Recommendations for broad lifestyle changes don’t do a whole lot of good when you’re feeling terrible today and looking for some immediate relief.
You can start working toward those goals, but there are some quicker fixes that can help you feel a bit better right now.
While the idea that Blue Monday is the most depressing day of the year has been dismissed by experts as a myth, that doesn’t mean most of us couldn’t use a happiness boost on a cold Monday in January — or any day, for that matter.
Get some movement in — even a short walk will do
We’ve all heard of a runner’s high and that exercise releases endorphins, making it a great tool against depression.
But finding the motivation to go for a run or hit the gym when you’re down in the dumps can be a tall order. Fortunately, you don’t actually need to work out that hard to get the benefits.
Doing just 10 minutes of physical activity can make a difference, according to research published by scientists at the University of Michigan in Journal of Happiness Studies in 2018.
The researchers also found that the type of physical activity doesn’t matter, with stretching and balancing exercises proving just as effective as aerobic ones.
Intensity, too, isn’t a determining factor: People who jog and walk both get the same happiness benefits from their movement.
Take a nap — just a little one
It’s not just kids who get cranky when they’re tired.
Not getting enough sleep can raise your risk of depression and can also make it easier for bad memories to pop into your head while you’re awake.
Experts consistently recommend getting seven to nine hours a night, so if you fell short last night and are feeling irritable, sad or otherwise moody, there’s a good chance that neglecting bedtime is at least partly to blame.
But you don’t have to wait until tonight to start fresh: Power naps can help, but they shouldn’t be too long.
A 2017 study found that people who took short naps were happier than those who took long ones or didn’t nap at all.
UCLA Health recommends sticking to short snoozes between 20 and 30 minutes.
Go enjoy some green space
Getting in that 10 minutes of movement? Best to try it in a park with lots of grass and trees for an additional mood upgrade.
A 2017 study of 36 women found that visiting a green environment in a city was associated with lower blood pressure and lower heart rate. Several other studies have shown that green environments reduce stress, and green space in urban environments in particular are linked to happiness.
In fact, research by the University of Wisconsin suggests that green space can have a bigger impact on happiness than money.
Practice gratitude
Hold your eye roll over the cheesiness factor for a moment — though taking time to think intentionally about things you are grateful for can feel a bit woo-woo, there’s lots of science to back it up.
A 2012 study found that people who wrote letters of gratitude were happier and had more life satisfaction, while a 2003 experiment showed that people who kept a gratitude list showed “heightened well-being.”
“Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits,” wrote the study’s authors.
You can go about this in a few ways. The traditional route is to keep a gratitude journal and jot down a few things you’re grateful for — that can include big-picture things like your health or a loved on, or smaller things that made you feel good like the yummy cookie you just ate.
Be generous
Whether it’s giving money to charity, volunteering or simply helping a neighbor, generosity has been linked to happiness within the brain.
“You don’t need to become a self-sacrificing martyr to feel happier. Just being a little more generous will suffice,” said Professor Phillipe Tobler of the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, whose study mapped how the brain responds to generous acts.
Giving just a few bucks to a cause you care about or performing a small act of kindness can have you feeling a bit better.
“At least in our study, the amount spent did not matter,” Tobler told Time. “It is worth keeping in mind that even little things have a beneficial effect — like bringing coffee to one’s office mates in the morning.”
