How to lift your spirits: 6 tips to feel better
Several key ideas to lift your spirits and begin to become more psychologically active.
There are many people who, feeling down, look for ways to lift their spirits by modifying their habits. It is very true that we cannot change our moods by simply wishing for it or engaging in introspection, but if we start to modify the way we behave in the right way, our psychological facet will evolve.
So... how can we improve our mood and feel better? Let's take a look.
The separation between emotions and reason
When it comes to influencing our emotions and feelings, we must be clear that these can only be affected by us indirectly, and that we have limited power in the task of making them turn in one direction or another.
This is important, because believing that being in low spirits is a consequence of not applying rationality or logic can lead to feeling worse, by feeling guilty about it, especially if we perceiveespecially if we perceive that there are no objective reasons for maintaining this negative mood.
The emotional side of the human being is governed by its own rules, and that is why we should not embrace unreasonable expectations about the degree to which we can control them. Nevertheless, it is clear that we can do things to, as far as possible, increase the chances of mood elevation. Applying them to daily life is the first step to start recovering and living with renewed energy..
Tips on how to boost your mood
Follow these basic guidelines and ideas on how to boost your mood and apply them to your daily life to notice the changes in the moments when you feel down.
1. Avoid isolation
When we feel low in mood, we tend to adopt a very passive attitude, so we very easily stay at home. This, which makes sense if we only take into account what our "body is asking us to do" in those situations, actually actually causes us to perpetuate the behavioral dynamics that feed the emotional state that dominates us. state that dominates us.
Thus, a certain degree of forcing oneself to socialize is healthy and leads us to increase our chances of engaging in stimulating situations that activate us mentally.
2. Sleep well and eat well
Keeping ourselves in good shape by taking care of our basic Biological needs can generate great changes in our emotional facet. So, something as simple as sleeping the right hours and eating a healthy and balanced diet helps us to avoid a state of decay that may actually be the consequence of a lack of energy.
3. Exercise
Following the same logic of the previous advice, to raise the mood is good to activate the body itself through actions that predispose us to it. Exercising or playing a sport is a good way to achieve this.
For this, it is preferable to start with something in which we already have some experience, since learning from scratch can be a problem considering our initial resistance to make an effort for something. If it is also a sport and not a series of movements to work the muscles, it is easier for us to focus our attention on the sport, it is easier for our focus to shift from being centered on the immediate objective The psychological stimulation is greater and thus it is easier for the mood to rise.
4. Expose yourself to laughter
Laughing is something whose effects are not only felt at the moment of laughter. It leaves an emotional imprint on us that, if added to other mood-boosters, can produce a qualitative change in our mood, can produce a qualitative change in our psychological state..
Going to monologues or watching them on the internet, reading comic genre, joking with friends... There are many ways to expose yourself to the beneficial effects of laughter.
5. Change your habits
The simple fact of changing can produce very positive changes in mood, as long as they are oriented towards goals that are meaningful to us.. For example, starting to learn a language for which we had always felt weakness, can bring a sense of purpose that motivates us and, with it, we feel excited to see our progress.
6. If you think it is serious, go to a psychologist.
As in everything, the way in which we feel discouraged can be so intense that the intervention of psychology professionals is necessary. In this case, personalized treatment in a professional context offers options that simply do not exist if one decides to face the problem alone.
Therefore, it is necessary to assess what is happening and decide whether by taking a stand on one's own part one can get out of the situation.
(Updated at Apr 12 / 2024)