19 Send them funny videos. YouTube is full of funny stuff. So, find something hilarious and send it to them. In fact, send them all the funny things you can find until you know that they are back on their feet. It is hard to be upset and sad when you are laughing your ass off.

Cheering someone up isn’t always easy. Sometimes a person needs you to be the person who comes over to make lemonade out of lemons, and sometimes they need you to come to their pity party. Spend time with them to find out how best to help before you assume you know what they need.

[Read: How to feel happy –  13 proven strategies for instant happiness]

If you really want to know how to cheer someone up, it is about showing them that they are not alone in their misery. And that there are a ton of people who love them and want to help.

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