You’ve probably heard all the usual advice about improving mental health:
Nutrition
Exercise
Sleep
Maybe you’ve heard other conventional advice too:
Don’t dwell on the negative
Practice gratitude
Love yourself
We’ve compiled a list of 5 strategies that the other folks aren’t talking about:
1. Discover a new talent
This is more than just getting a hobby. It requires exploring interests and results in a sense of achievement and a healthy dose of pride in addition to pleasant enjoyment.
2. Garden
I’m no green-thumb, but I will agree that when I actually do break down and get dirty, I tend to feel pretty good afterwards. There is something about attuning to the needs of something that can’t speak up for itself that provides a sense of purpose.
3. Send a kind message
Smiles are contagious; so are kind gestures. The words you choose to share will warm the heart of their recipient. When we share kindness we can’t help but feel warm-hearted as well.
3b. Send a kind message to someone who rubs you the wrong way
You’ve heard it said “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything
at all.” Well, how about “if you don’t have something nice to say, find something
nice to say.” If you give your brain the mental exercise of finding only kind words
to say to this person, you’ll be working to undo your mind’s habit of negative
thinking.
4. Altruism
Humans are communal creatures who crave opportunities to connect with ourselves and each other. When we give time or tangible goods to someone in need, we remember that we are part of something bigger than ourselves or our hectic schedules.
5. Change the sound of your morning alarm
We grow conditioned to loathe the sound of our alarm clock (or that of your neighbor if you have thin walls and your neighbor is a snoozer). Over time that sound conditions us start off our day in the wrong mood. While it might not spring you out of bed cheerfully and giddy about the new day, a new alarm tone won’t trigger disdain, and that makes it just a little bit easier to accept that morning has arrived.
What do you do to lift your mood?
