Feeling broken happens to us all. After all, no person can be happy all the time, and through it all, we experience many emotions. Sadness, feeling down, and defeat – are just some of the many emotions we go through as human beings. Sometimes, it can seem like those feelings will never leave us. Fortunately, you can restore your shine with a little self-care
“Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.” – Hans Selye.
We all need a little help when it comes to picking ourselves up from feeling dejected. When life gets us down, figuring out a way to get back up can seem hopeless. Luckily, there are so many ways to improve your mood and positively change your emotions when life gets the better of you.
Here Are 22 Positive Things You Can Do For Your Self-Care
1. Get outside and improve your mood
This is an easy way to improve your mood. Fresh air and sunshine can help lift your mood within minutes. The very act of just going outside can sometimes enhance our entire point of view. After all, sitting indoors contemplating our sadness can lead to more unhappiness.
Author Florence Williams said that when a person spends some time outdoors, “blood pressure drops, their heart rate variability becomes more resilient when faced with stress, cortisol levels drop. The subjects report an increase in… mood, and vitality, and creativity. And that’s just after 20 minutes!”
If you find yourself stuck on the couch, try a change of scenery and go for a walk around the neighborhood.
2. Talk to someone to help you feel better
A support system is the best way to make sure that you always have someone nearby who can help you talk out your troubles. Whether this person is a friend, a family member, your partner, or even a therapist, talking to someone you feel close to can help improve your mood drastically.
3. Watch a funny movie
Nothing makes us feel better than just plain old laughter. If you’re in a sour mood or feel a heavy sadness, watching your favorite comedy can quickly boost your mood. You can do it alone or with a friend. Sometimes, hearing someone else laugh can be just what it takes to get our laugh muscles working again when it feels impossible to smile.
4. Turn to music for self-care
It can be tempting to listen to sad, hopeless songs and cry about them when we’re sad. While this is often good for releasing emotions, it’s not good for uplifting your mood. So, after you’ve had your wallowing cry, try putting on some upbeat dance or party music. The beat will get your blood pumping, along with your mood.
5. Take a nap
Our moods are often regulated by something as simple as waking up during the wrong sleep cycle. If you find that you’re just plain miserable, it might do you some good to settle in for a nap. Getting more sleep might be just what you need to chase away your bad mood. While it may feel like a childish thing to do, even adults need the right amount of sleep to function correctly!
6. Hang out with friends
Whether you all go to a movie, out to eat, or hang around together, being surrounded by the people who love you is an easy way to remind yourself of all the good in the world. Your friends will probably know just the way to make you feel better and boost your need for human contact and stabilize your mood.
7. Clean your habitat
Depression and sadness often come with a lack of motivation to do… well, anything! These feelings can leave you unmotivated, so you don’t feel like caring for your home. Cleaning your space can feel like a chore, but you’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel after it’s all done. Once the area around you is clean, you’ll find that your mood is improved even by a little. A clean house is a happy house, after all.
When you clear your physical space, you also clear your mind.
8. Do something nice for others
The best way to boost your mood is to make someone else happy. While it can feel challenging to muster up the niceness to do something for someone else when you’re feeling low, it’s one of the best mood boosters. Brightening someone’s day will make you feel even better about yourself than before.
9. Take a Bubble Bath
The warm water from a bubble bath can ease tense muscles and lift your spirits. Why not light some candles and enjoy the fragrance and the bubbles and ambiance? Turn down the lights and let your troubles float away, as it’s the perfect way to engage in self-care after a long day.
10. Eat Right
The best way to love yourself is to watch what you put into your system. Many people don’t think about all the processed and junk foods they eat, but it’s doing more harm than good. Eating a well-balanced diet is an excellent form of self-care as it’s essential to your overall physical and mental wellbeing.
11. Try Technology Breaks
Are you spending too much time on technology? A recent report published by Statista Research Department showed that the average person spends 2.45 hours on social media each day. This wasted time doesn’t count all the other time folks spend watching TV, playing video games, or are on their computer.
Try taking a technology break to clear your mind, and you will be surprised how much more you get done and how much better you feel. Plus, if you’re always saying you don’t have enough time to get everything done, you will easily find more hours in your day.
12. Listen to Music
Turn on some tunes and dance the night away. Dancing is an excellent form of exercise as it gets the blood pumping. Maybe you prefer some more mellow songs like jazz or classical music. Music is used to motivate people, and it can also be used to calm you. Part of your self-care routine should involve some good tunes.
13. Meditate
When you meditate, you’re learning to let go of all the negativity you’ve ingested during the day, and you’re becoming in touch with your inner self. This ancient art has many forms, and you can use it to go to sleep, stop a panic attack, or even relax and give your tense muscles a break.
14. Try Aromatherapy
Do you buy candles or incense to burn around your home because you like the smell? Aromatherapy has been used for decades to help people relax, and it can be a significant part of your self-care routine. When you use bubble baths, lotions, essential oils, and candles, you’re stimulating the smell receptors in your nose, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The message from your nose travels through your central nervous system until it reaches the limbic system in your brain. This is the region that controls all of your emotions. So, if you notice that you feel better after rubbing lavender on your wrists or putting a tea tree on your neck, you’ve activated this part of the brain and are calming yourself.
15. Exercise Daily
The more you move your body, the better you will feel. The experts at UW School of Medicine and Public Health state that you need to exercise at least 20 minutes three times a week. However, it would be best if you fit it into your daily routine. Self-care is all about maintaining a good, healthy weight. You’re also boosting those feel-good hormones when you get your heart pumping.
16. Plan a Trip
Why not throw caution to the wind and go on a trip? You work hard, so you deserve a little get-a-way. Why not engage in self-care at an all-inclusive resort? You can even go camping and enjoy nature if you want your excursion to be frugal. The advantage of getting away is that you will feel and look better when you return.
17. Get a Massage
Massages are therapeutic, and they work to release that tension in your muscles. If you suffer from tension-type headaches or migraines, getting a regular massage can help you manage them without harmful substances.
When the masseuse works those muscles, they increase blood flow to the areas in need. Other things to try along this line include acupuncture and cupping therapy. When you learn effective ways to handle your stress, you’ll feel much better.
18. Splurge on A Gift for Yourself
When’s the last time you bought yourself a gift? Have you had a new outfit lately? Perhaps you want a new piece of jewelry to add to your collection.
Going to work and just paying bills isn’t very motivating. Have you ever done a star chart with your kids? These little charts are huge motivators because they give them an incentive to keep doing well.
You can do the same thing by motivating yourself by splurging a bit. While it seems that all the incentives you need are to have a house and car to drive, these little extra things give you the enthusiasm to keep going.
19. Take a Drive in the Country
It doesn’t matter what age you are or your status in life. There’s something therapeutic about a drive in the country. It’s best on days when you can put your windows down and let Mother Nature penetrate your car with her fragrant aroma.
Turn on your favorite music, and grab something to drink. Let your mind go as you get out of the city and the hustle and bustle, and engage in driving therapy. Sitting on crowded freeways only add to your daily frustration but getting out on the open roads with little traffic is relaxing.
20. Get in Touch with Your Artistic Side
Can you paint, draw, color, or make crafts? It’s very refreshing to use your artistic side to help with stress. Many people use art to outlet their emotions, and it can be pretty relaxing. Why not take a sketchpad to a nearby lake and draw the ducks swimming or the sun beaming down on the water?
21. Try a DIY Project
Is there a room in your home you want to remodel? Why not try a DIY project? You can save a lot of money by tackling household repairs yourself.
When you’re learning and taking care of your home, you’re also practicing self-care. Why not turn your bathroom into a tranquil retreat, or paint that drab kitchen that seems outdated? Your mind can explore and get creative to make your dwelling even better.
22. Go Cloud-Watching
There’s something magnificent with the sky above. It’s the key to another dimension, and the clouds are fascinating to watch float aimlessly by. Did you ever lie on the ground and watch the clouds when you were a child?
Did you find funny shapes in them that fascinated you? Why not return to those childhood moments and engage in something so peaceful yet profound. Watching the clouds go by is one of the best forms of self-care, as it’s so relaxing. It reminds you that this world is so much bigger than your troubles, and you live on a planet of majestic wonders.
Final Thoughts on the Importance of Self-Care
Generating positivity isn’t always the more straightforward thing, but there are ways to make yourself feel better when you’re feeling low. Whether it’s getting outside, connecting with your loved ones, or making someone else’s day a little better, generating positivity is a good habit to have and one that’ll make all of your sad days a little bit better.
