Have you ever woke up, hoping for a great day, only to have everything go wrong. Someone drank all the milk and put the empty carton back in the fridge, so there’s no milk for cereal or oatmeal. You can’t find your left shoe anywhere or when you do, find the dog used it as a chew toy. There’s a stain on your favorite shirt and by now, you’re running a half hour late. You have a choice. You can get mad and be a sourpuss all day or use one of these quick ways to improve your mood.
Take a deep breath and relax.
While you’re sitting there, breathe deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. Focus on your breath, while relaxing all the muscles in your body. Sometimes just taking a few seconds to slow down and gather your thoughts is all you need. RELAX and start focusing on the moment, know that everything will be alright. If you’re running very late, phone the office or your appointment and let them know. It takes a lot of pressure off your shoulders. It’s amazing how just relaxing for a minute can help eliminate a lot of the stress.
Get out in the sun.
Even if it’s chilly, try to expose as much skin as possible—and legal. When your skin is exposed to the sun, it absorbs the ultraviolet B rays and converts it to vitamin D. The vitamin D from the sun can do wonders to improve your mood, especially if you are deficient. However, the sun also does one more thing, it boosts your serotonin levels too. Serotonin is a happy hormone that makes you feel good. When you’re in the sun, the optic nerve receives the sunlight and it sets off a reaction that decreases the melatonin. It also boosts the production and secretion of serotonin.
Act as though you are happy.
If you’ve ever read books on success, most of them say, “fake it until you can make it.” The same is true for happiness and feeling good. Walk erect with your shoulders held back and put a smile on your face…not just a Grinchy smile, but a big, “I love the world smile.” It even helps to laugh. You may feel silly doing this as first, but you’ll notice that you actually feel happier too. Faking it until you make it works when it comes to feeling happy.
- If you have extra time, workout. In fact, sometimes just running in place or up and down the stairs a few times helps. It can burn off some of the hormones of stress.
- Get out in nature and go where it’s green. Green is a calming color that can help you relax. It’s one of the reasons hospitals and mental facilities used to be painted green. However, Mother Nature has added benefits.
- Take off your shoes and get grounded. There’s a lot of talk about the benefit of walking on the ground barefoot to absorb the negative ions. While they may sound “negative,” they actually help create a positive mood.
- Eat 1.4-oz of dark chocolate, according to one study or get coconut aroma therapy, according to another. The dark chocolate boosts your mood when consumed over a long time frame. (Note: The study was done by the Nestle research center in Switzerland, which may have affected the findings.) Smelling the coconut scent relaxes immediately.