9 Proven Tips to Instantly Lift Your Spirits

Are You Having One of Those Days?

You know… where you feel negative about everything? It’s like you got out of bed on the ‘wrong side’. Nothing goes well and it seems like you have the opposite of the Midas Touch. You are hyper-focused on anything that makes you unhappy with your current situation. Everywhere you look, you see things to be unhappy about. It’s a misery blizzard. You may feel like something good needs to happen to break you out of this malaise.

“…right now I need two positives. You know, one to cancel out the negative and another one just so I can have a positive.”

Alan Partridge

Analyze, Distract or Act

What can you do with a day like this that starts badly and is rapidly going downhill? Can you turn it around? Let’s look at 9 proven tips that will help. Dive into any, or all of them that feel right and fit into your day.

Included:

1. Uncover the Root Cause and Transform Your Mindset
2. Make it a Reset Day
3. Change the Vibe
4. Unlock The Power of Gratitude
5. Go For a Walk (ideally in nature)
6. Socialize
7. Get Busy & Focused
8. Do Some Self-care
9. Make Something Good Happen

1. Uncover the Root Cause and Transform your Mindset

Contemplate the Problem

we all get days where we have a gloomy state of mind, It’s perfectly normal now and then. Even though you may feel lethargic and negative, it is worth trying to break through, establish the root cause of your low mood and turn this day around to your benefit.

You could see a day like this as a golden opportunity to review where you are right now and set motivating, inspiring goals. So find somewhere quiet and contemplate what’s wrong. If you can identify it maybe you can resolve it. Some root causes of low mood could be:

• Lack of sleep
• Feeling unwell
• Pain
• Unhealthy lifestyle choices
• A problem or chore that worries you
• Stress such as financial or work pressures
• Social isolation
• Seasonal effects especially if you have SAD
• Negative mindset/ruminating
• Mental health or/and unresolved trauma

Meditate on it

I’m a big meditator. It gets better and more rewarding the more you do it, but even a beginner can get insight, calmness and a new perspective through meditation. So make sure you won’t be disturbed for a while and have paper and a pen nearby to jot down any ideas that come to you. Take a few deep breaths, sit still, and calm yourself into a peaceful state.

Ask yourself, “What’s the matter with me today?” “What is wrong?” What is the root cause of my unhappiness?” Wait for ideas to form, take notes. Once you have some understanding of why you feel like this you can move on to, “What do I need to do?” or “How can I feel better”.

Use the Information to Take Positive Action and Transform Your Mindset

You may now have a list of things you feel negative or down about. Try to be logical and stoic about it. Go through the list and see if there is anything you can do to change them. If there is practical action you can take, plan it into your day if possible. It may be that there is no particular cause and it’s more of a feeling of negativity. Find more ways to lift your spirits by reading the following tips.

2. Make it a Reset Day

If you feel the day is a write-off and you can’t turn your mood around, are you free to take the day for yourself? If so, why not use it as a reset day? This can distract you from a negative mood while achieving useful things such as clearing outstanding tasks you have been putting off. You could get on top of domestic chores. You could plan meals or get groceries. You could clean or organize your space. Action will blast that lethargy away if you use this time positively. Having a reset day can be very satisfying.

3. Change the Vibe

If you believe in negative energy or bad luck, this might be the right one for you. If it feels like this low mood is due to negative energy, try changing something to adjust the energy around you. You might open the windows, light scented candles or incense, play music and do something different to shake things up. You might want to tidy up your space or rearrange something. Additionally, try to think optimistic, positive thoughts. According to Rhonda Byrne who wrote “The Secret” thinking positive thoughts helps attract positive things to you. The opposite is true when you think negative thoughts.

4. Unlock the Power of Gratitude

Practicing gratitude is a deliberate and focused way of acknowledging the things that you are grateful for. It is a very effective practice. When you are in a negative mood, you are more likely to think in a negative way. Gratitude helps you change your thoughts’ energy from negative to positive. Take some time to think about at least 6 things you are grateful for right now. Focus on the feeling of appreciation and gratitude and acknowledge it to the universe or God if you like. This can really change your mood for the better, especially if you do it every day.

5. Take a Walk (ideally in nature)

Connecting with nature has proven benefits for spiritual and mental health. If you can take a walk in the countryside, woodlands or on a beach then it’s worth doing as it will almost definitely lift your mood. If you can’t get out perhaps you could sit outside in a garden or outdoor space.

6. Socialize

Is social interaction what you need? Spending time with others in person or online can re-energize you and distract you from negative thoughts or feelings. Take part in a social activity, talk to someone, or spend time with a friend. Passing the time in a pleasant way like this can change your mood for the better.

7. Get Busy

If you have a hobby or interest and you have some free time, get absorbed in it. If you enjoy working, it could be that working hard on a project or keeping up to date with something is exactly what you need. When you are busy and focused, the negative thoughts can stop. In fact, your mood may gradually change without you even noticing.

8. Self-care

Be kind to yourself if you’re feeling down. Practice self love and think of some things to do to cheer yourself up. Eat a nutritious healthy diet, stay hydrated, do some exercise, have a lovely hot bath or read an inspiring book. Engage in activities that bring you joy.

9. Make Something Good Happen

In such a mood, you may feel desperate for something positive to happen to help you snap out of it. You may feel that you need a sign to reassure you that any bad luck has passed. Waiting for something good to happen is not the best option; instead, you have to make something good happen. Think of some things you could do to cheer yourself up. Small pleasures in life make a huge difference to your outlook, so plan something nice for yourself. It might be as simple as preparing a delicious meal or watching an entertaining movie.

In Summary, Be Kind to Yourself

Make sure you keep this list somewhere safe so you can refer to it when you are having one of those days. Some of these things will work better for you or suit you more than others. It’s normal for us to have positive days and bad days. Its just life isn’t it? Seek help if you have a lot of low mood days though. I hope some of these tips help next time you have one of those days. Be kind to yourself.