5 Easy Tricks That Can Boost Your Mood
Feeling down? Here are 5 things you can do right now to feel happier.
Most of us have been told that practicing gratitude can make us happier. The act of acknowledging and expressing appreciation for what we have in our lives is supposed to make us feel good. If this is the case, then we should wake up happy every day with gratitude and happiness, right? What if some days we wake up in the morning and don’t feel much at all?
“Happiness is the absence of suffering. I think it’s an interesting way of looking at it. I think the absence of suffering exists very rarely in the world we live in.”
Suffering is a dramatic description of how someone deals with hardships or distress in life. Now, we might not be suffering in a way that needs to be handled professionally, but most of us can relate to the sadness of neglecting our personal needs.
Some days we want to stay in bed and avoid the craziness of the world. It is a challenge to put our best face forward when we are hitting an emotional slump. It feels like we are dragging our feet through mud. Life can be a struggle.
There are some simple tricks you can implement to help overcome your gloom. They may not overhaul your negative emotions completely, but it is a step in the right direction.
5 Mood Boosters You Can Do Right Now
1. Practice Meditation
Despite its traditional association with spirituality, meditation has gained modern recognition. It has the ability to bring you peace of mind and allow you to be in the moment. When the world seems to be overwhelming, “meditation may help relieve symptoms of stress and anxiety, improve concentration and focus, improve sleep, increase creativity and create an overall sense of calm”. Meditation also guides the “brain to enter a restful and restorative state.” It almost sounds too good to be true. The simple act of mindfulness can be daunting to some, but the beauty of meditation is that it can be applied to most lifestyles and can be practiced in a variety of ways:
How to Meditate
The act of meditation is simple. Some people prefer to sit in a quiet spot with their eyes closed while others enjoy meditating while they practice a soothing activity. The goal is to relax, feel your breath, notice how your body feels, and note any thoughts that meander into your consciousness. Be aware of yourself, your body, and your thoughts. Here are some examples of relaxing activities that you can do while meditating:
- Journaling
- Cooking
- Drawing/coloring
- Gardening
- Listening to guided meditations
- Writing
- Read positive affirmations
- Crafting
2. Light Exercise
Moving your body helps you become aware of your body. Engaging in light exercise is actually creating a happy chemical reaction in your brain.
“When you exercise, it increases endorphins, dopamine, adrenaline and endocannabinoid — these are all brain chemicals associated with feeling happy, feeling confident, feeling capable, feeling less anxiety and stress and even less physical pain” — Mercey Livingston
When you are feeling down, it is an obstacle to get up and move your body. The good news is that it does not have to be an intense workout or physical movement that increases your heart rate dramatically. Engaging in relaxing, light exercise is enough. Here are some examples of light exercise:
- Yoga
- Going for a walk
- Stretching
- Tai Chi
- Swimming
3. Do Something Nice for Someone Else
There is a special gratification that we experience when we know that we did something kind for another person. It might feel selfish to be nice for the sake of wanting to make yourself feel better, but why not be a positive influence on another person while also trying to be happier! There is no need to save the joy for yourself if it can also benefit others.
Research from the academic journal, Emotion, has suggested that “people striving for happiness may be tempted to treat themselves. Our results, however, suggest that they may be more successful if they opt to treat someone else instead.” Generosity is a strong emotion that supports the development of joy. Here are some random acts of kindness you can do today:
- Send a kind text/email
- Genuinely compliment a stranger
- Pay for someone’s coffee or meal
- Send someone flowers
- Donate to a charity
- Open the door for someone and smile
- Communicate gratitude for friends/family
4. Clean Your Environment
It is not a coincidence that the show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” was a sensational hit on Netflix. With her gentle demeanor and ability to organize, she had viewers inspired to ask the question, “does this spark joy?” while decluttering their homes and their lives. The concept of having an organized environment that leads to an organized mind is not new. Our environments play a huge role in our emotions and productivity. If you want to boost joy, you should tidy up your environment. The satisfaction of feeling productive will make you feel better.
“The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.” -Marie Kondo
Similar to light exercise, it can be a struggle to clean when you are feeling blue. Do not pressure yourself with an intimidating cleaning task. Always start small because even the smallest effort to bring order to your surroundings will have a great impact on your happiness. Here are some casual cleaning activities that can boost your joy:
- Sanitize your countertops
- Dust the surfaces in your home
- Reorganize your bookshelf
- Sweep the floor
- Fold and put away the laundry sitting in your room
- Organize your tech files (Google drive, desktop, photos, etc)
- Throw away old food from your refrigerator
5. Enjoy Nature
There is a deep desire for humans to reconnect with nature and experience the tranquility of being outside. This is because we are constantly distracted and obsessed with the consumption of information through our devices. It is exhausting and negatively affecting our mental health. To combat this monotonous streamline of media, immersing yourself in nature can counteract this sorrow we feel. Going outside and letting the sunlight fall on your skin can alleviate anxiety and increase serotonin. Here are some ideas to get outside and enjoy nature to boost your joy:
- Take your shoes off and feel the grass
- Sit down and soak up the sun
- Look for shapes in the clouds
- Collect interesting rocks that catch your eye
- Pull weeds or plant a flower
- Clean up any trash in your area
- Take photographs of nature
- Eat outside
Even if you are feeling down, the good news is that emotions are fleeting and ever-changing with time and circumstance. It is relieving to know that there are uncomplicated tricks that you can do to immediately increase your serotonin levels and experience joy. It can be a challenge to accomplish anything when you are having a bad day, but it is important to seek happiness because you deserve to feel it.
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