Ways to boost a Low Mood

I often have days where I feel pretty down and would rather just go back to bed than face the day but over the years I have learnt what can help lift my mood. These ideas may not help everyone but hopefully at least one of them will help or will inspire you to think about what will perk you up personally.

I feel down for various reasons but one of them is due to recovering from illness which I know that some other bloggers can relate to. Some days or weeks I feel almost normal but other days I’m in a lot of pain with my head which gets me down as I should have made a full recovery by now. Things like stress and alcohol make it worse or can trigger pain so I try to avoid them as often as possible but it means that I now live a life with restrictions. I miss being free to do a day’s work or drink a couple of cocktails without ending up in pain. One thing I can still do is eat and I definitely make the most of that!

Food, Glorious Food

I like to go out for meals with my boyfriend, friends or family but I also like to treat myself occasionally to something sweet such as these Lorchidee macaroons which I picked up yesterday. I was a complete greedy guts and ate 7 of them which I wouldn’t encourage but it really did help to cheer me up! Obviously, eating treats like this everyday becomes expensive and isn’t the healthiest but it’s a great pick me up on those days when you need extra help. An alternative is to attempt to make your own healthier baked goodies or dishes which provides a distraction and something yummy at the end of it!

Take a Bath

One thing I look forward to daily is a nice, relaxing bath which is great for de-stressing. Being in the bath always feels so warm, comfortable and safe and it’s like almost washing your cares away, albeit temporarily. There are also so many bath products available that can help lift your mood, from aromatherapy oils to fun bath bombs or bubble bars. Lush is my favourite bath time treat emporium so I always enjoy a Lush bath.

Exercise

Even if you don’t fancy sweating it out at the gym, something as simple as going for a walk can release endorphins to beat the blues. As there are no pleasant walking routes where I currently live I try to get to the gym at least twice a week and despite struggling to motivate myself to go, I usually feel much better afterwards. If you have a garden or open space that you can use then using a skipping rope is great exercise. I did try this myself but unfortunately I’m useless at skipping!

Reading

Getting into a good book or having a blog or magazine reading sesh definitely takes my mind off things and provides a positive distraction. I’ve been known to read a book in a day when I’m really engrossed and I find it easy to get lost in the story which is strange as films or TV programmes struggle to hold my attention.

Music

When I’m feeling down I like to listen to songs that remind me of happier times or novelty ones that make me laugh. (I’m talking ‘It wasn’t me’ by Shaggy rather than ‘Bob the Builder’) Party music is also a great mood lifter and is usually my genre of choice on my iPod at the gym as it gets me through the workout.

If you find yourself feeling down when you’re at work try to get away from the desk for a short break if you can or plan something exciting for lunch, whether it’s reading a new magazine, meeting/calling a friend or treating yourself to your favourite lunchtime dish. When I worked full time I’d often plan to get myself something tasty for lunch which helped get me through the day. One thing to avoid when your mood is low is constantly scrolling through social media. I made the mistake of doing this yesterday and it make me feel much worse. Just make sure you take time to do what makes you happy and look after yourself.