In The Secret, Rhonda Byrne said that if there is one take away you have from the book, it is to "feel good now." The mind is a magnet and attracts more of what it is we are thinking about it. If we are focusing on feeling optimistic, we bring more good into our lives (and the same for the reverse). Not only does feeling good, well, feel good -- it attracts good. This is where we want to be!
We all have those days when we just don't feel great. We wake up a little crabby, we hear some disappointing news or for a reason we cannot identify, we just feel a little low. This is natural. The cool news is that we can shift our moods and mindsets with some conscious and simple techniques.
Here are seven tips to shift your mood to a higher, happier frequency:
1.Laugh! What makes you laugh? Do it! Sometimes watching a comedy or even a YouTube clip can take you out of you slump. So can recalling a funny experience in your life and re-telling it to the friend or spouse you shared it with. Laughter keeps things light and real.
2.Be present. For a moment just be still and breathe. Notice your surroundings -- the sounds in the room, how your body feels, the light outside. Sometimes we do not pause and acknowledge the calmness of the present moment. When we are living in the now, we do not worry about the future of feel guilt or regret about the past. Regularly applied, mindfulness makes us feel peaceful and alive.
3.Be grateful for something different. A lot of people make gratitude part of their daily practice and count the same blessings. Believe it or not, there is a such a thing as a gratitude rut. What is something you have never been thankful for before in your life? Something like the convenience of Uber, the good fortune that there is a Whole Foods near your office or the pure fact that Spotify exists are all awesome things that deserve our thanks!
4.Connect with someone. There is nothing like a human connection to boost our mood. In fact, every single human interaction (even just a 15-second chat in an elevator) is an energy exchange. Buy an uplifting friend a cup of coffee and spend 10 minutes enjoying his or her company.
5.Take care of yourself! So often we put ourselves last. Our children, partners, friends, peers come before us. So think, would make you happy today? Put off a non-urgent chore or project and treat yourself to a manicure, a massage or even a 15 minute walk in the park with no cell phone.
6.Get outside! There is nothing like a nature boost to make us feel like ourselves. Fresh air and some natural light are simply good for us.
7.Do something nice for someone else. Hada Bejar beautifully said about kindness, "The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose." It is a truly wonderful thing that when we do something kind, we reap the rewards, too. If we truly look around us, the opportunities to be kind are infinite.
What works for you when you need a mood boost?