4 different ways to boost your mood (Simple daily practices)

What you read in the next few paragraphs is not like all those bullet-point lists of things to do to feel good immediately. Instead, I challenge you to go a little deeper and spend a little more time on each of these items and see how your mood will change.

1. Square breathing

You must have heard deep breathing can calm you down. You may have tried to take a few deep breaths, but it hasn’t helped. Try square breathing instead as it will make a difference in your state of being. Take a deep breath for 4 seconds, hold it for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and stay in that position for 4 seconds. It may be hard at first but do it at least 5 times and notice how calmer you feel. Make it a daily routine. Do it when you feel tense and not settled.

2.    Dancing or walking

You must have heard so much about the effect of physical activity on the mood but sometimes we are not in the mood to exercise. It is exactly when you need to move your body and get your heart rate up. Even if you feel tired or depressed just go for a short walk or play a song and dance to your favorite music for 5 minutes to get your heart rate up and notice how your mood changes.

3.    Gratitude and journaling

You must have heard this one so much as well. You may already be doing gratitude practice by saying thanks for the same things every day and don't feel it in your heart anymore. Instead, try to find 3 new things to be grateful for daily. It can be the nice weather that day, the yummy meal you prepared, the smile somebody gave you, or anything else. Soon you will notice that you find more things to be grateful for day by day and it changes up your life.

4.    Touch a handle and handle your thoughts

Handling our thoughts is the most powerful skill we can develop that directly affects our daily mood. It can be very hard to handle our thoughts at all times. So how to remember to do it?

Once I was listening to one of Jack Canfield’s podcasts and I heard this amazing idea.

Whenever you touch a handle remember how you are handling your thoughts and ask yourself what you are thinking now is uplifting and motivating or self-sabotaging.

Yes, a handle. We touch a lot of handles during the day. Cabinet handle, drawer handle, car handle, door handle, you name it. If we make it a daily practice for long enough at some point, we will not even need the handles.