5 Easy Habits to Boost your Mood

5 easy habits to boost your mood

If you want to feel good more often, taking conscious steps to increase the frequency and intensity of the positive emotions you experience can be extremely helpful, plus it can improve your health too.

While the topic of feelings and emotions can be easy to dismiss in our achievement/outcome-focussed society, research shows that people who experience lots of positive emotions are not only likely to be happier, but also more effective in all aspects of their life, including their work.

Emotions essentially act as data for the brain, so they can tell your body how to respond to a situation. All emotions are valid and there is absolutely nothing wrong with negative emotions, as experiencing a wide range of emotions is very normal. But taking steps to create situations that can help you experience more positive emotions is more likely to encourage positive outcomes and favourable behaviour.

So, next time you are having a rough day and feel like you can’t shift a bad mood try one, or more of these five habits that are shown to increase your positive emotions and have a positive impact on how you feel:

1. Laugh
Humour is a powerful tool and can quickly change how you feel. Try watching funny movies, reading funny books or head to a comedy show to boost your mood. Consciously spending more time with people who make you laugh can help, too.

2. Give
While receiving feels good, giving feels even better. By helping others, be it by giving your time to help a friend, volunteering or coaching a sports team, donating money to charity or simply saying something kind to another person to encourage them to feel better, you can gain real mental health benefits, too. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘helper’s high’ and what a great way to feel good, by helping others at the same time.

3. Be grateful
Consciously focussing on the things you do have, the things that are working, and the things that you are grateful for, has been shown to have a significant impact on your happiness and can help you feel better. Start and/or end your day by writing down 3-5 things that you are grateful for and see how it makes you feel.

4. Try something new
Be it a board game, taking photos, going to a yoga class or trying out pottery, feeling inspired by a new challenge can help you feel better. For more ideas on things to try, check this out.

5. Be curious
It is hard to feel anxious and be curious at the same time. Throughout the day, if you find yourself feeling flat or in need of a mood boost, ask yourself ‘what is new and different here?’“Happiness inspires productivity” – Shawn Ancor 

Looking to get your healthy habits on track and get the results you have been looking for? Check out  'It's a Beautiful Day' planner, the perfect tool to help you look and feel your best!