We all have hard days and need a mood booster sometimes. If you ever find yourself in a funk and can’t pull yourself out of it, you might need a few pick-me-up tips for being happier. These tips can help you adjust your mindset and perk up a little.
Psychologists have studied ways to create a happy society and happy individuals. Plus, many personal development books and articles give insight into the secret of being happy. Even with all of these resources, some people still struggle to find happiness in their daily life.
Many people believe that money would make them happier, but studies indicate otherwise. Research shows that people aren’t more content with a steady income or more money. However, you can find joy in the smallest details of your day.
“Pick-Me-Up Tips” for Happiness
Life isn’t perfect, and things will always go according to plan. Still, you can choose to live a happy life and focus on the good all around you. You’re in control of your day, so try these “pick-me-up tips” to experience joy right now.
1. Eat Something Delicious and Healthy
While your comfort foods might be full of carbohydrates and salt, these components will only make you more unhappy. Even worse, you might experience guilt about your lack of impulse control afterward, too.
When you want to feel better, choose a healthy snack that is still delicious. Healthy, all-natural foods have joy-inducing effects, and you can consume them guilt-free. Some popular options include:
- Grapes
- Clementines
- Salmon
- Sweet potatoes
These popular options aren’t the only ones to choose between. Any fruits and vegetables will help, and they’re easy to eat when you’re running errands or working.
2. Get Outside
Fresh air and other aspects of nature can boost your happiness levels quickly. Our ancestors spent their time under the sky and feeling the sun often, so it’s built into our biology. No matter what you do when you get outside, you’ll quickly feel better and happier after time spent in nature.
Whether you go on an outdoor run or take a quick walk, you’ll benefit from the time spent outside. You can also consider going on a hike deep in the woods or going for a swim in a nearby lake. Whatever you choose to do, you’ll feel much better once you get outside.
Another beneficial option is to watch the sunset. Watching the sunset is one of the most beautiful sights, and many of us take it for granted.
3. Focus on Love
Love typically leads to being happy, so never miss an opportunity for love. You must find and cultivate loving relationships because nothing else can create as much joy. Whether you make time for your partner, parent, or friend, make sure it’s someone you love.
Connecting and sharing your life with people you love will always make you feel happier than being isolated. Find something to smile and laugh about with them for even more benefits to your mental health and overall mood.
The best part about making time for love is that your relationships only get better when you care for them. They’ll grow into beautiful, meaningful, and deep connections. However, they start to waste away when you don’t make time for them.
4. Create Something and Share It
Your creative spirit is part of your biology, which is why you admire it in others. Plus, even if you don’t consider yourself a creative person, you likely take joy in the process when you participate. Creativity is often a social endeavor, making it even more meaningful.
When you make something and share it with others, you’ll immediately feel better. It will improve your well-being and help you feel connected to the essential people in your life.
You don’t have to do anything extreme when creating something. Write a poem that captures how you feel about someone or how you feel today. You can also draw something for someone you love, even if it’s only a doodle.
Whether the thing you create is big or small, it’ll help you feel happy right now. Plus, the person you share it with will feel better about their day, too. It’s a simple way to promote joy within your life.
5. Communicate and Spend Time with Those You Love
One of the best pick-me-up tips for being happy is prioritizing the special people in your life. Studies show that spending time with loved ones makes you happier biologically. It helps relieve stress by reducing stress-inducing hormones, ultimately improving your overall health, too.
If you want to communicate with your loved ones more often, focus on your most meaningful relationships first. Think about things you can do together that bring joy and allow you to show caring gestures to the people you care about.
If tasks eat into your time, ask a loved one to help you with them. By asking for help, you’ll deepen your bond, and you get to spend time together even when you’re busy.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how you spend time with your loved ones. Being near them, working together, or even talking on the phone will bring joy to your life. This is a great “pick-me-up tip” because it is inexpensive and doesn’t require anything special.
Remember that the quality of your relationships is essential. Disappointing or negative interactions with loved ones lead to unhappiness and poorer health. Surround yourself with people who bring joy and positivity to your life.
Social support doesn’t only benefit you, either. The receiver will also be happier at the time spent with you. When you have good people in your life, don’t miss out on chances to spend time together.
Other “Pick-Me-Up Tips”
While the suggestions from psychologists are helpful, there are many other tips out there. If you want to do more than the five tips listed above, you can try these out next.
Expect Less in All Situations
The happiest people are content with their life, even when things don’t go perfectly. Life satisfaction leads to being happy, so make sure to focus on realistic goals.
Don’t expect an abundance or assume you’ll achieve success the first time. Instead, expect less, and you’ll be happier.
Enjoy What You Do
You spend lots of time on your career, so make sure you enjoy the work that you do. Don’t pursue a career path for the money if it doesn’t bring life satisfaction. If you like what you’ll do, you’ll always find a way to be happier.
It might be scary to make a life change like switching career fields, but it could be worth it. If you ever have the opportunity to chase your dreams, don’t ignore it.
Live in the Present
Please don’t fixate on mistakes from the past because you can’t change them. Rumination only leads to dissatisfaction and unhappiness. You should also avoid worrying about the future because you can’t control what will happen.
Since you don’t know what will happen next, learn to let go of those worries and focus on the present. By living in the present, you can enjoy your life and take steps to better yourself right now. Plus, when you focus on the present, you can take in the beauty of life and effectively reduce stress.
Try to remember that being happy requires appreciating what you have right now. Embrace the journey and live in the present, so you don’t miss out on any joyful moment.
Choose Happiness and Positivity
With an open mind and positive thinking, you can find joy right now. You control your mind, so choose joy instead of giving in to negativity. Even when negative thoughts creep in, push them away and try using positive affirmations instead.
Things won’t always go as planned, but you can still be happy. Choose to be joyful during changes and hardships, and you’ll never struggle to find joy in your life.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
While it’s okay to strive for more in life, you shouldn’t compare yourself to others. Comparisons lead to unhappiness, and you might become too invested in other people’s lives that you lose track of what you want.
Everyone’s life is different, and their circumstances and goals differ. Stop comparing yourself to other people, and you’ll be happier right now. Comparisons will make you feel empty and unworthy, and that’s never something you should have to suffer from.
If you compare yourself to people on social media, take a step back and think about what they are posting. They aren’t posting their hardships and struggles, and they aren’t posting the things that upset them. Instead, they are posting the highlights of their life.
People filter what they share with the world, so comparing yourself to people on social media is highly detrimental. No one is as perfect as they appear online, so don’t get caught in the trap.
Final Thoughts on SUNY Psychologist Explains 5 “Pick-Me-Up Tips” for Happiness Right Now
When you can’t seem to pull yourself out of a funk, remember these “pick-me-up tips” for being happy right now. You can make a change at any point in your day, so don’t let unhappiness linger.
Listen to the research and find ways to make yourself happy. You are the only one that can control how you feel, so do what’s best for you and find joy in life.
