3 Ways to Instantly Lift Your Mood

We all have our off days if you will, the days when you wake up in the morning and your hair is lopsided, you have a nice dry bit of dribble stuck in your beard, you head downstairs, flick the kettle on and spot that the coffee jar is empty! Any day like that is surely going to set you off on the wrong foot, whilst almost certainly putting you in a foul mood. When this happens it can wreak havoc on the rest of your day, affecting your attitude whilst driving on the way to work, to your attitude in the workplace, to how you straight up deal with other human beings. That is why it is essential to ensure that you do the below three ways to lift your mood before leaving the house.

This reign of terror on your day is, however, avoidable—that is, providing before acting on the below, you straighten up your hair and get that little bit of dribble out of your beard! This is because the three simple ways in which you can instantly lift your mood can be done without even having to slap your slippers on concrete or spend a single penny.

The first way is to open the windows and let the fresh air in. I always find that a good dose of fresh air into the old lungs helps to calm me somewhat. I believe it is all about getting that slight connection with nature that does it. The air, the smell the sounds of the birds tweeting away—all this will help you to just escape for a few seconds and forget about that dang empty coffee jar!

The next step, once you have finished sucking in oxygen, is to simply make your bed. I know what you are thinking—that is pure effort! However, it has been known to give a good sense of accomplishment by completing the five minute task before you head on your merry way. This will also help further on in the day when you come home and just want to unwind. I mean, come on, who doesn't love the look of crisp sheets and a fresh looking bed? I prefer at this stage to opt to have the windows remain open as it will naturally freshen the smell of your room.

The final and most important is to sit on the floor or your bed (be careful not to scruff up those sheets!) and just have 15 minutes of pure mindfulness. This can be achieved by sitting comfortably whilst trying to keep your posture straight, chest out, shoulders pointing forward. Then just focus on your breathing—in through the nose out through the mouth—or you can focus on the breeze coming from the window and how it feels on your face, your arms, your hands. If the sound of silence is not your cup of tea, then you can always find a Youtube video which plays mindfulness music or, if you really feel like getting fancy, (this part certainly can't be done without spending a penny) you can get yourself a white noise machine which helps block out other sounds, allowing you to focus purely on your breathing. Alternatively, if you are in keeping with lifting your mood without spending a penny, then you can download the Whitenoise lite app. I must, however, stress that I have not tried this app as white noise for me personally does my fruit in, thus undoing all that hard work of becoming zen like!

That is it. Once your 15 minutes is up, you should be feeling as fresh as a daisy and as calm as a snowflake, meaning you can go about your day in a positive way!