6 tips to lighten your mood

Mental health is receiving more attention than ever before, and with that comes an opportunity to direct our attention towards helping, supporting and understanding ourselves and others in a kinder way.

Below is a list of 6 healthy and sustainable strategies that can be used to add some light into your day:

Practice daily gratitude

Every morning, grab a pen and a journal and write down three things you are grateful for. This can be anything: your friends, your last yoga session, your morning coffee... whatever you feel is important at this present moment in your life. Keep up the habit to foster a more positive outlook on life.

Acknowledge your emotions; don’t dismiss them.

Sometimes life will throw us curve balls that are entirely out of our control. When this happens, try to remain receptive and open, and allow yourself to move through the various emotions that come up. Doing this will allow you to be aware of what you’re feeling and not bottle anything up inside. Although it may be hard at first, it will feel tremendously rewarding later on.

Laughter truly is the best medicine

Laughter might just be the easiest and most natural way to ease any sadness that may be occurring in our life. Laughter is known to reduce cortisol levels (a stress hormone that creates inflammation in the body) and increase serotonin levels (the happy hormone). So grab the comic section of your newspaper, turn on your favorite sitcom, or find some funny cat videos online, and giggle your way to improved health!

Time for exercise

There’s no question: the burst of serotonin and endorphins from exercise can make you feel extraordinary. Additionally, it improves self-esteem and reduces anxiety and depressive moods. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day to feel the benefits.

Nature = Happiness

Have you ever heard of Nature-Deficit Syndrome? In essence, it’s when humans don’t receive adequate exposure to the outside world. This, in turn, results in a lack of concentration, increased lethargy, and… you guessed it… a low mood! So whenever you’re feeling down, consider how long it has been since you last stepped outside. If it’s been a couple of hours (or even days), grab a coat, head outside, and breathe in that fresh air!

Rest up

Although adequate rest has been scientifically proven to increase mood and concentration, it’s still an aspect of our life that is often underappreciated and quickly forgotten. Usually, the best remedy to low mood is hitting the sack a little earlier and catching up on some long overdue sleep.