6 Ways to Elevate Your Mood Instantly

Let’s face it – we all have those days — the “off” days, where things simply don’t feel right, where everything just generally feels… meh. Nothing we engage in seems to flow, there can be several bouts of frustration and an overall sense of resistance.

So, what’s a person to do? Do we power through, be proactive, and check off our to-do list? Or would it be better to slide to the other side of the scale? Instead of being productive, should we grab that pint of our favorite ice cream from the freezer? The answer seems to lie somewhere in the middle, in the realm of realignment. On days like these, the most important thing we can do for ourselves is to prioritize our well-being by taking the necessary time to tune back in with who we really are. Rather than wallowing in the overall meh feeling or ignoring the emotion entirely by plowing through, we can instead choose to tune back into our center and what will empower us most at that very moment. Our emotions are the guiding forces that signal when we are in alignment or out of alignment with our true selves so why not choose to elevate your mood as a means to return to your center? By bringing awareness to how we feel, we can choose to shift our current mindset, elevate our mood, and thus change the nature of the entire day.

Here are 6 easy ways that you can elevate your mood right now.

Change Your Body Position

One of the easiest ways to immediately shift your mood is to shift your physiological state. While the state of our mind affects how we physically feel, the same holds true in reverse. When we choose to change our current state, such as simply standing up to do our work or moving to another part of the room, this small change can drastically alter how we currently feel. Taking a few minutes to lightly stretch, or create empowering body positions, are a perfect way to shift our physiological state. Never underestimate the power of a small physical change!

Get OUTSIDE

Nature is oftentimes the easiest and fastest remedy for a foggy mind. Whether you feel uninspired or drained of energy, getting outside will be an instant game changer. Proximity to the outdoors has been correlated with lower levels of stress and anxiety (Thompson et al., 2012). Even if you are not physically close to nature, it will always be beneficial to get some sun on your skin or to feel the cool breeze from a light walk. Even just 10 minutes (of walking or being outside) can do wonders for your overall well-being.

Perform a Random Act of Kindness

Denzel Washington is quoted as saying, “doing something for someone else is the most selfish thing we can do.” Whether it’s grabbing the coffee for the person behind us in line, sharing unsolicited smiles to those we pass on the street, or dropping a genuine compliment to the person across the table from you, a random act of kindness is guaranteed to lift your spirits, while simultaneously elevated someone else’s day too. In a study assessing the link between subjective happiness and the character strength of kindness, subjective happiness was increased simply by counting one’s won acts of kindness over the course of a week (Otake K et al., 2006).

Send a Friend or Family Member a Love & Appreciation Message

Similar to a random act of kindness, reaching out to a friend or family member to share your love and appreciation, especially when it’s for no particular reason at all, will always feel good. It’s a true win-win, because we have the pleasure of expressing our sincere appreciation for this individual and the role they play in our life, and we can surprise them with an added boost to their day. How often do we overlook or forget to tell our loved ones how much they mean to us? What goes around comes around, which ensures this positive energy can come back your way when you least expect it too.

Close Your Eyes and Focus On Your Breath

Even if you are in a crowded public place, or in the middle of a work task, intentionally taking the time to stop whatever you are doing and close your eyes to focus on your breathing will work wonders for your immediate state. Not only is the breath a perfect point of concentration for your mind to focus on, but the act of intentionally bringing awareness to our breathing will immediately calm our heart rate and begin to alleviate any sense of anxiety or overwhelm. Bonus tip: this action can be repeated as many times as needed throughout the day.

Say Aloud or Write Down 3 Very Specific Things You Are Grateful For

Gratitude is the quickest way to raise your vibrational state; there is simply no other actions that allows us to shift our mindset more quickly than truly feeling grateful. Just as the heart cannot feel love and fear at the same time, choosing to feel grateful – and truly feeling it – will knock out any of the less favorable feelings weighing down your mind or heart space and instead create space for lightness and appreciation. As Wood and Froh (2012) found, the practice of habitually focusing on and appreciating the positive aspects of life is strongly linked to overall well-being. We can choose to feel consistently grateful for every interaction we engage in, for there is always a silver lining waiting to be uncovered.

The timeless saying holds true, “This too shall pass.”But instead of waiting it out, you can take your mood into your own hands, and choose to elevate. We always have the ability to make new choices that will serve us most, and as we continue to make choices that allow us to feel better, this positive cycle can ripple outwards and elevate the moods of those we interact with as well.

References:

Thompson C. W., Roe J., Aspinall P., Mitchell R., Clow A., Miller D. (2012). More green space is linked to less stress in deprived communities: evidence from salivary cortisol patterns. Landscape Urban Plann. 105, 221–229. 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.12.015
OTAKE K, SHIMAI S, TANAKA-MATSUMI J, OTSUI K, FREDRICKSON BL. Happy People Become Happier Through Kindness: A Counting Kindnesses Intervention. Journal of happiness studies. 2006;7(3):361-375. doi:10.1007/s10902-005-3650-z.
Alex M. Wood, Jeffrey J. Froh, Adam W.A. Geraghty, Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration, Clinical Psychology Review, Volume 30, Issue 7, 2010, Pages 890-905