5 Daily Rituals That Will Improve Your Mood

If you often feel unhappy, low on energy, or demotivated, your lifestyle routine probably isn’t providing you with enough mental and physical balance. There are many ways you can improve your mood through your daily routine. Simply working out or getting creative can help improve your mood, reduce stress, and offer us a sense of purpose. 

Here are five rituals that will help those looking to improve their lifestyle routine and mood.

Socialize

Communication is key for happiness. Socializing and being connected with others improves our cognitive skills as much as it does our mental health. Whether you like to chat with your parents about standing upright cemetery grave markers and headstones or your work colleagues about your day, communicating your thoughts help to exchange information and seek advice. 

Socializing also directly impacts our stress levels in multiple ways. It increases a hormone that decreases anxiety levels and makes us feel more confident in our ability to cope with stressors. In addition, spending time with others directs our energy outward rather than inward.

Exercise

Exercise is a great way to release endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals that can cause depression and anxiety. Thus, releasing these chemicals reduces the chance of feeling these negative emotions. 

Releasing chemicals help with feeling happy, feeling confident, feeling capable, feeling less anxiety and stress, and even less physical pain. If you struggle to stay motivated before or during a workout, remember how good it will make you feel after. Put on your favorite tunes and get your heart rate up to push through the workout and feel amazing after.

You do not necessarily have to do vigorous exercise to release these chemicals. Walking or yoga is enough to attain the happiness benefits. 

Wake Up Earlier

If you often get out of bed last minute and rush to get ready for school or work, you may feel stressed or anxious. Allowing yourself an extra 15 minutes before leaving for the day will give you time to think, plan, and organize your mind. 

Setting an earlier alarm, ten or thirty minutes before your usual time, will help you relax in the morning and adjust to the morning light. Light decreases your body’s production of the sleep-inducing melatonin hormone. So throwing open your curtains to let the sun in, or eating breakfast on the porch or by a window, provides a free morning boost. Plus, getting up earlier in the morning helps you feel sleepy earlier in the evening, which will help you get a better night’s rest.

Eat Balanced Meals

Eating the right foods helps to reduce stress, the risk of illness, and increase energy. Ensuring you get a sufficient balance of the essential food groups – protein, fats, carbohydrates, fiber – will provide you with enough energy to stay motivated and happy. 

A few foods to consider adding to your daily meal plan to improve your mood include: 

• Fatty fish
• Dark chocolate
• Fermented foods
• Bananas
• Oats
• Berries
• Nuts and seeds
• Coffee

Foods cannot combat negative feelings and emotions, but they can work to increase energy and balance our minds. Dietary changes can bring about changes in our brain structure (chemically and physiologically), which can lead to altered behavior.

Be Creative

Creative activities such as drawing, dancing, writing, and cooking, help us enhance our skills and give us a sense of purpose. Creating a poem or painting, you are proud of gives you a sense of achievement. 

If you struggle with creativity or ideas to get creative, here are a few ideas:

• Draw your view
• Dance to your favorite music
• Create gifts instead of buying them
• Decorate your house
• Make a vegetable patch 
• Write a poem
• Start a blog
• Cook a new cuisine
• Make your own clothes

Art in any form, whether while creating or observing, reduces the stress hormone called cortisol. It also releases the feel-good hormones called endorphins, which help you combat stress and pain. Letting you enjoy a sense of fulfillment transforms you into a more positive, well-rounded human being.

What about you- What daily rituals do you have? What are some things that you know boosts your mood?

-Kristen

This is  a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links, from which I may receive income. All opinions are, as always, my own. While I am an ACE Certified Health Coach and Personal Trainer I am not a medical professional and the information provided in this post is not to be considered medical advice.