Why should you care about your mood, let alone how happy you are? The short answer; the research supports that being in a better mood has positive effects like higher productivity and an increased sense of wellbeing. Being in good mood also has staggering amounts of health benefits including lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. It even can increase your desire to exercise. Why then are a lot people so resistant to exploring ways of putting a smile on their face? That’s easy – it seems like a lot of work! Here are three simple things you can do that will change your mood almost instantly! And you can do it at work, while you talk or even on a walk.
In order to put a smile on your face – put a smile on your face
This may seem overly simple but give it a whirl. When you have a slow part of your day, perhaps lunch or while you are reading emails, put a slight grin on your face for about 2-3 minutes. The research has concluded that you are more likely to have happier thoughts and a better outlook on life. Don’t believe me? Try the opposite. (Also backed up by research.) Put a slight furrow in your brow for 2-3 minutes and see if your thoughts become slightly more negative. If you want a slight variation, do it for 30 seconds at random times throughout your day.
Walk the walk
Walking??? Yes, walking is a physical manifestation of our mood. But did you know it can also enhance our mood as well? While you are walking today, do the following things. Walk with your eyes focused in front of you and avoid looking at the ground. Lift your chin slightly, as this sometimes helps. Walk a little more loosely and swing your arms just slightly more than you normally do. In other words, put a slight bounce in your step. For those of you who want an added challenge, combine the first exercise and walk with a slight grin for up to 15 minutes.
Watch your mouth
What you say can often affect someone’s mood. Think of the last time you accidentally said the wrong thing to your significant other. A fascinating fact is the words you use can also affect your own mood. The research suggests that when we tend to focus on others and then start to do things for others it puts us in a better mood. Here are two challenges. While you are talking to someone, use truly affectionate words as descriptors such as love, like or fond. Be genuine about these comments; really mean them. That’s half the challenge. The other part of the challenge is to focus the conversation away from yourself and more on the person in front of you. Avoid words such as me, myself and I. This is tricky for some of us, not because we are selfish or we think everything is about us. Rather it just happens to be a habit of word choice in our everyday language. Try this new focus in a conversation and remember to be genuine with your statements. Here are a few examples:
- “I love it when you…”
- “I am particularly fond of when Henry does…”
- “Logan, I really like it when…”
All of this takes virtually no time to do and the effects are very noticeable, particularly if you really put some effort into them. For more ideas like these on quick research-based, cool stuff to do to help you be happier, check out some of the exercises in the book 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman.
