3 Ways to Boost Your Mood
It is easy to allow the everyday stressors in life bring you down. Especially today, you can see a headline that can totally ruin your day. People believe in the power of positivity. Simply forcing yourself to be happy does not always achieve the desired result, but there are daily practices that can put your mind in the right place. If you have tried pushing your thoughts into a positive place, but have struggled to keep a sunny outlook, you’re not alone. Here are three strategies for even the most frustrated want-to-be optimist.
- Balanced Thinking
It can feel incredibly frustrating to try forcing yourself into a belief that you’re not convinced of. Research indicates that positive affirmations can actually be counterproductive in some circumstances. In one particular study, researchers found that individuals with low self-esteem felt worse after being asked to repeat a positive affirmation for four minutes (1). The researchers hypothesized that these participants struggled to believe the positive statements and were, therefore, not encouraged by the affirmations.
An alternative to positive affirmations is called balanced thinking. With balanced thinking, an individual looks for evidence to support a negative thought (e.g., “I know I am bad at my job because my boss told me she was unhappy with my last report”). In addition, the individual looks for evidence that does not support the negative thought (i.e., “I got a lot of positive feedback from others at work about another report I wrote”). Lastly, the person tries to balance these pieces of evidence to propose a believable thought that is not altogether positive or negative (e.g., “I do not always do as well as I would like at work, but sometimes I do a great job”). When learning this skill, keep trying to find a balanced thought until you discover one that feels believable and improves your mood.
- Practice Mindfulness
Sometimes people try so hard to control their thoughts, they wind up caught in game of mental tug-of-war. Mindfulness is a practice that involves not becoming too attached to any one thought. You can practice mindfulness by allowing your thoughts to enter and then leave your mind, envisioning the thoughts as leaves on a river, coming in and eventually out of your awareness. There are a lot of resources today for practicing mindfulness such as apps that provide you with meditation music, guided meditation, and focused meditations.
Take a break from trying to control your thoughts and look for peace, allowing acceptance, no matter what thoughts pass through your mind. A substantial body of research exists to support the benefits of mindfulness to both emotional and physical health.
- Practice Gratitude
Listing what you appreciate in your life has been demonstrated to improve mood, self-esteem, social relationships, and health. For example, in one study, a group of participants were asked to list five things they were grateful for each day (2). After 10 weeks of practice, this gratitude group reported being 25% happier than their counterparts, who had been asked to focus solely on their problems each day.
Gratitude does not mean constant positivity. Gratitude can simply mean saying an internal thank you and pausing a moment to remember a time when your needs or hopes were met. You might try practicing gratitude or thankfulness each day. Consider listing at least three things you have appreciated. Try to vary your list and think of specific situations that led you to feel grateful.
The Bottom Line
Of course, strategies are never infallible. You may find these strategies to be helpful and still feel like you would benefit from speaking with a counselor. If so, please feel free to call us at JourneyPure Melbourneto schedule an appointment to meet with one of our qualified therapists. We would love to help you find your way to a happier, healthier life.
Resources:
- Wood, J.V., Perunovic, E., & Lee, J.W. (2009). Positive self-statements: Power for some, peril for others. Psychological Science, 20(7), 860-866. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02370.x
- Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M.E. Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377-389. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377
