5 Daily Rituals To Boost Your Mood
Daily rituals can help balance your emotions, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost your mood. A study conducted by Harvard University showed that rituals help you feel calm and in control, improving your overall quality of life.
Try these 5 rituals to boost your mood throughout the day…
1. Don’t Hit the Snooze Button
Are you the type of person who sets their alarm to allow for a snooze button or two? If you want to boost your mood, simply set your alarm for the exact time you want to get up every morning.
According to a study done at the Cleveland Clinic, using a snooze alarm disrupts your deepest sleep. During sleep, your body and brain go through cycles, moving from light sleep to deep sleep.
The deepest part of the cycle is known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. This is the most restful and restorative part of sleeping. Using the snooze alarm only allows you to fall into a light sleep, disrupting the cycle.
When you get up, you will feel more tired than if you skipped the snooze button. A study in the journal Emotion showed that feeling tired decreases a person’s ability to regulate their mood, making people feel upset, nervous, or short-tempered.
2. Get the Most Difficult Things Done First
The last time you had a list of things to do for the day, did you start with the easiest tasks first? At the end of the day, were you frustrated that something still needed to be done, or were you dreading finishing the list?
By making getting the most difficult things done first your ritual, you can decrease stress and boost your mood.
Start your busy days by completing priority tasks and those you would prefer not to do. Once those tasks are accomplished, you may find it easy to finish your list and even have time left over. That can really help boost your mood!
3. Gratitude Journal
In a series of studies at Eastern Washington University, researchers found that gratitude directly impacts mood. People who are more grateful in life report a better mood than those that are dissatisfied with their lives.
Gratitude, for things big and small, changes your perspective and boosts your mood.
Writing in a gratitude journal is an excellent daily ritual to boost your mood. You may want to write in your journal in the morning to focus and create a positive outlook for the day.
Or you can use your gratitude journal in the evening to reflect on your day and relax before going to sleep.
Either way you do it, a gratitude journal will help you boost your mood.
4. Affirmations
If someone told you that you were smart, capable, and beautiful, would it boost your mood? Why not tell yourself how wonderful you are?
Affirmations are positive statements, usually spoken out loud, that reinforce your best qualities.
They can also help motivate you for success, another mood booster. Write down what you most admire about yourself, positive plans for reaching your goals, and how you felt overcoming previous challenges.
Post your list where you can see it throughout the day and tell yourself how much you deserve to boost your mood.
5. Exercise
According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, exercise reduces anxiety and depression. And a study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research showed that even a single instance of exercise is a mood booster.
Whether you talk a walk around the block, join an exercise class, or play sports, exercise will boost your mood.
A Sports Medicine study showed that exercise releases endorphins, which are hormones in your brain and body. Endorphins decrease pain and improve mood.
Boosting your mood can be as easy as making exercise a daily ritual.
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