4 ways to improve your mood in less than 5 minutes
- Ruang Curhat
- Oct 10, 2020
- 2 min read
Some days staying positive and upbeat can feel like an uphill battle. Maybe it was a stressful day at work, a fight with a friend, or even just an off day — whatever it is, there are definitely things you can do to improve your mood.
And it's no wonder bad moods can sneak up on us so often. According to psychologist Guy Winch, author of the book Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts, a bad mood can be caused by anything from guilt over forgetting someone's birthday, to outstanding tasks on our to do list, to not getting enough likes on a personal or important Facebook share. Basically, humans are sensitive creatures, and it's not abnormal or even uncommon for little things to get us in a funk.
What's more, according to a psychology study featured on ABC News, while a portion of our individual happiness is pre-determined by genetics and circumstance, research shows that up to 40 percent can be controlled throughout daily thoughts and actions.
This means that there are definitely a number of proactive things we can do when we start feeling ourselves getting down. If you're looking for ways to turn a bad mood around, here are seven ways to improve your mood in less than ten minutes.
1. Walk Around The Block
Daniel Kripke, M.D. at the University of California said that, "Studies show that people who get more light exposure during the day have fewer sleep problems and less depression, and evidence suggests that light can keep you alert and productive."
Additionally, mental health and exercise expert Jack Raglin, Ph.D., says that, "Studies have shown that even mild exercise, about 40 percent of your max heart rate, can lift your mood," and recommends doing activities that match your mood instead of trying to force yourself to do something you're just not feeling — like working in your garden instead of going to a loud Zumba class.
2. Declutter
Author of The Highly Sensitive Person, Elaine Aron, Ph.D., said that "clutter is a reminder of things that should be getting done, but aren't," and can help fuel feelings of failure, and mentioned that you don't have to spend an entire day reorganizing to feel better, as "just the illusion of order is enough to ease the mind." Aron recommended just putting things into neater stacks and piles for an instant boost in mood.
3. Think About What Went Well
In another article in Psychology Today, doctor and wellness expert Susan Biali, M.D., said to reflect on three things that are going well or three positive moments in your day, and even replay them in your mind. According to Biali, that mentally revisiting these moments will help bring back the good mood and feelings they initially created.
4. Give Someone A Hug
Tiffany Field, head researcher at The University of Miami's Touch Institute, said in an article in Psychology Today that, "when you stimulate the pressure receptors in the skin, you lower stress hormones," and also that touching others stimulates oxytocin, which also has positive effects on our mood. Field also recommended rubbing your own forehead, hands, and neck, as self-massage has been shown to decrease heart rate and reduce the stress-hormone cortisol in our systems.
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