Feeling blue? 10 Tips for boosting mood

Here are some practical ways to improve your mood. Why not give them a try?

1. Try to distract yourself. Our moods are often coloured by our thoughts. Challenge yourself to think about something else for five minutes.
2. Phone someone or visit someone. People need people. We are each other’s greatest resource.
3. Go for a quick-paced walk or jog. Within ten minutes you will be secreting your own anti-depressants within your brain.
4. Sit down comfortably and concentrate on your breathing – the gift of life within you. Count your breaths and become deeply aware of them.
5. Listen to some music or sing a song. Music is a therapy in itself.
6. Write down some positive affirmations (in the present tense) i.e. I never underestimate my potential to lift my mood. Moods fluctuate and pass. I can turn things around.
7. For a few minutes park your mood aside. Although you may feel low it doesn’t mean that there is nothing right about your life. Make a list of all the things that are right about your life circumstances.
8. Never convince yourself that things are particularly bad for you at the moment. The truth is that you don’t have to walk very far to find some experiencing greater challenges than yourself. Remind yourself of this reality.
9. All problems pass and we eventually look back at them. When that time comes you don’t want to be thinking that you annoyed yourself more than you should have at the time. So remember this truth.
10. If you are blessed with people who love and care for you – then let them help you. It’s harder to work things out on your own. The survivors of crises tend to have leaned on others during their dark periods.
(C) Shane Martin