Some days I don't get back up, not right away. Getting up takes a lot of energy, energy I don't always have (the result of a nuisance-y health issue), so I spend a while moping and get up the following day.

@curtisuxor: My first thought exactly when I saw this question.

@curtisuxor: Greeeat! Now THAT song is in my head for the rest of the day!! haha

When you get knocked down you have two decisions to choose from... stay down and be defeated and wallow in self pity and complain about how unfair life can be ...or get back up and charge ahead. Life is short... Choose to get up and charge ahead...It is the harder way but far more spiritually enriching...

Music seems to help me out. But sometimes for some reason it feels good to be down and frustrated for a bit. Luckily later I realize it's not fun being down.
It's heard though, I agree!

I just move that rubber tree plant....cause I got.... HIGH HOPES

When I'm down I come to Woot!, no I'm not pandering to the Woot! gods, lol. Between voting on deals, looking for my own deals, and posting and reading comments, I am able to get away and not think about my problems.I get to rest for a bit. Also I am guaranteed to laugh, someone will post something very funny.....

It's easy to start wallowing in all that is going wrong sometimes. We're going through kind of a tough time right now, and some days hit you harder than others, for whatever reason. But I swear, when those days hit, I always hear some story about someone else who is going through something so much worse than me. It puts everything into perspective very quickly, and makes me appreciate what I do have. So dwell on the good things, not the bad.

@pitamuffin: I always think of the phrase "I pitied myself because I had no shoes until I met the man who had no feet". Big thought process right there.

I don't always stay positive. I don't always get back up.

But most days, I do get up. It may not be with a positive attitude, but I figure if I'm going to be "down" anyways, I may as well get stuff done. Sometimes, just doing that will pull me out of it. That and smiling at people, whether I feel like it or not. When you smile at a stranger, they tend to smile back - and that helps.

I work in social services, so I am daily reminded that no matter how crappy my life might seem at the moment, it is blissful compared to the lives of the some of the people in my community. The tragedy and pain that some of these people are dealing with, I just don;t know how they are able to cope. It makes my own problems seem small. It doesn't diminish my own pain, but it helps me keep things in perspective.

@atd15: I work in the social services division of our HUD funded Community Development Block Grant Program. I write and administer the RFP and write and administer grants to about 50 organizations for about 100 social services projects ranging from shelter for abused children to drive-a-meals to homebound seniors. Before this position I was the program monitor, and I spent all my days reading actual case files to be sure they were compliant with the contracts. Some of those stories will be with me for the rest of my life. Now I am in a more administrative position, but I still end up meeting clients and hearing their stories, and helping my grantees document complicated cases. Sometimes people need help but they don't quite fit "in the box" and I work with the agencies to find a legitimate path to helping them.

@atd15: I could not work with clients, just as I cannot volunteer at an animal rescue. I internalize it all too much and carry it around with me. I have good skills at generating joy and happiness, but no skills at letting go of grief and anger. I love my job because it lets me help the people who do have the constitution to work directly with those in need get their important work done. It lets me contribute in the best way that I am able. Hopefully you will be able to find a similar place where you can put your skills to work making a difference.