Here you will find ten simple ways to improve your mood to make you feel a lot better during hard days. Whether you are having a hard day or week or experiencing seasonal blues then try these simple steps!
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I tend to have a lot of hard days due to my anxiety. Before I would never do anything about it which made things worse. For months now I have been doing a few things that have helped make hard days better.
Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t always perfect. Some days are harder than others, but taking a few actions can make you feel better. In the winter you are more likely to experience seasonal blues which can often make you feel low and be in a bad mood.
If this is something you experience a lot or your mood is affected because of anxiety, try at least two steps and watch it improve your mood!
Building a healthier lifestyle plays a huge role in lifting my mood. Some of the things I will be listing are part of a healthy lifestyle. Once some of these things become a part of your lifestyle, the number of hard days due to anxiety or seasonal blues will reduce significantly.
This post is all about 10 things to do to improve your mood during hard days.
10 Steps To Improve Your Mood
1. Put Your Phone Away
This is the first thing I do and can’t recommend it enough. The last thing you need on a very hard day is seeing someone else’s good day. Social media is all a lie and people only show the good sides and choose what to show too. So stay away from your phone for as long as possible or until you start to feel better at least.
2. Cry And Let It All Out
Sometimes letting it all out is better than holding it in. Everyone says to be strong and keep your head held high. Which is good but sometimes crying and letting it all out can improve your mood. There is no shame in talking about what is affecting your day, even if it may seem silly to you. I realised when I hold back my tears it puts me in a much worse mood.
3. Move Your Body
This doesn’t need to be a long hard workout – unless it’s what you feel you need. Doing a dance or kickboxing workout, for example, helps me release all my negative energy and in turn helps my body release serotonin. In other words, happy hormones! Which is exactly what you need during hard days!
I would recommend turning this into a lifestyle rather than just something you do when you have a hard day. As I mentioned earlier, creating a healthy lifestyle for yourself can help reduce the number of hard days you have and will instantly improve your mood. Imagine exercising 3-6 times a week – your body will constantly be releasing those happy hormones!
As well as exercise, you can also add healthy foods that improve your mood! Check out this article with a list of 9 healthy foods that improve your mood.
4. Have A Cold Shower
Taking a cold shower has many benefits, one being that it helps reduce stress levels. This benefit is perfect for those hard days, especially if you are having a hard day due to stress or anxiety. I remember my dad used to always say when he knew I was stressed “go have a cold shower” and I always thought he was talking nonsense. But now I know that it’s not nonsense at all!
I know having a cold shower can be hard – but you can try it for 30 seconds each time you go into the shower until you get used to it. I usually do it for like 1-2 minutes which helps a lot then I move to have a cool shower – so it is still a little cold but warm enough for my comfort.
5. Clean And Organise Your Space
Clean house clean mind, right? Cleaning brings me a feeling of accomplishment and I tend to focus and feel less overwhelmed with a clean house. I find that when the house is a mess, my anxiety is over the roof! So if you are having a hard day, organise your space or clean and watch your day get better.
6. Pause And Relax
We are humans and not humans with superpowers. And sometimes the only reason why we may be having a hard day, feeling stressed or overwhelmed is that we are doing so much and our body and mind just needs time to pause and relax. I have a blog post where I have talked about some things that can help you destress to help improve your mood. Click HERE to check out the blog post.
7. Go Outside
Nothing feels better than fresh air. If you have never tried this then this is your sign! When you are out, focus on taking deep breaths and focus on your breathing. Just like exercising, going for a walk or just sitting outside catching some fresh air will release those happy hormones.
8. Plan To Do Something You Love
This one is similar to number 6, but instead of disconnecting yourself from the world and relaxing you can do something you love. It could be planning some self-care time during that day. If you are a mum or working full time and are unable to do this, then plan it for that evening. It could be anything you love! Some of the things I love doing to help improve my mood are self-care evenings, watching a TV show or having a home date night with my husband in the evening.
Doing stuff you love during a hard day can also help to release those happy hormones and in turn, help you improve your mood!
9. Speak To Someone
Probably one of the hardest one to do. Speaking to someone you trust can help improve your mood – it’s the same as crying and letting it all out! Letting it all out and telling someone what is affecting your mood can help reduce stress significantly. People may not always know what to say back, but sometimes just knowing that you have someone to speak to can make you feel better during those tough times.
10. Know Everything’s Going To Be OK
Sometimes all you need is to tell yourself that everything is going to be ok. I struggle with this one because it is not just telling yourself but it’s about believing that everything’s going to be ok. Writing or reading affirmations around things being ok can help. For example, when I am feeling overwhelmed with everything that I need to do I always write down in my gratitude journal “I am more than capable of completing my to-do list”. Writing affirmations like this and repeating them to yourself can help you realise that everything will be ok and will slowly improve your mood!
I hope you found this valuable and will help you improve your mood during hard days.
Lots of love, Mariam x
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This post was all about 10 things that can help you improve your mood and make you feel better on hard days.
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