Some days you wake up, the sun may be shining, the birds may be singing, but it is raining in your heart. There may be no major reason for feeling fed up, other than a mixture of weariness, boredom, and loneliness. Some things may not have turned out as planned, someone may be giving you a hard time, or you may feel that life is all uphill. On days like that, it is easy to understand why your zest for life is dimmed.
Rather than retreating into yourself and moping or falling deeper into a black hole, it may be a good idea to try to find ways of cheering yourself up. However, this may be the last thing you feel like doing. But "fake it 'til you make it" has its virtues and finding the silver lining in the dark clouds that surround you may help you shake off the blues.
Here are some tips to help point you in the right direction:-
1. Ensure you are getting sufficient sleep. Tiredness can drag down your mood and rob you of your joie de vivre. Studies show a strong link between lack of sleep and mood swings. Broken sleep or simply not getting to bed on time for a few nights will take a toll on your energy levels and make the world seem a more dismal place. Quality sleep is important not just in terms of maintaining your mental and physical health, recharging your batteries, and warding off illness, it also affects how you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. If you are experiencing a few down days, it may be a sign that you are not getting enough rest and need to look at your sleep schedule.
2. Get moving. Exercise is beneficial to our health on a number of levels. It may improve your memory and brain function, protect against chronic disease, aid weight management, lower blood pressure, and improve heart health. It boosts your quality of sleep, and reduces feelings of anxiety and depression, too. Physical activity makes the brain produce endorphins, the body's feelgood hormones, that reduce pain and relieve stress. Go for a cycle, walk, swim, run, or play a game of football. Aim for regular activity, that way your brain will consistently supply endorphins which will boost your mood and help you see the sunny side of life.
3. Make a gratitude list. When you are going through a bad time, it can be easy to forget all the good things in your life. Taking a moment to write these down and then reading over this list may help brighten your day. If you are unsure where to start, begin by looking at your relationships, career, home life, talents, abilities, and health. Does somebody love you? Do you like your job? Are you healthy? Do you have a nice home? Have you a family and good friends who care about you? Can you play music/make people laugh/are you a good listener? Is your talent for DIY always in demand or are your known for your problem-solving skills? Or maybe you are grateful that the evenings are brighter and that the daffodils, which herald the arrival of spring, will soon be popping their sunshine heads out of the soil? When you start looking, you will find a lot of things for which we can be grateful.
4. Get out in the sunshine. Some days, it may be in short supply but whenever it is shining, try to avail of it. Regular sun exposure is the most natural way to get vitamin D. This essential nutrient helps keep our bones healthy and strong, promotes cell growth, and benefits immune function. If you are feeling down, you may not be getting enough sunshine and vitamin D. Research indicates that low levels of this vitamin may also play a role in depression.
5. Wear your favourite outfit. Sometimes the way we dress reflects our mood. When we are feeling low we may put little effort into what we wear, often just reaching for the nearest outfit. Clothes influence how we feel and interact with the world. So, stepping out in head-to-toe black on a day that you feel that the glass is entirely empty will not help lift your mood. Instead, wear your favourite outfit and try to present your best self, on the outside at least, to the world. Looking well tends to boost our confidence and may help fix your black mood.
6. Call or meet a friend. When you feel down, you tend to feel isolated and alone. You can get past this by talking to a good friend or family member. Unburdening yourself to someone you trust who has a kind nature will help ease your emotional load. Having something to look forward to will help lift your spirits too so arrange to meet for a coffee, lunch, or plan a fun outing together.
7. Reward yourself. Many people feel weighed down by unfinished projects or jobs they keep putting off - home repairs, household budgeting, tax returns, decluttering, or returning unwanted purchases. These outstanding tasks nag at them constantly. Try to summon up enough energy to complete even one of these chores this week. Then reward yourself with something nice, it could be the latest magazine, a bunch of flowers, a long soak in an aromatic bath, or an evening in front of the television doing absolutely nothing. The sense of relief and peace of mind that comes from having completed the job will, of course, be the greatest reward of all.
8. Improve one thing today. Choose something simple to begin with if the thought of major action seems overwhelming. If your desk is a mess, tidy it. If there is a frosty atmosphere in your home try to resolve the tension behind it. If you want to lose weight or get fit, start with going for a short walk each day. Taking little steps towards your goal will give you a sense of achievement and make you feel better.
9. Keep a mood diary. Writing about how you feel can help you process your emotions. Set a time each day to do this. You may notice a pattern such as that you feel down when you are overtired, over-scheduled, or are not eating well. Or it could be that being in the company of certain people or being on your own too much sets off feelings of sadness, inadequacy, or loss. Be alert to these emotions and this will help you avoid these triggers or learn how to manage them.
10. Do something nice for someone else. Doing little acts of kindness will help you feel more positive. Offer to walk someone's dog, bake them a cake, pick up something in the shop for them, give them a book you no longer need, or visit them. Or you could give someone a compliment, hold the door open for them, or allow them to go ahead of you in a queue. Giving a donation to charity, offering to volunteer with a local community group, or sharing your skills with someone else are other ways of doing good deeds.
