How to uplift your mood

15 Ways to Boost Your Mood

At Tenet Healthcare, we want to provide you with tips for healthy living to ensure you live a long, pain-free life.

Your mental outlook can affect your physical condition, and your physical condition also may affect your mental health. It’s like the chicken and the egg: which comes first? It’s normal to feel sad or discouraged about certain life events. When sadness persists for longer than a few weeks without relief, you may have depression. Depression is treatable; please seek help if you have chronic feelings of hopelessness.

For less serious mood fluctuations, and for help in navigating the inevitable ups and downs of life, here are 15 things you can do to manage your mood from day to day:

Stay active . Exercise, even a brisk 10 minute walk, can relieve stress and release endorphins – the feel good hormones. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days a week. But even 10- or 15-minute increments count.
Get a good night’s sleep. Inadequate sleep can increase stress and irritability. If you struggle with sleep, consider 11 tips for a good night’s rest.
Talk to yourself positively. How do you view yourself? A consistent stream of negative self-talk can be detrimental. Nobody’s perfect, but give yourself the benefit of the doubt and recognize if you need an attitude adjustment.
Be thankful. Gratitude is a great antidote to feeling negative, and it’s consistently linked to feelings of well-being. If you’re having trouble finding people or things to appreciate, begin a gratitude journal and periodically write down reasons to be thankful.
Give back. Finding ways to help others often results in making you feel good yourself. There are many volunteer opportunities with organizations, or just look around. Carry someone’s groceries, rake leaves for an elderly neighbor or watch your friend’s children for an hour.
Stay in the present. The what-if’s and if-only’s of the past and future can be paralyzing. Recognize how much time you spend outside of ‘now,’ and be realistic about what you can do about the situation. Carpe diem! (Seize the day!)
Eat healthy. When you nourish your body, you nourish your brain. Protein, foods that contain vitamin B-12 (such as dark leafy greens, broccoli and oranges) and complex carbohydrates like oats, pears or beans can help keep mood elevated or stable. Junk food and sugar may satisfy in the moment, then lead to a crash.
Find a friend. Friendships prevent isolation, which can have a detrimental effect on mental health. Having someone to talk with – and listen – can make all the difference in the world.
Appreciate nature. A Stanford University study found that walking in nature could lead to a lower risk of depression. Any green area will do – find a park or walk around a neighborhood with trees if you don’t have ready access to wide open spaces. And, natural sunlight can also enhance your mood.
Get a pet. Nothing says unconditional love like a wagging tail to greet you at the door or a purring cat to hum you to sleep. Studies show that animal companions can reduce anxiety and stress.
Don’t turn to alcohol or narcotics. The temporary masking of a problem can lead to increased depression, addiction and other negative or life-threatening outcomes.
Seek counseling or professional help from a therapist, clergy member, case worker or licensed mental health specialist. They can help with strategies and goal-setting to help you get your life back on track.
Find a support group – if you’ve experienced a major life event, such as job loss, divorce or loss of loved one, it can be helpful to talk through your feelings with others who have been there. You are not alone.
Take a class, try a new hobby, join a group that has a similar interest, or explore a new place. If you’re feeling bored and uninspired, trying something new can help you discover a new passion or talent that you weren’t aware of.
Disconnect. Finally, practice some time away from screens and social media. In an always-on world, time on screens becomes the norm. However, the effect of being always connected may actually lead to social isolation. The first step is to be aware of how much time you spend on screens and what it does – or doesn’t do – for you.

Boosting Your Mood | Johns Hopkins Medicine

Most people experience times when they feel unhappy, restless or irritable. There are several natural methods for boosting your mood, as well as treatments to discuss with your doctor if natural methods aren’t fully effective.

Taking steps to improve physical health can help boost mood and ward off depression. For example, many types of exercise have mood-boosting benefits, especially if they involve being outdoors. Try walking, playing a team sport or pumping iron at the gym. Diet also plays an important role in maintaining emotional health. Be sure to eat a diet rich in whole grains, lean meats, vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts.

Interacting with others can also help boost a person’s mood. Call a friend or family member to discuss problems or concerns. Get involved in community and volunteer activities to reach out to others and make a difference.

Be sure to discuss feelings of unhappiness, stress or anxiety with your doctor. Some people may need medication or other therapies to stabilize their mood. Remember to stay positive. Reflecting on positive thoughts, feelings and experiences can boost your mood and help you stay balanced.

Wellness and Prevention

Can Probiotics Improve Your Mood?
Recognizing and Getting Help for Mood Disorders
Natural Relief for Depression
How to Relieve Stress: A 6-Step Plan to Feeling Good
Age-Defying Energy Levels
Stressed Out? 5 Tips for Women to Stay Heart Healthy
Depression and Sleep: Understanding the Connection
Do You Have a Healthy Number of Friends?
Stress Management: Important at Any Age
For Your Heart: Stay Calm and Cool
Forgiveness: Your Health Depends on It
It's Never Too Late: Five Healthy Steps at Any Age
Mindful Tips to De-Stress This Holiday Season
Tips to Manage Stress Eating

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10 proven ways to cheer yourself up

May 6, 2021 Likbez Life

Everyone has bad days. The main thing is not to plunge into the negative with your head and be able to switch. These simple tricks will help you.

You can listen to the article. If it's more convenient for you, turn on the podcast.

1. Energizing playlist

Make a playlist of your favorite tracks that energize you. No melancholy: sad music will only fuel your already dull mood. If the situation needs to be corrected urgently, and your own selection is not ready yet, turn on ours.

2. Physical activity

Be aware of the connection between mental and physical health. The American Psychological Association recommends incorporating exercise into a psychotherapy regimen. Therefore, dance, jump, do a light workout: any physical activity is suitable for the production of endorphins.

3. Call a friend

Surely you have chats with friends - write there: a good portion of words of support, jokes and stickers with cats will fix the situation! Better yet, call your loved ones or meet them. Pleasant social interactions make us happier.

4. A reason to laugh

If your friends can't help quickly, go in search of something funny in Telegram. Scroll through LaQeque, a channel with memes from all over the Internet, look at cats in difficult life situations on the channel “Pet the Cat” (an alternative for dog lovers is “Pet the Dog”), look at “The Dog Ate” - a channel with ridiculous and funny excuses.

5. Simple goals

Bad mood and apathy deprive you of strength and efficiency. Don't beat yourself up: if the day is so-so, plan three simple things instead of ten difficult ones. Achieving a goal, even a small one, will return a sense of self-satisfaction.

6. A good movie

Go watch the latest on the big screen: with popcorn and the last row, as usual. Or arrange a soulful movie night at home: our selection of romantic comedies will restore faith in humanity and goodness.

7. Small desires

Fulfillment of desires is always inspiring. And if right now you can’t go on a long-awaited journey, then you are probably able to do something smaller, but pleasant. Think about exactly what. Delicious food, a warm bath, a spontaneous purchase - such little things seem to work flawlessly.

8. Return to reality

Meditation reduces stress and regulates emotions. Sitting in the lotus position until enlightenment is not necessary, simple exercises are enough to help you switch from painful thoughts and emotions.

For example, look out the window and describe what you see. No ratings, just facts. How many cars, people and houses? What color, size and shape are they? How many red objects and how many yellow ones?

9. Rest time

Bad mood is often the result of stress and fatigue. If this is your case, allow yourself a break. Put down your phone and business, flip through a magazine, take a walk, or just take a nap. A short time-out is unlikely to provoke an apocalypse, but it can restore strength and mood.

10. Thank Yourself

Another simple exercise that will remind you that things aren't so bad, even if it's November and everything is falling apart. Make a list of ten things you can thank yourself for. Did you have a tasty and hearty breakfast? Great. Did you read a helpful article? Great. You need to find exactly ten reasons for praise.

Be aware that a lingering bad mood can be a sign of depression. And if you can’t cope on your own, then perhaps this is a reason to turn to a psychologist or psychotherapist.

8 ways to improve your mood in 5 minutes

An unpleasant situation at work, a quarrel with a loved one, or a shirt soiled with overturned coffee - anything can unsettle us and plunge us into despondency for the whole day. The main thing is not to succumb to negative thoughts, painful emotions and try to tune in a positive way. After all, how you perceive bad situations and how you deal with them is up to you. We have collected 8 simple and quick ways to cheer yourself up and switch from negative feelings.

Eat something

Preferably sweet. It is not necessary to eat a cake with cream and 8 candles, you can just eat a pinch of sugar. Sweet helps produce the “happiness compound” in our brain – serotonin and dopamine. This gives the body an instant boost of energy and affects mood. By the way, if there is nothing sweet on hand, you can eat something else, for example, some kind of vegetable or a piece of bread - this will help switch the brain from negative thoughts to the physical process of eating food.

Drink a glass of water

The fact is that the body and the human psyche are arranged in such a way that we cannot simultaneously perform two opposite actions. A glass of water will help shift the focus of the body from psychological processes to two physiological processes - swallowing and digestion. There will be a redistribution of the body's resources and so we can distract the brain from unpleasant thoughts and feelings.

Rinse face with cool water

Several times, with enjoyment and snorting. Again, the main task is to occupy our body with something else and distract from the negative. In this case, cold water will trigger the work of skin receptors, and this will automatically shift the attention of the brain from upset feelings to warming the body. Cold water is great for calming down, so rinsing your face is a great way to quickly cheer yourself up.

Do a little exercise

You don't have to go to the gym, lift weights or go for a run. You can just jump, push up and squat a few times. Or, for example, lie on your back and wave your legs and arms - the main thing is to activate your body and switch the attention of the body to the work of the muscles. This is how we translate negative feelings, such as sadness, despair, resentment, into physical processes. Interestingly, patients who are undergoing treatment for depression and anxiety disorder, in the first place, are advised to exercise regularly. Physical exercise helps produce “happiness hormones” in the body.

Take a walk outside

Step out of your home or office, walk for 5 minutes, stay in the sun, and you'll be surprised how much it can change your mood. Ideal if you can take a walk in nature or in some park. Most importantly, look around intently - at trees, grass or snow, at birds. This will help you quickly gain new experiences that will crowd out the previous ones, and switch your attention to something good.

Relax and breathe

Those who practice yoga and meditation, at the first attacks of anxiety and bad mood, do exactly breathing exercises. Breathing, like physical exercises, does not require anything from us except our body, so they can be performed under any circumstances.

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