12 Powerful Ways To Lift Your Mood When You’re Feeling Down

Hey love, who doesn’t know it? You feel down, uninspired and lazy; plus at the same time angry because you’re not doing anything. You want to lift your mood and be productive but feel stuck. You might feel down because you’re tired, overworked, overwhelmed or something bad happened to you.

First of all, I want you to know that it’s okay and normal to feel uninspired sometimes and I think everyone goes through these phases in life. However, when they become too long, you might want to use some strategies to lift your mood and get yourself back on track.

The following 12 tools present some ways that worked for me and I want to share them with you. 

1. Don’t beat yourself up

As humans, we are usually our own worst critic and you probably know this chatter inside your head that will say things like “Shame on yourself for being so lazy. You wasted two hours and could have done so much more!” I always call this voice my inner drama queen. However, the best thing you can do is trying to silence this drama queen because guess what? When you already feel like you’re not getting anywhere and you judge yourself on top of it, you’re full of negativity and feel even less inspired to do something. (at least that’s what happens for me). So, tell yourself that it’s okay, that it’s human and then try out some of the following strategies to get yourself in a better mood.

2. Take a walk in nature

I know that all you want to do is to stay in bed or on the couch, but trust me, it will only make things worse. Give yourself that little push and take a walk outside or ride your bike. I promise you will feel sooo much better after that. Nothing beats movement and breathing in that fresh air! What’s even better, is to sit down in nature and meditate. I love manifestation meditations like this one. Also, now when I’m walking through nature I’m contemplating everything, all its beauty. Every little straw of grass, branch, all the animals, the water..People may think I’m a crazy person for being so happy about these things but I don’t care. I think we just forgot to see the beauty of the little things.

3. Move some furniture around

If you feel stuck on the inside, it sometimes helps a lot to make small changes to your environment. You can redecorate your room or even move some furniture around. It can be so powerful and feel like a fresh start. I remember that as a little girl, I used to move my furniture every few months just to make some changes and it still makes me happy. Changing up things every now and then might also help you to lift your mood.

4. Watch motivational videos/ listen to podcasts

I don’t know about you but listening to inspiring speeches always gives me that extra drive and motivation needed to go ahead. Even if you don’t know these people personally, they affect you in a positive way (ever heard of the saying that you’re the definition of the 5 people you surround yourself most with?) I think this also holds true for people you don’t know personally. Their energy will eventually rub off on you. So there’s no better time to watch these kind of videos than when you try to get unstuck.

5. Decide on a small goal and start working towards it

If you’re feeling stuck and uninspired, this could be something as small as cooking a nice meal, washing the laundry or writing three positive affirmations in your journal. Once you have completed this small goal, you’ll be proud of yourself and you’re more motivated to keep going back to work for some of your bigger goals.

6. Meet or call someone you love

One of the best things to lift your mood is to meet up with your loved ones. Just going out on a coffee date with a friend can make your day 100 times better. You’ll laugh and different thoughts will come to your mind. That’s also what friends or loved ones are for, right? You’re there for each other.

7. Put on some uplifting music and dance

It’s amazing how much it helps to get out of your head and into your body. Just moving and feeling the rhythm can lift your vibration within seconds. Always remember that it doesn’t have to look good but feel good. I dance like a crazy person in the mornings and I love it. My favourite song to dance to right now is “Happy Now” by Kygo. It always puts me in a good mood.

8. Empty your mind

When you’re overthinking everything, feel stuck and your mind is cluttered, there’s a good way of emptying it. Just take out your journal or if you don’t have one, a piece of paper and write down all the thoughts that are currently in your head. Literally everything that’s on your mind. It works best when you really don’t care about how you write – grammar and spelling doesn’t matter here. Just write down what you really think and feel. After it, you will feel like a weight has been lifted off you.

9. Work on your body language

When we’re sad, all we want to do is curl up on the sofa and be miserable. This also shows in our body language. We walk around with our shoulders down, looking on the floor. I know it may sound crazy but what really helps is just to force yourself to smile. Science has shown that the physical act of putting a smile on your face already tricks your brain into believing that you’re happy, which then can prompt actual feelings of happiness. I always find this so interesting!

10. Tell your mind to give you a happier thought

I learned this little trick from the book “Solve for Happy” by Mo Gawdat. Like every human on this planet, you have this voice inside your head that chatters all day long. I want you to know that you are not your thoughts. It’s a different entity; otherwise how could you simply perceive it when you’re meditating. What’s probably new to you is that you can actually talk with this voice and reprogram your subconscious mind. So when you’re stuck in a loop of negative thoughts, telling your mind “Give me a happier thought” can actually work wonders.

You might also like: 30 Habits for a Happier Life

11. Make yourself pretty

When you’re feeling down and sluggish, what often happens is that you just wear jogging pants and pyjamas and walk around with messy hair. I truly feel like your outer appearance can affect your mood. So put on some nicer clothes, paint your nails and brush your hair and you will already fell 100 times better and more motivated. Form of self-love

12. Recall as many things as possible you’re grateful for

Especially when you’re down, you are not feeling particularly grateful and that’s totally normal. However, just coming up with random things you’re grateful for can have an enormous effect on your mood. I give you an example. When I’m driving somewhere I’m not keen on going to, I always look around and tell myself things like “I’m grateful that I’m alive”. I am grateful for the trees outside. I am grateful that it’s sunny. I’m grateful that I live in a peaceful country. I am grateful that I get to choose my job.” There are literally so many things to be grateful for and I can promise you that recalling as many things as possible will definitely make you happier.

Final Note

Again, I want you to know that it’s normal to not feel super happy, productive and inspired all the time. How boring would life be without those little ups and downs? Although I’m happy and bubbly most of the time, I also have moments when I’m feeling down. As long as you have strategies and know how to get yourself out of it, it’s no problem at all.

I hope some of these tools have been helpful to you. Let me know which one you liked best and what you usually do to lift your mood when you’re feeling down. We can all learn from each other.

Sending you love and light,


Jenny

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