Mood-Boosting Mini Habits for a Softer, Happier Day

Do you want to feel happier in your life? If so, it might be worth considering mood-boosting mini habits. These aren’t wholesale changes in how you operate, but they can be highly effective if you want to make aesthetic tweaks here and there that enhance your day and, potentially, make you more productive. 

But what are we talking about, specifically? Let’s take a look. 

Use Kindness To Pay It Forward

Did someone help you in your life before? If so, you might want to pay it forward by assisting someone else.

Mini gestures of kindness are something that you can do at any time. It doesn’t have to be anything big and grand. Just something small that makes the recipient feel loved and appreciated. 

Once you get into the habit of giving them, they become easier over time. You start seeing more opportunities, like holding a door for someone, or taking a few seconds out of your day to yield a parking spot. 

Keep Scents Nearby

Another thing you can look into is keeping scents nearby. These days, our sense of smell is becoming more repressed. But it turns out that this sense has a greater effect on mood and how you feel than anything else. 

Because of this, a lot of people are now keeping scents close by and on their person. Essential oils and other fragrances can transform how you feel in an instant. 

Lavender is perhaps the most famous example. However, you can experience similar effects from citrus and peppermint, too, which are both well worth exploring. 

All you need is a single sniff and you should notice a big difference. Try it and see how you feel. 

Stretch And Sigh

You can also try stretch and sigh combos. These don’t sound like much, but they can be a great way to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and get it back on the right track. 

What does it mean in practice? All you need to do is reach overhead with your arms, look upwards at the ceiling, and then breathe out as you stretch. You should notice that this simple actions gives you a feeling of wellbeing and safety, even if you’re in a stressful situation. Plus, it’s the sort of thing you can do just about anywhere, which is nice. 

One-Sentence Winning Affirmation

Another thing you can try is a one-sentence winning affirmation, especially if you’re the sort of person who lives in their head. All you need to do is focus on something that you succeeded with during that day and then remind yourself of what happened. 

For example, you could say something like “I reconnected with an old friend and we really hit it off” or “I responded calmly to a negative email and dealt with it well.”

When you tell your brain that these little things were “wins” for you, it’ll pay attention. Then, all you need to do is program it daily with a micro habit and all of a sudden, your quality of life changes. 

Label Something Out Of The Window

Are you close to a window? If so, you might want to do some window-gazing and labeling. 

What does that mean, we hear you ask? It’s simple really: a bit like “I spy with my little eye.”

All you need to do is look out of the window for a few seconds and then put a name to something you see. The purpose of this exercise isn’t to practice image recognition skills. It’s to remind you that all that matters is the present, not the future or past. 

Try Throwing Out A Compliment

These days, you have to be slightly cautious with handing out compliments. But if you get it right, it can actually have a significant and positive effect on your wellbeing. 

If you’re at work, choose a member of staff who won’t immediately sue you for harrassment. Then, say something like “your laugh is contagious.” Make sure it’s pretty generic, but also somewhat meaningful. Then, all you need to do is wait and see what they say. Usually, they’ll want to reciprocate and say something nice about you in return. You’ll suddenly notice that a lot of warmth enters the room and you’re able to get much closer to the person on the other end. 

Do A Quick Dance

This one might sound slightly strange, but doing a quick dance is one of the best ways to reconnect you back with your body. It gets you out of your head and reminds you of how free you actually are. 

If you’re at work, the best place to dance is in the bathroom. Go to the disabled toilet and start wiggling, swaying and having all sorts of fun. You’ll notice that it changes your physical state pretty quickly. All of a sudden, you’re looking forward to getting back out there and really enjoying yourself. 

Train Your Mind

A 10-minute mind-training session on an app or with a game like sudoku or solitaire can be another great way to really make the most of your day. These challenges and tasks force your mind to become more plastic and open to possibilities, potentially enhancing your performance in other areas of life. 

It doesn’t take much, either. Just a few minutes of concerted effort and energy is usually all you need to really be successful. 

Be Grateful On The Spot

Lastly, you can try being grateful on the spot about things. This practice is all about shifting your mindset when you feel yourself descending into an emotion of “lack” or fear. 

Being grateful is a powerful way to engage the brain circuits responsible for things like joy and peace. If you’re thankful about something, it’s almost impossible to feel negative. It’s just a matter of practicing it and getting used to it. The more you create positive channels in your mind, the less likely you are to fall into old, bad habits. You should see your internal perspective shifting before your eyes. 

–This is a collaborative post