Kickbox until I can’t! Then focus on my physical pain. Heavy metal helps too ?

Everything but smoke of the options in the pic, but in addition, I write my feelings out, get a bit philosophical about the cause of my sadness, read good reviews of my work and personal notes and cards that make me feel appreciated.

I also might lay on a beach in the sun, force myself to get some exercise in the daylight (hard when sad - but beneficial) go for a bike ride, have an extra dose of caffeine or a sleep aid depending on the time of day, get lost in a movie or bingewatch a drama series that can take my mind of my sadness and/or realize that some stories are far sadder than my life at this moment.

Also, I take comfort in knowing that my sadness is temporary and I will get back to being the happiest and luckiest me I could ever be, once I embrace the sadness long enough to let it go.

Music, movie/Netflix, watch videos on Youtube, or go to sleep

All of the above

If I'm just feeling a bit squashed, I look at pictures of smart cars--seriously, those things are so wee and cute they make me giggle every time.

If I'm sad enough to cry, I have some sativa, which gets me out of emotion mind enough to then figure out why I'm crying and what, if anything, can be done and when. It helps immensely for the depressive episodes I'd occasionally have. If it's just a shitty brain chemistry day, at least then I know I can just take a nap or find a distraction like reading a book or watching a movie until it kind of blows over.

I sit outside with the dogs and cats and pick apart the reason I am sad to get to the core reason, when you can no longer ask "Why?".

I don't really get sad.
. Questions like these and the responses always make me re-realize how different my upbringing was. After the first 17 years of life, there just isn't a lot that makes me afraid, angry, sad, etc.
Perhaps more a detriment than 'blessing', but then seeing how much so many suffer....I have to wonder.

Sadness always makes me mindful, sometimes immediately, but always eventually. My first response if the sadness is serious is to go to a place where i can mellow out, like by the ocean, until my emotions settle down enough to start refilling my cup. But those sad moments which persisted need more reflection so this is what I do.

Since I know instinctively and cognitively that my sadness is a signal from my emotional mind that something is not right in my life, not a "duh" statement as it seems given that I need to first acknowledge consciously that something is wrong, to accept that i can manage whatever it is, then to go there.

Sooner or later, after i manage my emotions, i reflect on whether i need to be sad to grieve something lost, or whether it is unnecessary or necessary worry.

If it's the former, i accept that I must get through a letting go process so I go down that path like William Bridges wrote.

If it's the latter, i evaluate whether there is a real threat, an ego reaction, or merely a misuse of my imagination.

My bottom line is to look for the off ramp from my unhappiness.

If my unhappiness proves to be anger, then i know that i must be afraid of something, since that is always where our anger comes from, consciously or unconsciously. Most often I have found that it's my ego doing it's thing. Another natural response but one i can usually manage by giving my ego a good talking to. Lol

But there have been at least two times in my life where i needed help with situational depression, requiring the help of a competent therapist.

It is during those times that i need to be patient with and kind to myself before I can accept that I am going through something which I need to process to manage. And because I've managed to do so before, I know I can again. Journalling has also always been helpful too.

Listen to happy music

I listen to Allan Holdsworth and Keith Jarretts Vienna Concert. A good comedy goes down well

Cry very badly - snot all over face till someone notices

Watch old Hong Kong Kung fu action flicks.

Think like a Stoic: The things making you sad don't care about your feelings. You do. So choose to feel better. I trained myself to do this. Works for me.

Depends. Really nothing.