I don’t know about you, but personally I’ve definitely been better. The past few years have certainly taken their toll on me as they haves for many others. I decided to start doing things to help boost my mood and with that my confidence and my general likability. So here’s what you can do to boost your mood and feel better too.
Boost your mood in six easy steps
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Exercise
Exercise doesn’t have to be doing reps of pushups and squats, or running around your block a hundred times. It can just be going for a 20-minute walk or doing some yoga, anything that gets your heart beating faster and releases endorphins.
These hormones and neurotransmitters have a positive impact on your mood, memory, energy level and wellbeing. You will also feel a sense of accomplishment once you have completed an exercise leading to higher levels of self-esteem and self-worth.
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Spend time with friends (outside of school)
Spending time with your friends during school hours is a quick way to boost your mood. For some of us it is the only reason we agree to go!! But it is always nice to do something else with your friends that you all enjoy without the added pressure of teachers watching over your every move.
Time with friends helps increase your sense of belonging, self-confidence and can help reduce depression and anxiety. Studies show that people who have close friendships over their teenage years are less likely to develop depression and anxiety later in life.
Here’s how: 50 cheap or free ways to have fun with friends
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Try new things
Trying new things can be a slippery slope for some people, but if you don’t try, how will you know whether you will like it or not? Sometimes you have to be scared or worried for a bit to find the things that make you happy. If you aren’t happy right now, there is obviously a reason and mixing it up a bit might fix that.
New things will also help you meet new people, learn new skills, reduce boredom, expand your knowledge and learn new things about yourself! Also as a bonus, you will become a much more interesting person when you expand your interests.
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Get out of the house
Not only will you be getting fresh air but you will also get a change of scenery and being in nature can have lots of positive effects on you and your mental health. So take your dog for a walk, or even just sit in the front yard, and you’ll notice how much lighter you will feel.
In a study of 20,000 people, people who spent two hours a week out of the house (in local parks or other natural environments) were more likely to report good health and psychological wellbeing than those who didn’t.
Two hours is not a very long time over an entire week (less than 20 minutes a day!) and with those kinds of benefits, why wouldn’t you get out there?
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Get enough sleep
Sleep is undeniably the most important aspect of your mental and physical health. Think back to the last time you had a sleepover or you had an assignment due the next day that you hadn’t started. You probably got no sleep and the next day you felt awful and moody and you just want to go back to bed! But, when you get a good amount of sleep (once in a blue moon!!), in my experience you feel happier and your overall mood is so much better.
More on this: The problem with teens and sleep (or lack of sleep!)
This is because we need to sleep to ‘recharge our batteries’ and restore our body and mind. It also helps you process information from the day, retain new information and focus the next day. When you are focused and actually awake you are more likely to have a good day because you understand what is going on around you and you can take it all in.
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Do things you enjoy
This seems obvious but a lot of the time we live to make other people happy and compromise what we want to do for what other people want us to do. So, if you want to be a happier person, start living for yourself and doing the things that make you happy.
Not only will it make you happy, but it will also increase your productivity, you will have something to look forward to every day, and you will be more motivated to get out of bed every day.
What’s your favourite way to boost your mood?
Feature image by Clay Banks; basket weaving by Ave Calvar / Unsplash+; slip and slide by Luke Porter