Feeling Down? 10 Sites That’ll Help You Feel Better and Cheer Up

Everyone feels depressed sometimes. Even though it’s a wonderful thing, the internet has a lot to be blamed for. Social media like Facebook and Twitter can damage your mental health. That’s without mentioning depressing websites that only serve to make you feel even more downhearted.

Fortunately, there are plenty of websites to go to when you’re sad. Here are our recommendations for the most uplifting, inspiring, and funny places to browse when you’re feeling low—websites to cheer you up, no matter what else is going on in your life.

1. TED

Sometimes, all you need is a little inspiration. When you’re feeling unhappy, filling your head with new ideas is a superb solution. That’s where TED comes in.

Its name stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and that’s just what you get: a collection of talks on a huge range of subjects. TED immediately recommends topics like science, the environment, social change, personal growth, nature, and more.

There’s a subject here for everyone. Talk durations vary, but no matter what you tune into, you’re bound to have your mind blown. And if you don’t want to be lectured, check out their awesome animations section, or watch dancing and music recitals.

Create a TED account for customized recommendations. Alternatively, you can take note of playlists, editors’ picks, or trending topics.

2. Reddit

Reddit curates content from across the web, meaning you get to experience the best and the worst of the internet. Quirky communities build-up, so while this is a type of social media, you don’t have to engage. It’s a different form to Instagram and its ilk, which can make you idealize other people’s lives.

Swap between searching for generic subreddits and niche subjects you specialize in or want to learn more about. They can help indulge your passions and learn from peers; take, for instance, these great photography subreddits.

If you’re looking for subreddits to cheer you up, we recommend r/aww (cute images and videos), r/AccidentalComedy (search with tongue firmly in cheek), or even r/Disney for a nostalgic mix of news, creativity, and merchandise. Some subreddits contain NSFW material so be careful.

3. A Soft Murmur

Calming noises can affect your mental health. Simply engaging with the sounds of nature can increase serotonin levels in your brain—which is why so many find listening to rainfall at bedtime eases them to sleep.

Former private practice psychotherapist, Emily Mendez says,

“Rain has a regular, predictable pattern. Our brain processes it as a calming, non-threatening noise.”

A Soft Murmur uses this same idea: washing away all distractions with a soothing soundscape. Choose between sounds like thunder, waves, a coffee shop, birdsong, and crickets to soothe you. You can mix these up by combining two or more sounds.

It’s also available as an app so you can take the service with you on the road.

4. Blah Therapy

Maybe you’ve got something on your mind that’s worrying you. Perhaps you’re stressed about work, relationships, or other matters.

In such cases, the best thing you can do is to talk to someone. That doesn’t mean you have to spend on a therapist or chat to a family member (although these are good options too). Blah Therapy is a free and anonymous alternative.

You don’t need to sign up. You don’t need to pay. There’s a free messaging service that connects you with a stranger, who is there to either converse with or just listen.

However, there is a low-fee service that connects you with a trained therapist too, so if you really need professional help, it’s available without having to leave your home.

5. Cracked

Cracked is known for its rowdy and distinctly NSFW humor, but it’s also a useful educational site in its own right. Admittedly, you probably won’t use these facts in college dissertations, but these bits of trivia are handy when chatting to family and friends at the pub.

You’ll also learn a lot about the media—behind-the-scenes tidbits to recall when you’re watching a film, or how one tiny aspect makes or break a production.

Billed as “America’s Only Humor Site”, Cracked has plenty of articles, photo galleries, videos, and podcasts to make you laugh and shake your head at how bizarre society is.

6. Garfield Minus Garfield

Garfield, the lasagne-loving, Monday-hating cat, is a much-loved icon of American culture. You can check out the archive of Garfield stories online, but if you’re looking for something a bit different, we recommend Garfield Minus Garfield.

This webcomic is dedicated to reprinting strips by Jon Davis, without Garfield in them. Without the orange feline, you realize that Jon Arbuckle is experiencing a perpetual existential crisis.

They’ll often make you laugh, but you’ll just as frequently nod your head and say, “Same, Jon. Same.”

7. Explosm

by @RobDenBleyker pic.twitter.com/mzG8iMmWw6

— Cyanide & Happiness (@Explosm) May 5, 2020

This is one of the best webcomics you can’t miss, encouraging you to laugh and cry and reexamine the world. It also features a lot of NSFW jokes and innuendo.

You’ll likely have seen Cyanide and Happiness online—its mad blend of surrealism, controversial topics, and meta gags that has built a considerable fan following.

Its success has meant Explosm.net has grown to include short videos, podcasts, convention appearances, and news.

Plus there’s a comic generator that splices panels from disparate strips together. This sort of lunacy is sure to cheer up anyone who enjoys very adult humor.

8. Zen Habits

Zen Habits encourages mindfulness, a psychological process often associated with meditation. But it simply means living in the moment, fully engaging with what you’re doing by letting go of your anxieties.

You might have heard it in relation to coloring. (That can definitely help, so check out sites offering free coloring printables.)

This site exhorts the virtues of peacefulness. It comes at topics objectively, training readers to acknowledge why thinking in certain ways can be damaging and showing you methods for changing your outlook on life. It’s not for everyone but is great for anyone who wants to embrace simplicity.

9. 100,000 Stars

It can help to put your troubles in context. There’s nothing unusual about problems overwhelming you: it happens to everyone. Something small can swell in your mind and dwarf everything else.

100,000 Stars can help. It lets you explore the universe, so it helps you find your place within it and appreciate how lucky you are to be here.

You’re presented with an awesome starry vista, so you can scroll all across the nearby galaxies and focus on individual astronomical phenomenon. Use the bar to zoom out—from our own sun to the edge of the Milky War. Click on a point of light to find out its name and any information we have about it. It’s mind-blowing.

10. 1000 Awesome Things

1000 Awesome Things emerged from personal tragedy. Neil Pasricha began it in 2008 after his marriage broke down and a friend committed suicide. He decided to write a blog celebrating life, specifically one awesome thing every weekday for 1000 days.

The project ended in 2012. At that time, it was named the “Best Blog in the World” for two consecutive years by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

In 2020, Neil began again. Join him as he lists 1000 further things that bring joy to your existence. Sometimes, it’s big things. But more frequently, it’s finding light in the small things—and it’s the small things that matter most.

Looking for More Feel-Good Websites?

Why not bookmark this page and come back to it when you’re feeling down? Do you have any feel-good websites you turn to when you’re depressed or anxious? Share them in the comments below.

And there’s a final tip: don’t browse social networks when you’re depressed. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can give false impressions of other people’s lives. Remember the pros and cons of social media.

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