Anyone who has ever struggled with their mental health knows that being in a low place is no fun. Typically, when you are feeling down, all you want is to find a way to start feeling better. Truthfully, we can all benefit from taking steps to care for ourselves. Whether you tend to have anxiety or depression creep up in your life from time to time, or you are going through a difficult situation that is impacting your mood, these are some simple strategies you can use to start to feel better.
Strategies to Help Boost Your Mood:
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1. Create a comforting environment
Your surroundings can have a significant impact on the way you feel. If you are going through a hard time, it can help to take some intentional steps to make your environment as comforting as possible. Think of anything you can do that will help you feel relaxed and calm.
Suggestions for creating a comforting environment:
Wear your favorite (comfortable) clothes
Step one is to put on comfortable clothes. If you are already not feeling the best, you don’t want to heighten that by wearing clothes you don’t feel comfortable in. If you have any favorite clothing items, like a favorite hoodie or t-shirt, those items can also help bring you some comfort.
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Aromatherapy
Lighting scented candles and/or using an essential oil diffuser with a
calming scent, like lavender, is an effective way to create a soothing space for
yourself.
Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bed-with-pillows-and-blankets-by-the-window-6187669/
Blankets
Set yourself up with some blankets to help you feel cozy and relaxed.
Heating pad
I like keeping a heating pad nearby because I find it very comforting and
soothing.
Herbal tea
A cup of herbal tea can also help soothe your nerves and feel more calm.
Listen to something calming
Lofi
My mom discovered these Lofi videos on Youtube and introduced them to me, so now I put them on when I need some background noise to help me feel calm.
ASMR
If you’ve never heard of ASMR, it stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. This is the technical term for the relaxing feeling some people get when exposed to certain sounds, visuals, or experiences. These videos can be very soothing and can help you calm down when you are feeling distressed.
Fan
The white noise of a fan helps me sleep, especially when my thoughts are racing.
2. Talk to someone
When you are struggling mentally, it is a good time to lean on your support system. Reach out to the people in your life and let them know what you are going through. If you have a therapist, this would be a good time to reach out and make sure you have your next session set up. But even if you don’t have a mental health professional to talk to, talking to friends and family members can help you feel connected and supported.
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Try Not to Isolate
Negative emotions might make you want to isolate, but that can wind up making you feel worse in the end. When I’m already feeling anxious, isolating myself can make my thoughts start to spiral even more. But seeking connection by reaching out to others helps ground me and get me out of the thought spirals. Another option if you really don’t want to talk is to go out to a public area, like a cafe so that you can get a change of scenery. Getting yourself into a different space and being around people help shift your mental energy.
Make Plans
This goes hand-in-hand with reaching out to others. It might make you feel better to make some fun plans to get your mind off things. Even just taking yourself out and going for a walk or getting a coffee or your favorite meal can bring a little bit of joy into your day.
3. Ground yourself
If hard moments can cause your mind to race, make it a practice to recognize when you start to spiral. Then, try to bring yourself back to the present moment. Take deep breaths to ground yourself and calm yourself down. Try to stay present and notice the details of your surroundings.
“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.”
― Eckhart Tolle
EFT Tapping
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique. This is a strategy that people use to help themselves feel better when experiencing difficult emotions. This practice involves tapping on acupressure points while repeating phrases related to what you are experiencing. There are a lot of YouTube videos that can guide you through EFT Tapping, making it something you can explore on your own to use as a tool to help you when you are struggling.
I originally discovered EFT Tapping a few years ago when I was going through a tough time. I had forgotten about it, but I was reminded just recently when I was searching online for ways to reduce anxiety. This is one of the only strategies I’ve found that actually helps alleviate the anxious feelings in the moment, whereas I have found other strategies for managing anxiety set me up to feel more emotionally regulated in the long term, but don’t always eliminate the uncomfortable feelings in the moment. If that is something you have experienced as well, EFT might be something you want to look into.
Bilateral stimulation
Bilateral stimulation is part of a type of therapy called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Bilateral stimulation involves a stimulus, such as audio, tapping, or eye movements) occurring in a rhythmic right-left pattern. This is another great method for self-soothing and managing uncomfortable feelings.
Learn more about Bilateral Stimulation and EMDR
The Butterfly Hug (EMDR Technique to help yourself feel calm)
Please don’t feel intimidated by these technical terms. These are just tools that I’ve found to be helpful. While there are licensed EFT and EMDR professionals, if that is something you are interested in, the beauty of these practices is that there are a lot of information and resources about them online, so you can try them out for yourself and see if they help you.
4. Nourish yourself
I know everyone gives this advice, but it is true that it is important to nourish yourself to feel your best mentally and physically. Struggling with your mental health can make it hard to take care of your basic needs. If anxiety impacts your appetite, try to find foods that feel easy to eat. For me, yogurt and soup work well. I also find that smelling peppermint essential oil helps alleviate the symptom of nausea.
5. Find Joyful Movement
Similar to eating nourishing foods, moving your body is also common advice in the mental health sphere, and for good reason. When you are feeling bad, the idea of moving your body can feel hard. But it really can make you feel better. This does not at all need to be anything crazy strenuous like spending hours at the gym or running for miles. Only you know the type of movement that feels best to you. If you don’t, I suggest trying different forms of movement to find one that works for you.
That said, it is also important to know when you need to rest and to honor that. Finding that balance will ultimately help you feel your best.
Simple Ways To Move Your Body When You Are Feeling Down:
Go for a walk
Do Yoga
Pilates
Take a dance class
Stretch
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6. Do activities that feel good and make you happy
Positive distractions are a really helpful tool when you are feeling down. Focusing on activities and hobbies you enjoy can help lift your mood and distract you from negative emotions.
Activities to help you get into a positive mood
Crafts
Crafts are a great way to start to feel better. Not only does crafting occupy your mind, but creating something can help boost your self-confidence and self-esteem. I love crocheting, and I find it to be very soothing and calming.
Make mood boards
Canva defines a mood board as a “physical or digital collage of ideas.” I like making mood boards because I find it to be an engaging activity that gets my mind into a more motivated and inspired place. The act of finding beautiful images and arranging them in a collage helps create positive emotions. You can do this using images from magazines, or go digital and use online images (Pinterest is good for finding images, as well as sites like Pexels, Pixabay, and Unsplash) and arranging them in a Canva template.
Spend time outside
Fresh air and sunshine can do wonders for your mood.
Lighthearted entertainment
Put on a lighthearted show or movie or read a good book to occupy yourself and take your mind off of whatever is bothering you.
Color
There are many benefits to coloring. This simple activity can help soothe you, help you quiet your mind, and help you practice mindfulness. You can purchase a coloring book, or you can find lots of coloring pages online to print out.
7. Gratitude
Taking time to acknowledge things in your life that you are grateful for can help shift your mind into a more positive place. I keep a Gratitude Journal, where I write down some things I am grateful for at the end of each day. You can try keeping a Gratitude Journal, you can try practicing a Gratitude Meditation, like this one, or you can set aside time each day to think about some of the things you are grateful for. This doesn’t have to be an extensive amount of time. The goal is to spend at least a few minutes to notice the good in your life and to be thankful for it.
8. Practice Self-Compassion
It is important to be nice to yourself when you are feeling down. Recognize that you are having a hard time. That is okay. Talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend in the same situation. Beating yourself up will only make you feel worse, but treating yourself with compassion can help get you in a better mindset to overcome the situation that is bothering you.
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9. Take A Hot Shower Or Bath
A hot shower or bath is a tried and true strategy for soothing yourself and making yourself feel better.
10. Do Something Nice For Yourself
Something my mom taught me to do when I’m feeling down is to make a point to do little nice acts for myself, like putting on perfume, lipgloss, and hair oil. These acts are opportunities to go out of your way to feel extra special. Little touches like this can make a difference in your day.
11. Treat Yourself
Also along the line of doing nice things for yourself, treating yourself to something special can start to lift your spirits. This can be as extravagant or as simple as you like.
Simple Ways to Treat Yourself and Improve Your Mood
Get your favorite coffee
Read your favorite book
Get a Manicure (or paint your nails at home)
12. Check Something Off Your To-Do List
An easy way to improve your mood is to pick something simple off of your to-do list and complete it. This is a way to boost your self-esteem and make you feel like you accomplished something.
13. Listen to your favorite music
Putting on a good playlist is another great way to pump yourself up and lift your spirits.
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14. Occupy your mind
Keep your mind too busy to worry. Spend time on activities that require you to focus, like puzzles, work, schoolwork, or anything else you can allow yourself to get wrapped up in. Choosing to spend time focusing on these types of activities can help you get your mind on something else, giving you a break from your thoughts.
Photo by Monica Silvestre: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photography-of-bedroom-1034584/
15. Get enough sleep!
Getting enough sleep is so important for feeling your best mentally and physically. Not getting enough sleep can lead you to feel even worse, especially if you are already not feeling great. Lack of sleep exacerbates feelings like anxiety, depression, and stress. I know it can feel easier said than done but prioritizing your sleep can help you feel better.
If your situation is causing you to have a hard time sleeping, the other tips in this post can help you get into a better state, along with these strategies to help you sleep when you feel down:
Meditate to clear your mind.
Do some relaxing yoga.
Journal. Getting your thoughts on paper can help stop your mind from spinning.
Create a relaxing evening routine. Relaxing activities like taking a hot shower, drinking some sleepytime tea, and reading can help you unwind and fall asleep.
No one likes feeling down, which is why it is important to find the tools that work to pick you up when you are in a negative mental space. I hope these suggestions help you!
Life by Julia 
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