7 Mood-Boosting Strategies When You Feel Down

When you’re not in the best mood or having a tough time emotionally it can be the worst feeling in the world. Especially when life naturally goes on and you can’t let your feelings get in the way. Don’t let those feelings drag you down – there are ways to boost your mood and end your day on a high note.

It’s only natural for you to feel down from time to time. Feelings like sadness or disappointment are normal reactions in daily life. It’s only when the feelings persistent beyond a normal length of time (longer than 2 weeks), and get in the way of your normal routines that there’s cause for concern.

Before you can feel better or go from feeling bad to good, you first need to start by getting to know what makes you feel one or the other. Only by paying attention to what makes you feel happier can you use that knowledge when you need it most, specifically, when you feel down. With that goal in mind, take a look at some of the tips below to help you on the way to a better time.

1. Change Your Environment

If you think your surroundings are influencing your bad mood, don’t hang around and leave things be. Leave the area that’s making you feel a certain way, or if you’re unable to do so (if you’re at work or school or need to stay for another reason), you can still change your environment in little ways.

When you’re stuck somewhere and don’t feel able to leave a bad environment, you should still find a new space if possible. That can mean leaving your desk at work for a few minutes and going to the breakroom, or going outdoors if you’re indoors or vice versa. Just moving to new surroundings may seem unnecessary or ineffective but you would be surprised how it can affect your mental state.

Environments have been known to influence the way we feel, interact and other behaviors like productivity and our confidence levels. Each person is affected in different ways depending on the environment, but you can expect that being in a new setting will at least shift you into a different headspace than you were in before because you readjust to the new things around you.

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2. Eat Something

Most people fully know that they can get grumpy or feel bad when they haven’t had enough to it. They might still end up feeling that way if time gets ahead of them and they forget. Before they know it, they could end up feeling weak and unhappy as a symptom of not getting the nourishment they need.

When you don’t eat enough and find your mood affected by it, chemical levels in your brain are involved, along with your gut. Yes, your gut plays a huge part in how you feel. Studies have shown that certain diets that increase serotonin in your brain like proteins (fish, beef, tofu, turkey, etc), help improve your mood and can even go so far as decrease symptoms of depression. Since most serotonin receptors are in your gut, there’s a natural link there with your brain and picking up those signals.

3. Do What You Love

A big part of your day is probably filled with obligations and other responsibilities you wouldn’t do in your free time. Like many others, you might sort chores and other things like work duties into a certain category that’s separate from what you personally enjoy doing. When you’re in a bad mood, try to put those ideas aside and do something you know will make you feel good.

If you’re in the middle of a workday and aren’t feeling the best, take a break and play a game on your computer or spend some time watering the office plants. Take a short walk because you enjoy physical activity. You know yourself best, so choose what will make you feel good and fits your circumstances.

4. Filter Negative Thoughts Out

When you’re in a negative state of mind and you add on more negativity it’s hard to feel good. You might not be aware that the way you think can impact your mood, but it’s more likely than not a big factor when you find yourself in a bad mood.

Be conscious of the way you think and if it seems like you aren’t being too positive with your thought process, make an effort to think the opposite way. If you’re thinking that the rest of your day is going to be long and difficult, reverse that thinking and consider how much easier the rest of the week will be if you the tough work out of the way first. There’s always a brighter side no matter the situation, so acknowledge it.

5. Spend Some Time Alone

Even if you enjoy being around other people and socializing, it doesn’t mean that you still don’t need some time to yourself. If you feel irritated and you can’t figure out the reason why it could be an unconscious tension you’re carrying around by being around others for an extended period of time.

When you’re interacting with other people, you expend energy in various ways. Keeping conversations going, responding to other people, maintaining certain body behavior, every action and thought you have in social situations affects you. It depends on the person, but it can influence your mood more if you’re someone who gets overwhelmed after a while and naturally desires to be alone to recuperate.

6. Write Your Thoughts Down

When you’re thinking normally and thoughts are passing through your mind, you might not spend much time considering the significance of one thought over another. When you write, however, you are encouraged to slow down a bit and really shift through your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. That can help calm you down after a tough day.

The best part about writing is that you can do it practically anywhere appropriately. In a long class lecture? Instead of taking notes, spend some time journaling and explore your feelings and thoughts in that way. The more aware you are of why you feel a certain way, the easier it will be to resolve those feelings in a healthy manner.

7. Stay Busy

A tried and true method of boosting your mood is to simply occupy yourself. Sometimes, a bad mood persists and the quickest way to get out of that mindset is to make sure your mind is focused elsewhere.

Although doing things to shift yourself into a new headspace is fine, it shouldn’t be an excuse to run away from unresolved feelings by keeping yourself busy. That might even worsen your mood later on or just prolong it. You’ll also probably end up in a cycle of returning to unresolved feelings that cause you trouble emotionally.

If your mood is weighing you down to the point that you can’t work well or continue your day normally, switch gears and do something that is more active than what you were previously doing if possible. In that way, you refresh your mind in a sense and open it up to a new way of thinking. An especially useful technique if you’re trying to get out of a slump.




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Antoinette Maven

"Antony" Maven is a contributing writer for SimpleHermit.com and identifies as an INFP. She loves to hike with her dog, write poetry, find hidden gems in her small town, and read her nights away.