Photo by Antonio Mora
1. Listen to Music!
This, honestly, is a must for me. All I have to do is to turn on my favorite feel-good music and I’m already in a better mood. It’s such a great pick-me-up. I’ve loved music for the longest time, and my life would totally be so boring without it.
2. Exercise!
When I say exercise, it doesn’t always mean “go run a lap, do 20 push ups, 40 crunches, and lift that 100 pound barbell.” I exercise through drumming, actually. All I need to do is just pound on the drums for an hour and I’m sweating as if I had just ran four laps on Mile Monday. Do whatever makes you happy that helps release endorphins. It really bumps up my mood.
3. Eat!
Obviously, I had to put this on the list. Everyone’s gotten emotional and eaten way too much for their own good at some point in their lives, right? I’ve gotten better at not choosing super unhealthy things when emotional eating, but sometimes just getting my favorite food in my system really ups my mood a lot.
4. Learn About a Country’s Culture and Language!
This seems kind of random, but it’s really fun to do in my opinion. I could spend hours upon hours just researching the cultures and language of different places in the world. Because of this habit, I’ve learned so much about many different countries and their culture, Korea especially. I was reading about Korea and it just clicked in my head as a place I’d honestly really love to be in. I now know the basics of their culture and how to be respectful in their country. I can also read and write the Korean alphabet and am semi-conversational in the language. It’s really fascinating to learn about the ways other people around the world live their lives.
5. Connect with Friends!
I cannot stress enough just how great it is to have that great support system of friends who I can talk to about anything I want to. I talk to them about my feelings, how my day went, how their day went, what I’m doing with my life, and honestly anything I can think of. Friends can always cheer me up.
That’s it! Those are the top 5 things I personally do when my mood needs a little pick-me-up.