{"id":336346,"date":"2025-12-26T10:05:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T10:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/336346\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T10:05:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T10:05:15","slug":"8-little-ways-to-boost-your-mood-every-day-according-to-mental-health-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/336346\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Little Ways to Boost Your Mood Every Day, According to Mental Health Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all have days when we wake up grumpy or feeling down. And doing anything can feel challenging when you\u2019re already in a bad mood. Thankfully, there are simple, everyday activities that can help turn things around, according to mental health experts.\u00a0Try these 8 activities when you need a simple mood boost<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

Make Your Bed <\/p>\n

It takes only minutes and helps you start the day on a positive note, explains Angela Belleville, a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) at Bella Health<\/a>. \u201cI noticed that when I made my bed in the mornings<\/a>, I felt better,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s an easy and quick task that still gives a sense of accomplishment, and tends to have a chain reaction on activities for that day,\u201d she explains.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Cook a Familiar Meal <\/p>\n

\u201cRepetitive tasks like chopping or stirring create rhythm, which lowers stress hormones,\u201d says Meg Bowman, a licensed dietitian nutritionist<\/a> who specializes in food and mental health. Familiar recipes are especially helpful because they require less effort to make and offer a sense of completion, which increases dopamine, she explains.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Eating Consistently <\/p>\n

Eating regularly helps stabilize blood sugar to prevent irritability, Bowman says. \u201cI often joke that people think they are just anxious or emotional when they are actually hangry<\/a>, hanguished, or dealing with full-on hanxiety,\u201d she says. \u201cThese sensations mimic mood problems, but when blood sugar is steady, the nervous system has fewer false alarms to interpret as stress.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Drink Coffee or Tea <\/p>\n

Or even hot chocolate! Warmth signals rest and digest to the nervous system, which helps you feel safe, explains Chlo\u00eb Bean<\/a>, a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) specializing in trauma. \u201cConnecting with temperatures associated with calm, cozy, and safety, activate receptors that let the body know we don’t need to operate out of fight-or-flight,\u201d she says. This can be an instant mood lift!\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Rewatch Your Favorite Shows or Movies <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile too much screen time isn’t helpful, something familiar can be incredibly regulating,\u201d Bean says. \u201cPredictable storylines lower cognitive load, which is why rewatching your favorites feels so soothing and cozy.\u201d The key is that shows are light, humorous, predictable, or nostalgic, as this type of entertainment can trigger the warm fuzzies.\n<\/p>\n

Play Music <\/p>\n

And make it uplifting! Research shows that listening to one uplifting song every day for two weeks can improve your mood and lessen depressive symptoms, says Alison McKleroy, LMFT<\/a>. “Researchers have found that music activates parts of the brain connected with regulating emotions. Listening to upbeat songs can noticeably shift your emotional state,\u201d she says.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Smell Something Pleasant <\/p>\n

Inhale for at least 5 to 10 seconds, advises Jerred England, LMFT<\/a>. \u201cThis taps into our midbrain, allowing us to focus our attention on something pleasing,\u201d England says. \u201cSmelling vanilla or rosemary can help your brain experience something pleasant and mood-boosting.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Wash Your Face With Cold Water <\/p>\n

Try turning the faucet to cold when washing your face. \u201cSplashing cold water on your face isn\u2019t just to wake up. It actually activates your parasympathetic reflexes, which is the rest-and-digest part of your nervous system,\u201d England says. Or you can just splash cold water<\/a> on your face anytime you need to relax.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We all have days when we wake up grumpy or feeling down. And doing anything can feel challenging…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[102,1906,6623,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-336346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-mentalhealth","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=336346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}