23 instant mood boosters you won’t want to live without

Therapeutic list making can happen in many forms such as a to-do list, a list of people to reconnect with, or imaginative list like a ‘desert island’ list. For the past six years or so, that’s just what professional poet, Thomas Fucaloro, has done. “(Making lists) help get my wires uncrossed,” Fucaloro says. “I think in fragments and I think creating lists help put those fragments together and calms me down. It definitely helps my mood and allows me to create art.”

These natural wonders of the world should go on to your bucket list.

Candace Payne went viral for her infectious laughter when she put on a Chewbacca mask and the Internet hailed her ‘Chewbacca Mum’ after falling in love with her joy. In an email, she told Reader’s Digest, “One of my favourite simple joys is to ‘create’ for others. I think about making something fun/pretty/useful to give away and I get to it. It might be crocheting a hat for a friend, lettering my favourite fun quote in sparkly markers, putting together a grocery bag of goodies and a taco recipe to drop on the doorstep of a neighbour, or causing an unexpected Nerf battle with the hubs after the kids fall asleep. When I do for others, I feel my mood instantly changes. My focus shifts from my problems and helps me find a way to brighten someone else’s day.”

Here are 14 simple acts of kindness you can do in 2 minutes or less.

After yoga teacher, Jessica Galletta, read about acupuncture as an alternative to an antidepressant, she gave it a try and found that regular sessions, over time, improved her mood. “I’ve noticed that I always leave with my mood feeling more balanced. I feel calm and more in control of my thoughts. My mind is less clouded.”

Don’t miss these everyday habits that could up your risk for depression.

Music is scientifically proven to improve focus and lower anxiety among many other health benefits. Molly Gallagher, an actor, writer, and teaching artist, created a Spotify playlist called Go Molly Go to power her through her unpredictable life as a freelance artist. Her playlist includes favourites like “Girl is on Fire” by Alicia Keys and “Rise Up” by Andra Day. “I do a lot of writing at my desk in my apartment – submitting for jobs, writing scripts, grant applications, lesson plans – the constant hustle can feel mundane especially if you aren’t seeing the results you want to manifest,” Gallagher says. “I think the playlist reminds me to enjoy the process on a daily basis.”

Read on for 21 hidden health benefits music lovers wish you knew.

Molly Butts, a health and physical education teacher, often gets her family or a group of students together to make ‘blessing bags,’ (bags filled with essentials such as tissues, hand warmers, gloves, muesli bars, etc) for people in need. “One time we gave a bag to a man and his eyes got so big. As we were walking away he opened the bag, took out the toothbrush, started doing a happy dance and kissed the toothbrush,” she shares. “This was incredibly uplifting because we were able to make someone’s life a little bit easier (and bring him joy), with just a toothbrush.”

Social worker, Joy Johnson, has a simple way to feel toasty: wear fuzzy socks. Bonus points if you have fuzzy and funky. “It’s a fun, silly thing that can be your secret for the day, a fun conversation starter when someone sees the socks, or an extra way of showing yourself care when you’re at home. No extra planning or money needed.”

Check out these absolutely brilliant uses for old socks.

Amanda Stemen, a social worker, explains that activities that lead to surges in happiness often have to do with mindfulness. To that end, she knows a photographer who reported feeling happier after spending time taking pictures. “When you’re doing something you enjoy, you’re more easily in the present moment,” she explains. “In the present moment, there is peace and ease when you aren’t worrying about the past or future.”

Find out the 7 things creative geniuses have in common.

…even if you really don’t feel like it. Simply pulling the sides of your mouth into a grin impacts your mood quickly, in a couple different ways, Dr David Ludden. “The first way is what’s called facial feedback. As your brain detects that your ‘grin’ muscles are engaged, it seems to think to itself: ‘I’m smiling so I must be happy.’ The second way is through social feedback. Emotions are contagious, and as your colleagues respond positively to your ‘faked’ cheerful mood, you starting feeling better as well.”

Want to be happy? Here are some secrets to a happier life.

There’s a good reason we send flowers when someone is in the hospital or to show people we care on their birthdays: the blooms really do make people happy! A 2018 study by researchers at the University of North Florida found that women reported less stress and more happiness after having fresh flowers in their houses for several days. An older, smaller study, done by Harvard evolutionary psychologist and TED-talker Dr Nancy Etcoff, had similar results. People who were given a bouquet of flowers and kept them on display for a few days felt more relaxed and experienced less anxiety and depression. Most large grocery stores sell fresh flowers these days, often for as little as $10 – so next time you’re feeling blah, why not pick up a bouquet?

Enjoy our life-affirming podcast, What I learnt at the flower shop.

You don’t have to spend an hour forest bathing to get the happiness-boosting benefits of Mother Nature. Just five minutes of ‘green exercise’ – moving your body outdoors in the presence of trees or other natural scenery – can improve mood and self-esteem, according to a 2010 review of research published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The positive effects were even greater when water was around; no wonder a lakeside stroll is so refreshing!

Check out these natural landscapes that even scientists can’t explain.

Taking care of some undone task that’s been hanging over your head can soothe difficult emotions and boost your mood, according to psychologist, Dr Alice Boyes. Loose ends create a sense of disarray and as they pile up, they become demoralising. “Addressing a problem that has been hanging around forever can help you feel more in control and confident,” writes Boyes. “Identify a task you started, but didn’t finish, one which could be completed in less than 30 minutes – ideally, less than 15,” then handle it. Ah, near-instant relief.

Stress and anxiety create tension in your muscles. One way to break that tension and improve your mood quickly is a strategy called progressive muscle relaxation. The way it works: simply tense one group of muscles – such as those in your face or hands– as you inhale, then relax them as you exhale. Then move on to the next group.

Or you could try these 12 breathing exercises to help you relax in minutes.

For coffee-lovers, sometimes all it takes to feel instantly better is walking in the door of a café, and getting hit in the face by that warm scent of java. It’s not just the pleasurable smell and taste of coffee that makes folks feel good – caffeine is a powerful mood-booster. A study of more than 50,000 women by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that caffeine acts as a mild antidepressant by increasing production of feel-good brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine.

Read on for the scientific secret behind the perfect cup of coffee.

…or just light a vanilla-scented candle: the fragrance of vanilla may trigger the release of feel-good endorphins in the brain. One study at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that a sweet, vanilla scent lowered patients’ anxiety while undergoing MRI scans. In research published in the journal Chemical Senses in 2005, study subjects reported feeling happy and relaxed after smelling vanilla. Easy ways to keep vanilla handy when you need it: stress-relief candles that contain the fragrance, vanilla-scented hand lotion, and essential oils to diffuse the scent into any room.

Check out these other genius uses for essential oils in your home.

Sometimes struggling against a difficult emotion or blue mood makes it feel even worse. “Telling yourself that a certain emotion is intolerable or dangerous traps you,” writes professor of psychology, Dr Noam Shpancer. “You become hyper-vigilant about any possibility of this feeling arising.” Accepting the reality of your feelings, while not diving into and wallowing in them does the opposite – and it’s a key tenet of a type of psychotherapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. “Acceptance is implicitly akin to saying, ‘This is not that bad.’ Which is the truth – negative emotions may not be fun, but they won’t kill you,” says Dr Shpancer. “Experiencing them as they are is eventually much less of a drag than the ongoing (failing) attempt to avoid them.”

Social worker, Tammie Rosenbloom, has found that some of her clients are tactile and like to use sensations as a way to calm themselves. So she has them make stress balls by placing rice and essential oils like lavender into a balloon. “The action of squeezing a stress ball gives people a way to expel nervous energy. Others report it improves their concentration,” she tells Reader’s Digest.

Don’t miss these weird symptoms you didn’t know were linked to stress.

A quick hug, or even some friendly shoulder-patting sets off a cascade of reactions in the body that lead to a calmer, happier state of mind. Not only does a supportive touch lower blood pressure and slows down your heart rate, it just plain feels good, Dr Matt Hertenstein. “A soft touch on the arm makes the orbital frontal cortex light up,” the same area of the brain that reacts to good aromas and sugary foods, Dr Hertenstein said. “So, touch is a very powerful rewarding stimulus – just like your chocolate that you find in your cupboard at home.”

Research suggests that breathing in the scent of peppermint can lower blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Other studies show that sniffing the minty stuff can increase energy levels and allow exercisers to work out longer and harder. One way to get more mint in your life: put one drop of essential peppermint oil onto a cotton pad, hold it under your nose and breathe normally for a minute or two.

Find out here which herbs can help ease stress.

…and computer, smartwatch and tablet. Numerous mental health experts have warned us of the negative effects of being too ‘plugged in’ – and studies back them up. One 2017 study published in the Depression and Anxiety journal found that adults who use social media frequently are 2.7 times more likely to be depressed than those who don’t. “The latest research demonstratively shows that excessive Internetting, smart phoning and social media make us miserable,” author Blake Snow told Best Life. “Bottomless Internetting causes dopamine loops, which keeps us searching and searching instead of creating and connecting with meaningful things. When I’m feeling down, I always refresh my offline endeavours…This has rarely failed me.”

One of the quickest ways to get the happy juices flowing in your brain is to move your body. Exercise – even just a little bit – increases heart rate, boosts energy, reduces tension and can trigger the release of endorphins in the brain. “I tell all my clients if you can do a quick ten squats wherever you are; at your desk, waiting in a line, or even in while you’re shopping – it will release dopamine and serotonin directly to your brain and you will instantly feel happier and be in a better mood,” Dr Cali Estes told Best Life.  “I find it to be the quickest, cheapest, and most effective way to get that serotonin dopamine boost naturally.”

Read on for the running mistakes you didn’t know you were making.

Colour psychologists, fashion designers, artists and interior decorators know that colours have a ‘feeling’ – some are cosy, others are exciting or cheerful. Although hard data is sparse and sometimes contradictory, a group of researchers at the University of Manchester have created a way to visually determine patients’ pain levels and moods – the ‘Manchester Colour Wheel. In their studies using the Wheel, yellow was the colour most frequently linked to a normal mood (as opposed to grey, which was linked with anxiety and depression). The colour “almost always creates a positive reaction,” Dr Mehmet Oz has said on his TV show – not only do people naturally associate the colour with optimism, but the colour also activates two colour-sensing ‘cone’ cells in our eyes at the same time, so it really grabs our attention.

If you’ve ever spent an afternoon volunteering or swooped in to help a friend out of a tough spot, you already know how good that feels. One 2006 study by Jorge Moll at the National Institutes of Health found that giving money to charity lights up areas of the brain associated with pleasure and social connection. And researchers at Harvard Business School found in a 2008 study that gifting money to someone else made them happier than buying something for themselves. Researcher’s call it the ‘helper’s high’ – tap into it the next time you need an emotional lift.

Memory is a powerful thing. Instead of using yours to remember times when you were down or anxious like you may be right now, think about an intensely positive experience instead. Got one ready? Sit down and write about it for 20 minutes. A ground-breaking study by psychologists at Southern Methodist University found that people who did such ‘positive writing’ for 20 minutes three days in a row not only felt better right away, but the improvements in mood lasted for months.

Sign up here to get Reader’s Digest’s favourite stories straight to our inbox!

Source: RD.com