Every person is going to go through times when they are not in a good mood. They will feel down, sad, and even unmotivated. While it is perfectly normal to feel this way occasionally, it can be extremely hard to get out of the slump. However, there is always something that you can do to improve your mood and make you feel better.
1. Listen to your favorite music.
We tend to forget what a powerful effect music has on us and how it can improve our mood. One mistake that people make is when they are feeling down is that they listen to sad or depressing music. Instead, when you are feeling down or need to improve your mood, you should listen to exciting, upbeat music.
Sing along to some Disney soundtracks or dance around the house to some hip hop. If you are feeling angry, blast the rock and get those feelings out. Think about listening to songs that have put you in a good mood in the past, songs that make you feel good.
2. Spend some time outside.
There is nothing that spending time outside won’t make better. Spending time in the sun and with nature is going to help boost your mood naturally. Even if it is cold or snowing or raining outside, you can still benefit from going outside. Grab your umbrella or your scarf and head out to the park for a walk. If you don’t feel like walking, sit on the bench, and simply listen to the sounds of nature. Make yourself get up and get out of the house. Just leaving the house can make you feel a thousand times better.
3. Keep a gratitude journal.
Spend a couple of minutes writing down as many things that you can think of, which you are thankful for. Do this 1 to 3 times each week, and you will notice a considerable improvement in your moods. Even if you don’t feel like writing it all down, just spending a couple of minutes thinking about all the things that you are thankful for is going to help you tremendously.
4. Let the past go.
While there are lessons that can be learned from the past, there is no point in dwelling on it. You can’t change anything that happened, so learn your lesson and move one. Spending time worrying about a mistake that you made in the past is a waste of your time. Not only is it going to cause you to feel anxious, but it can lead to depression as well. Leave the past in the past and start focusing on today.
5. Don’t worry.
Worrying about tomorrow is not going to help you any more than dwelling on the past will. There is nothing that you can do to change what tomorrow is going to bring, so let tomorrow worry about tomorrow while you focus on today. The truth is that today is the only thing that matters. No one even knows if they will see tomorrow, so why spend time worrying about it. Being mindful of the moment that you are living is going to help improve your mood and reduce the stress that you are dealing with today.
6. Do something nice for someone.
Studies have shown that when you do something nice for someone, you feel better about yourself and your own life. One simple act of kindness can improve your mood drastically. The good news is that you don’t have to do anything big. Helping a stranger carry her groceries to the car, giving someone a couple of dollars when they can’t cover the cost of their groceries in the line at the store, or just holding the door open for someone will help improve your mood almost immediately.
7. Who you hang around with matters.
Negativity follows some people around like flies follow horses. When you surround yourself with negative people, their negativity will wear off on you. What many people don’t know is that a positive attitude is infectious as well. If you want to improve your mood hang around positive people more often and remove the negative people from your life
8. Practice positivity.
There can never be too many positive people in the world. Practicing positivity does not mean that you blindly go around pretending like everything is perfectly fine in your life, ignoring the bad things that are happening. Instead, practicing positivity means that instead of focusing on the negative, you focus on the positive. For example, if you get sick and you must go to the doctor. Instead of focusing on the fact that you had to go to the doctor and miss a day of work, you would focus on the fact that you have insurance to pay the bill and a sick day, which will pay for your missed time at work.
9. Get out and exercise.
If you want a quick mood booster that is going to last as long as you want it to, exercise is the answer. You don’t have to get out and run miles every morning. Simple exercises such as going for a walk each morning will help to improve your mood. The reason that exercise helps is that your brain releases neurotransmitters in the brain that make you feel good. On top of that, exercise can help you release the pent up stress you have been holding on to.
10. Practice deep breathing exercises.
Stress can cause anyone to be in a bad mood, but there are things that you can do to help reduce that stress. One of those things is deep breathing exercises. Sit upright in your chair, close your eyes, and take a deep breath in. As you inhale, make sure that your shoulders are not lifting, but your belly is extending. Count to 10 and then slowly exhale. Repeat ten times.
Deep breathing will also trigger the release of those neurotransmitters in the brain that can make you feel good. It works just like exercise does.
While everyone suffers from bad moods on occasion, you do not have to accept that they will happen. You don’t have to feel crummy, sad, or stressed. Using these ten tips will help you to improve your mood in no time.
