Throughout life, it’s normal to experience a downturn in your mood — especially when you experience a life-changing setback or suffer a loss. If your mood changes are severe or you stay in a depressed state for more than a week or two, however, you’ll want to seek professional help.
According to Comprehensive MedPsych Systems, a psychologist and psychiatrist Ft. Meyers Fl based practice, “Because our mental well-being is directly connected to our overall physical health, stress and trauma can leave us feeling anxious, hopeless and overwhelmed. When these feelings go untreated for long periods of time, major psychological and physical illnesses can result.”
If you’re simply experiencing a low mood and you’re confident that it will pass, here are nine ways you can boost your mood and feel better fast.
1. Help Someone Else
Helping someone else can increase your sense of empathy, which can trigger thankful feelings for all the positive and good things present in your own life. Not only that, but the gratitude of another person in response to receiving your help can be joyfully uplifting. If you don’t want to commit to volunteering on a regular basis, try doing small, helpful things for the people who you come into contact with each day.
2. Practice Being Grateful
Whether you want to or not, try to be mindful about being grateful. Every night, take the time to make notes about three or five or seven things you are grateful for. Keep a journal by your bed so that you don’t have an excuse for not writing. Your mood will improve just by the simple act of reminding yourself of the good things in your life.
3. Exercise
If you’ve ever exercised and noticed that you feel a lot better or euphoric, that’s no coincidence. In response to exercise, your body releases endorphins which trigger positive feelings and reduce your perception of pain. Something as simple as a brisk walk to get your heart rate up can make a difference and boost your mood.
4. Focus on Things Within Your Control
Instead of driving yourself crazy over things you have no control over, try to focus on things that are within your control. For example, if you strive to please everyone, stop. There’s no way to make everyone happy, and it’s futile to try. Letting go of things that you cannot change or accomplish is a good way to feel a sense of relief and boost your mood.
5. Look at Photos That Spark Happy Memories
Next
time you’re feeling low, sit down and flip through your photo albums or go
through the photos on your phone. Chances are that you’ll start to remember
better times and feel more hopeful for the future.
6. Get Plenty of Sleep
If you don’t get enough sleep, your mood can sour. Adults should get at least seven hours of sleep. And some people may need even more. Unfortunately, sleep deprivation can trigger feelings of depression, so make sure you are able to rest well. The temperature of your bedroom, what you eat and drink or do before bed, light levels and stress can all affect how well or poorly you sleep.
7. Go Outdoors
As humans, we all need to spend some time in the sun. And when we do, our bodies make vitamin D. Getting enough vitamin D can reduce the likelihood of experiencing depression. As little as 15 minutes per day can make a difference in your mood.
8. Spend Some Time With Your Pet
Don’t run out and get a pet if you don’t have one, but if you do, take advantage of one of the benefits of owning a pet: improving your mood. Simply petting an animal can boost your mood. When we touch in pleasure, our stress levels go down and levels of oxytocin increase.
Oxytocin is also known as the “love hormone” because it increases when we hug or kiss someone we love. Not only that, but petting and spending time with a pet can reduce any anxiety or feelings of fear you might be having, resulting in a much calmer and more content mood. A sense of calm.
9. Clear Out the Clutter
If you feel like everywhere you look in your home clutter abounds and it bothers you, start by making an effort each day to declutter your space. Even if your mess seems overwhelming, take it day by day. Commit to cleaning up one area at a time. As you clear away the clutter, your mood is likely to lift.
