John Lennon said it best when he sang, Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans in his song “Beautiful Boy.” His lyrics continue to be true. We make plans, but life gets in the way, bringing us down physically and psychologically. The song not only offers this wise statement, but Lennon also provided ideas for his son to feel better.
From closing his eyes and saying a prayer to holding his father’s hand, Lennon’s song included plenty of ideas to help his young son get away from scary things in life. While these ideas might work in song lyrics, they don’t always work as well in real life. Fortunately, there are several other techniques that you can use to make yourself feel better.
As we move through the ups and downs of life, keep these techniques in mind so you can practice them, and feel better.
Listen to Music
For many people, music soothes their soul. One of the best ways to feel better is to listen to music that you love. When you choose your music pick music that fits your mood, then slowly adjust it to pieces that improve your mood. If you love to sing along, pick music that you can sing to at the top of your lungs.
When you pick your songs, avoid songs that might make you feel sad or angry. Usually, the best music for improving your mood is music that is upbeat and joyful. Music is so helpful that people use music for therapy. In fact, music therapy programs help patients reduce pain and stress.
In a study evaluating the relationship between music and pain, patients undergoing surgery were treated with music before and after the procedures. The study found that music reduced pain and anxiety after the procedures.
The way music is shared with patients can be adapted to their personal needs. Patients who listened to music in the study did not need as much pain medication as those who were not treated with music.
Do Something Creative
Another easy activity to make yourself feel better is crafting. When you decide to undertake some type of craft, you don’t have to pick something complicated. One of the most soothing crafting activities is knitting, which you can learn from watching online videos.
Another popular craft that relaxes people is coloring, which is why adult coloring books are so popular today. All types of crafting are used in therapeutic situations, including in-patient mental health facilities. The act of making something crafty can help reduce feelings of anxiety, pain, and depression. Many crafters notice their stress fade away when they begin working.
There is not much research on the health benefits of crafting. What does exist is a plethora of anecdotes that show how relaxing it is. When crafters get working, they become absorbed in the process. They stop worrying about the outside world. The process is practically meditative.
Crafting also brings about a chemical process that is similar to taking antidepressants. Researchers found that people who knit often get a rush of dopamine, which helps them relax and reduce their levels of stress.
Go Outside
Research has found that going outside is a sure-fire way to feel better. In a recent report, researchers found that spending time in forests and greenspaces improves physical and mental health. It reduces the risks of chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes, stress, and cardiovascular disease.
The study involved almost 300 million people from over 20 countries. The outcome of the research was the recommendation that people should spend time in nature or live close to it. The term “greenspace” involves any developed urban park or undeveloped land. The idea is to go outside and get away from artificial light and recycled air.
When you go outside, you don’t even have to do anything. You can lay down in the grass, go on a vigorous hike, or climb a tree. Spending time in nature allows people to spend time with other people, which is also beneficial to health. And, spending time in nature exposes people to a variety of bacteria, which builds the immune system.
Researchers also found that spending time in nature reduced blood pressure and stress. They found that it reduced the levels of salivary cortisol, which is used to measure stress.
Talk to a Professional
Another way to make yourself feel better is to make an appointment to talk to a professional listener. This could be a mental health professional. It could also be a pastor or a community faith leader. You might even talk to your health care provider. Sometimes, you just need an open ear to listen to what is happening in your life.
When you get things off your chest, you often feel better. Talking to a professional lets you get concerns off your chest without fear of angering your friends or family members – as they could be the root of your stress or anxiety. Therapy is not a bad thing. In fact, many therapists tell their patients that they go to therapy, too.
Express Your Emotions
All too often, we are forced to hold back our emotions. So, for many people, getting those emotions out is the only thing they need to make themselves feel better. You might need to talk to someone or share your feelings with a friend. Or, you might just need to go somewhere private to have a good cry or release your primal scream.
Emotions are what they are, but in society today, most of the bad ones seem to be judged. But, if you choose not to feel negative emotions, then you will eventually not feel the good ones, too. Many mental health professionals recommend experiencing your feelings, then moving on. If you hold them in, they will continue to torture you.
Life isn’t always going to be joyful and happy. There will be moments where feeling sad or angry or heartbroken happens. People who live full lives experience all of their emotions when they happen. But, those same people do not let their feelings overwhelm them beyond the moment that they happen. Emotions make us human. Share your humanity, at least with yourself.
Cook or Bake
Crafting has been proven to make people feel better. Cooking and baking are often considered a type of craft. When people are making recipes for themselves or loved ones, it is easy to get lost in the process. If you cook, you can be artistic with the ingredients. If you bake, you can be creative with the decorations. Both cooking and baking can be incredibly therapeutic.
If you consider how many senses are involved in baking and cooking, it is easy to see why it feels so good. You get to see lovely ingredients. You get to touch the textures. You can listen to the noises you make in the kitchen. You also get to taste the final product and sample test tastes along the way.
But, the best part is that you get to smell the scents through the entire process. The sense of smell is our most primitive, as scents go directly to the limbic system, which controls memory and emotions. When you smell chocolate chip cookies, your brain feels good because it thinks happy thoughts and experiences yummy memories.
When you cook and bake, you end up with something you can feed to your family or friends. Nourishing your loved ones can be therapeutic because you create value for yourself. You also can get out of your head, which can reduce feelings of depression, stress, and anxiety. Mental health professionals often recommend baking to people who are experiencing grief, too.
But, if you do decide to cook to make yourself feel better, keep it simple. One of the least therapeutic activities is preparing for a large party or holiday. Make something for the sake of making it, not to prove that you can cook all of the recipes in a Julia Child cookbook.
Write in Your Journal
For many people, writing in a journal is therapeutic. Mental health providers suggest that their patients take time to write in a journal to work through their thoughts. Some people use journaling to clear their heads and work through emotions. They can also use journaling to better understand their own struggles with anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
You can journal in a simple spiral-bound notebook, or you can write in a beautiful leather-bound journal. You can write with your favorite ink pen or with a plethora of colorful felt-tip markers. There are so many options to customize your experience and make yourself feel better.
Researchers who studied the mental health benefits of journaling made some recommendations. They include writing in a distraction-free space and doing it at least once per day. You should take time to reflect when you finish writing. You do not need an agenda when you write; you simply write.
You should not worry about your grammar or spelling; you write what you want to write. Finally, you do not have to share your work. It is only for you.
Researchers found that writing in a journal offered several health benefits. They saw an increase in cognitive functioning. They also found that people who journaled regularly stopped thinking about an action; instead, they took action. They also had a stronger immune system after regular journaling. They also found that they reacted better to unexpected situations.
Wear Your Favorite Outfit
When you are feeling down, you might be inclined to put on your loosest sweatpants and baggiest sweatshirt. Yes, you’ll be comfortable, but you might not feel very good about yourself. Those baggy clothes might make you feel lazy. If you want to feel great, put on an outfit that makes you look great.
Researchers found that happy women wore their favorite clothes and jewelry. Those who didn’t feel good wore clothes that weren’t necessarily beautiful, but were baggy and comfortable. The idea is that women put more effort into their appearance when they felt good. They match their clothes to their emotions.
If you want to feel better, try to match your emotions with your outfit. You know what you look good in, so put it on and feel good about yourself. When you wear your favorite outfits, you improve your performance because you have more self-esteem. When you put on your favorite clothes, you get out of your mind and into the external world.
Exercise and Endorphins
Study after study continues to find the same things about exercise: it improves the mood. Recent research found that it only takes a 15-minute walk to improve the mood. That research was conducted on people who used a fitness tracker to report their movement objectively. People who move are less likely to develop a major depressive disorder.
It didn’t matter what type of moving people did, it could be hours in the gym or 15 minutes around the shopping mall. The key is to move.
The struggle is for people who need to feel better. It can be tough to feel like moving. So, people who do not feel good do not go to the gym or outside to take a walk. But, this is when you need it the most.
Regular physical activity improves self-esteem. And, your body releases endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that change the way pain is perceived. Endorphins make you feel energized and euphoric. They also reduce feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression.
Unfortunately, endorphins do fade, which is why some people become addicted to exercising. They want to feel the runner’s high, and they know exercising brings it.
It is important to know that exercise will not cure mental health disorders like depression or anxiety. But, it can serve as a treatment. If you want to feel better, you should try to exercise at least two or three times per week for at least 20 minutes. But, do not get down on yourself if you cannot do that every week.
If you want to exercise regularly, find an exercise you love. That way, it will feel like fun, not work. You will look forward to it. Add it to your schedule, so you do it. Eventually, exercise can become a part of your life, and you will feel better about yourself.
Read a Book
Reading is underappreciated, especially for people who want to feel better. When you get lost in a good book, you actually become a better person. Reading can improve your sleep, reduce your levels of stress, and offer a way to escape reality.
The benefits of reading are numerous. Researchers found that readers are smarter than non-readers. They also have reduced levels of stress, especially when reading a good book that gets you out of reality for a while. Reading can soothe people who need to be calmed. It also improves memory, writing ability, and conversational skills.
Clean Your Home
Some people find themselves cleaning when they feel excessive amounts of stress or anxiety. Researchers found that cleaning the house provides people with an outlet for their anxiety. Cleaning gives them control over their environment and reduces tension in the short term.
Researchers also found that people with cluttered homes can be easily frustrated trying to find everyday things. Women who had homes that were cluttered often found themselves feeling depressed. On the flip side, people with organized and clean households did not feel as sad.
Cleaning also serves as a ritual, which is something that can calm people who feel stressed. There is so little that we can control in our lives. But, when we clean, we are managing our environment, which is soothing for people, even without realizing it. A clean house makes residents feel safe.
Watch Funny Videos
You can quickly change your mood and feel better when you watch funny videos. When you watch the videos, do nothing else. Just watch the videos. Let yourself be immersed in them and let yourself laugh. If you can watch them with other people, you might find yourself feel even better than if you watch them by yourself.
When other people laugh, you will find yourself laughing even more. Sharing a laugh feels great. Laughter in the short term and long term is beneficial. In the short term, laughter increases your intake of oxygen, which feeds your organs. It makes your heart beat faster, moving blood through your veins. All that freshly oxygenated blood soothes your anxiety.
In the long term, laughter improves your mood and your immune system. When you have too much negativity in your life, your body’s chemical reactions decrease your body’s ability to fight off illness. But, with regular laughter, your body produces endorphins and makes the body feel better. Laughter also helps you connect with people, which also makes you feel better.
When you watch funny videos on YouTube, you aren’t relying on someone you know to make you laugh. You can look around the web and find exactly what makes you laugh. No one judges you, especially if you watch the videos on your mobile phone or personal computer. You can watch as many as you need and get recommendations for more.
Hang Out With Friends
Researchers found that having friends will make you enjoy life and feel better. When you are feeling down, call your friends and schedule a get-together. You can call one or call them all. Even if you don’t feel like calling them, do it. You will feel better talking to one of them on the phone.
When researchers studied the health benefits of friendships, they found that friends did more than make us feel good. They helped us cope with trauma, improved our self-confidence, and reduced stress. They also helped make healthy choices.
The challenge isn’t to have a big group of friends but to have deep, meaningful friendships. It can be difficult for adults to find friends and keep them. So, if you have one, nurture the relationship, so you both feel good. Spend time together and work on meeting new people.
Researchers also found that friendships improve health and can reduce the risk of developing chronic problems like depression and high blood pressure. Adults with friends tend to live longer than people who do not have any.
Volunteer Your Time
If you want to feel better quickly, find a place to volunteer. When you volunteer, you take your mind off of what is bothering you, and you spend time with people. Serving others will make you and those you serve to feel better. You become a part of something bigger, and you see the immediate impact of your service.
Many times, people who volunteer start to see that their life is good. They realize that they have food, shelter, and other good things in their lives. They recognize that their problems are small, especially when compared to issues like poverty, homelessness, and animal overpopulation. Stress fades away, and joy takes its place.
When you get involved in your community, you get involved with people. If you ever feel lonely, getting involved in your community will reduce loneliness. You become part of a village, and that feels pretty darn good.
Practicing compassion is another benefit of volunteering. You are helping people just for the sake of helping people. They will be grateful, and you will be, too. When you treat people with compassion, you learn to treat yourself with kindness. You see that your life is valuable, and you learn to respect your place in the world. This feels really good.
Do a Random Act of Kindness
If you don’t have a place to volunteer, you can do something nice for a random person. It might not be the same as volunteering in your community. But, when you do something kind, you will feel good.
Something that is always nice is paying for someone’s food at a drive-through window. Go to your favorite fast-food restaurant and go through the drive-through. Place your order, pay for your order, then wait at the window. When the person behind you orders, pay for it. Then drive off. You do not need to be thanked. The person behind you will be so happy, and that’s enough.
Something else you could do is put money in a vending machine, but don’t buy anything. This way, someone else can get something free out of the machine. Imagine how happy you would be if you found money in a vending machine.
If you want to do something free, you can let someone pass you in a grocery store aisle. The person behind you will be grateful and might pass on the kindness.
When you do something nice for someone, you spread positivity. This makes the world around you a happier place, and you will feel better about yourself. Random acts are easy to do, and many of them are free.
Go To Your Favorite Restaurant
Eating can feel good. If you are feeling down, get out of the house and go to your favorite restaurant. Order your favorite meal and eat it slowly. Savor the sensations that you feel while you smell, chew, and taste your food. Leave your phone in your car, and just be there with your favorite food in one of your favorite environments.
If you think it is odd to eat by yourself, get over it and enjoy your own company. Just be with yourself and your food. You are enough, and eating alone at your favorite restaurant will prove that to yourself.
Go to a Farmer’s Market
Unfortunately, not everyone has this option. But, you do, go. Visiting your local farmer’s market will load your senses. Put on comfortable shoes, grab your reusable bag, and stroll through the farmer’s market. Check out the produce and the crafts. Smell the flowers and talk to the farmers.
Grocery stores can be stressful environments, with long lines and too many people. In a grocery store, people are in a hurry. Children are often crying because they want out of shopping carts. But, not at a farmer’s market. The open-air environment is refreshing and relaxing.
If you really want to feel good at the farmer’s market, buy things that make you feel good. If you love berries, buy them. If you want flowers, buy some. The prices are reasonable, and you are helping your local farmers. They need you. So, when you shop at a farmer’s market, you are supporting the little guy, not the big corporation. That feels good, too.
Take a Nap
For many people, the ultimate feel-good activity is taking a nap. Many people do not get enough sleep. The siesta in the middle of the day is underestimated. If you can, lay down on the couch or in your bed, and catch some z’s. Even better, if you’ve got a hammock outside, try taking a nap there.
The trick is to not sleep for too long. Many people feel better after a 15- or 20-minute nap rather than a long nap that lasts more than an hour. But, if you need it, take a long nap. When you need to make yourself feel better, do what feels best.