We all strive for happiness and success in our lives, and everyone’s path is different. However, many of us face roadblocks due to things like stress, anxiety, and social discomfort, all of which can make it hard to stay in a good mood.
At best, people in this situation can still function, despite the distress. At worst, some people can turn to some pretty unhealthy habits to cope with their situation. All of this might sound grim, but there is certainly hope.
Do you want to learn how to break down these barriers and improve your mood?
We are going to take a look at four healthy ways you can improve your mood in 30 minutes. It’s important to note that you can try as many of these tips as you would like. Much like our journey to happiness, the solution to overcoming a bad mood is not one size fits all. You’re going to want to experiment with different positive changes in your life so you can find what works best for you.
Write Down the Positive Things in Your Life
The first piece of advice we have is that you should always write down the positive things in your life. Preferably, write them down every day. When we start getting stressed out and our mood shifts, it’s often because we are focusing on the negative aspects of our day, not the good.
Keep in mind that these wins don’t have to be earthshattering. Small victories like finally starting your first blog, or meeting up with an old friend count as positive news.
The more positive things you write down, the more you’ll see your mood shift. As you begin to see on paper how good things are, you start to appreciate the positive while forgetting the negative. You can write down your thoughts in a few minutes and go back to reference your previous entries for assurance.
Before long, your brain starts to focus on what’s going right in your life regularly. This tip takes less than 30 minutes a day, but with discipline, it can fundamentally change the way you think.
Get Out of the House
If you haven’t left the house in a while, there’s a chance you could be suffering from cabin fever. In case you don’t know, cabin fever is a term used to describe the physical and psychological reaction to being stuck in a building for a long time.
Common symptoms include:
- Restlessness
- Increased stress
- Depression
- Lack of motivation
All of these symptoms can have a severe impact on your mood.
The best cure for cabin fever is to get out of the house. You don’t have to spend all day outside, but a 30-minute walk through your favorite park can do wonders for your mental health and mood. Not to mention, you’ll get a dose of vitamin D from the sunlight!
Disconnect from Social Media
If you’re reading this article, you’re likely one of over 3 billion people who use social media. There’s plenty of great things that happen on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. We love the opportunity to talk to our friends, watch videos from our favorite content creators, and check out the latest news updates.
However, social media has also had a significant impact on our mood in a negative way. Many people feel stressed when they read news updates that seem to update every five minutes. It also doesn’t help to see all of the advertising from every company under the sun. This bombardment of promotions sparks fear of missing out (FOMO), which, according to research, affects 56% of people on social media.
When you feel your mood slipping while browsing social media, put your phone down. Try to resist the urge to check social media for at least 30 minutes. You can slowly increase or decrease this number over time, but 30 is an excellent starting point.
Your brain can process what you last read, and you don’t have to worry about “filling up” on more information. Sometimes it’s best just to settle down and not worry about what every single person you’ve ever met — and many you haven’t — are doing.
Do Something You Love
Finally, do something you love. We all spend so much time worrying about things that are happening day-to-day. It’s easy to get lost in the moment and feel ourselves slipping down into sadness and discomfort due to family issues, work-related stress, or even general burn out from stretching yourself too thin.
Spend some time doing something you love, even if it’s only for 30 minutes. You can read a chapter of a book, relax your body with yoga, or even kick back and watch an episode of your favorite tv show.
Building small healthy habits will help you improve your overall quality of life. Take things one step at a time and learn to relax. As you determine which techniques improve your mood, adjust your schedule so that you’re spending more time living your best life.