Smile even when you feel absolutely miserable to send your brain a positive message.
Dance around while you do your housework. Not only will you get chores done, but dancing reduces levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), and increases endorphins (the body's "feel-good" chemicals).
Avoid triggers. Minimize your contact with people who have a negative mindset.
Notice when you are thinking too much about the past. Pay attention to where your mind is. If you're obsessing about the past, say to yourself "I'm obsessing again, and I'm working on letting this stuff go".
When you're in a frustrating or angering situation, you can also distract yourself by taking a shower, going for a walk, writing in a journal, or listening to music, to avoid saying or doing something hurtful.
Write down your worries and fears — you can do this at night right before bed, you might even sleep better.
Identify your emotions, understand your responses to them and learn to manage them.
Before bed, you can try to write down three good things from the day.
In addition to paying attention to what you say to yourself, try and be attentive to the way you talk to yourself. Try to change your (inner) tone of voice.
Learn to say yes — to self-care, mental health days, and hobbies and interests that nourish your spirit.
Take 30 minutes to go for a walk in nature - it could be a stroll through a park, or a hike in the woods. Research shows that being in nature can increase energy levels, reduce depression and boost well-being.
Get rest. Create a solid bed time routine. Lack of sleep greatly affects your mood, causing irritability, anger and anxiety.
Take deep breaths and count to 10 before you act to help reduce the intensity of your emotions.
Be intentional, not habitual, with your self-criticism.
Positive exposure. Watching inspirational and motivational movies or documentaries can help you see the positive things in life and make you feel more grateful for what you have.
Do your best to enjoy 15 minutes of sunshine, and apply sunscreen. Sunlight synthesizes Vitamin D, which experts believe is a mood elevator.
Accept the past no matter how bad it might have been.
Try to analyze yourself and to be honest with yourself.
Go outside. Eat outside, sit on a balcony or sit in a park and just breathe in the fresh air.
Brush with the hand you wouldn't normally use, and don't forget to open the tube and apply toothpaste in reverse, too.
Focus attention on inhaling and exhaling, do it sitting or lying down. Each time we breath we come back to the present moment.
Healthy food can lower inflammation in our body and less sugar can reduce feelings of anxiety, agitation and feeling edgy.
Put on music to change your emotions. Music and singing reduces overwhelm quickly and makes everything feel better.
Learn to say no — this can be to situations, people that are triggering, or who aren't kind or compassionate.
Exercise regularly — even a walk down the block will help keep your anxiety in check overall.
Learn to not beat yourself up when you make a mistake. You'll be more open to making mistakes this way, and as a result, you'll learn more, you'll learn faster, and you'll stay happier.
Track gratitude and achievement with a journal. Include 3 things you were grateful for and 3 things you were able to accomplish each day.
Has something been bothering you? Let it all out… On paper. Writing about upsetting experiences can reduce symptoms of depression.
Mediate — even five minutes a day can have an impact on your mental health.
Keep busy. Keep your hands and mind occupied with tasks such as cleaning, folding clothes, sorting cupboards or even knitting.
Slow down. Take time to slow the pace of life down, by looking after ourselves first.
Practice forgiveness - even if it's just forgiving that person who cut you off during your commute. People who forgive have better mental health and report being more satisfied with their lives.
Think of something in your life you want to improve, and figure out what you can do to take a step in the right direction.
Meditate. It doesn't matter which kind you do, do what works for you and helps you relax.
Just moving our body can relieve feelings of overwhelm. Chucking on some tunes can do wonders for our body, brain and overall well-being.
Send a thank you note - not for a material item, but to let someone know why you appreciate them. Written expressions of gratitude are linked to increased happiness.
Try prepping your lunches or picking out your clothes for the work week. You'll save some time in the mornings and have a sense of control about the week ahead.
Identify negative self-talk in other people's speech. Once we get better at noticing them in others (via their speech), we can more readily start to see them in our own thinking and self-talk.
Sometimes, we don't need to add new activities to get more pleasure. We just need to soak up the joy in the ones we've already got. Trying to be optimistic doesn't mean ignoring the uglier sides of life. It just means focusing on the positive as much as possible.
The past hurts need to be processed. The process consists of: 1. Talking about what happened 2. Identifying how it felt at the time 3. Identifying how it affected you and how it continues to touch your life 4. Gaining a new perspective from the vantage point of where you are now.
When you're deep in the black cloud of panicked thinking, uncovering the spiral's original spark can help you deal with the problem. Think about it like killing a fast-growing vine: If you don't dig out the roots, the leaves will continue spreading indefinitely.
When having a heated discussion with someone, take time to listen to what they have to say, and avoid jumping to conclusions about their intentions out of anger.
Like you exercise your body, you should exercise your mind.
Use an "Interruption technique" when you want to stop thinking about something. This could be literally spoken out loud, like "stop!" or moving your body around, giving your brain a new task.
Feeling anxious? Take a trip down memory lane and do some coloring for about 20 minutes to help you clear your mind. Pick a design that's geometric and a little complicated for the best effect. Check out hundreds of free printable coloring pages here.
Take some long breaths for a little while to help you to think rationally and become more positive even if you are in a stressful situation.
Take time to laugh. Hang out with a funny friend, watch a comedy or check out cute videos online. Laughter helps reduce anxiety.
Counting up (or down) to 10 is a great way to handle anger. You can also start with any number and then jump around — 14, 89, 30, 57, etc. This helps take your mind off the thoughts that are troubling you.
Feeling stressed? Smile. It may not be the easiest thing to do, but smiling can help to lower your heart rate and calm you down.
Keep it cool for a good night's sleep. The optimal temperature for sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
Stretch. Moving our body and gently stretching our muscles, helps release tension and can help us sleep better.
Take some long deep breaths and then focus on your breathing for a little while.
Try and let go of the past and focus on the present. It can really help you to try and focus on living in the now and being present.
Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand.
Keep an extract of your favorite scent near your bed for a week. Open it and inhale when you first wake up, and then again as you bathe and dress.
Someone hands you an ordinary object, and you must demonstrate 10 different "things" that the object might be.
Try to learn something about everything.
Shower with your eyes closed.
Read aloud with your partner or a friend, alternating the roles of reader and listener.
Talk it out — have a friend or two you can confide in when the anxiety starts creeping in.
Engage in activities that provide meaning. Partake in activities that make you feel happy, productive, and challenge your creativity.
Try to identify new smells and sounds on your route. Opening the windows provides these circuits with more raw material.
Show some love to someone in your life. Close, quality, relationships are key for a happy, healthy life.
Turn familiar objects upside down (literally).
Make more social connections during your day.
Reduce caffeine and sugar — these are stimulants that can irritate your nervous system.
Choose a cuisine unfamiliar to you, and browse the variety of novel vegetables, seasonings, and packaged goods.
Play with spare change.
Experiment with a new recipe, write a poem, paint or try a Pinterest project. Creative expression and overall well-being are linked.
Give yourself confidence and tell yourself how great you are.
Practice breathing on a regular basis — try different techniques and incorporate them into your day.
Try using just your tactile senses (but use common sense to avoid burn or injury). Locate the taps solely by feel, and adjust the temperature. Then wash, shave, and so on with your eyes shut.
When you see a good person, think of becoming like her/him. When you see someone not so good, reflect on your own weak points.
Stop in any aisle and look at the shelves, top to bottom. If there's something you've never seen before, pick it up, read the ingredients, and think about it.
Open the car window.
Surround yourself with positive people and you'll be a positive person. @ -Kellie Pickler
Work your strengths. Do something you're good at to build self-confidence, then tackle a tougher task.
Be conscious of your thoughts. Notice when those negative thoughts begin to creep in and turn your attention elsewhere.
Try to keep healthy habits that help you move forward.
Try to find the silver lining in something kind of cruddy that happened recently.
Go off the grid. Leave your smart phone at home for a day and disconnect from constant emails, alerts, and other interruptions. Spend time doing something fun with someone face-to-face.
Relax in a warm bath once a week. Try adding Epsom salts to soothe aches and pains and help boost magnesium levels, which can be depleted by stress.
Take some long breaths can bring you back to stay in the present moment, which is great for helping you to switch your mindset.
Switch around your morning activities.
Turn pictures of your family, your desk clock, or an illustrated calendar upside down.
Do an art project in a group.
Switch seats to change which position you occupy, who you relate to, your view of the room, and even how you reach for salt and pepper. Serve some of these 25 brain-boosting foods for an even smarter meal.
Make a new connection with your nose.
Switch seats at the table.
Even if you are sad, try to each day when you wake up set yourself a challenge for the day.
