10 Ways To Change Your Mood In 60-Seconds Or Less

I tell my clients, “It is OK to lose IT, because you know where to find IT.”

There are many ways to change our mindset overtime. Yet, regardless of how experienced you might be at keeping your cool, all of us can have moments when we just lose our inner peace. The good news is that there are many easy, fast ways to reset your happiness button on the spot.

These are 10 easy ways to reset your system by interrupting thought patterns that are not beneficial to your well-being.

1. CRANK UP THE MUSIC

Create a play list of upbeat music and have it handy. Music is one of the fastest ways to shift your mood. Go ahead and sing along. Singing opens your throat chakra, the avenue of self expression and communication, which might be just what you need.

2. DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING

A dance party when everyone’s system is on the brink of an explosion might seem counter-intuitive, yet it is highly effective, especially with children. In fact, dancing can release fight/flight hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Shaking the body to release stress is a behavior we see in the animal kingdom. For instance, a duck might get into a fight with another duck. Once they are done, they shake their feathers and everyone goes back to doing whatever ducks do. Moving the body to release trauma has been extensively discussed by Peter Levine in his book Waking the Tiger, Healing Trauma.

3. BREATHE

Your breath is your best friend, it brings you quickly into your body. When your attention is centered on your breath, it is removed from your thoughts. One of my favorite breathing practices is the Ujjayi breath (pronounced oo-jai), also known as ‘Ocean Breath’ or ‘Victorious Breath’ (or the “Darth Vader breath” ;-)). Ujjayi is a breathing technique in which both inhalation and exhalation are done through the nose. The Ujjayi breath brings a sense of focus and calm by activating the vagus nerve, which in turn engages the parasympathetic response of the autonomic nervous system.

In this post I share a short video demo of the Ujaii breath and more about the science of this remarkable practice. This breath is highly beneficial for anyone who is experiencing depression, anxiety, insomnia, digestive conditions, or is in the middle of something stressful or intense… such as childbirth and parenting.

4. SMILE

Smiling releases endorphins, the feel-good hormones, into your bloodstream. This endorphin release is triggered by the movement of the muscles in your face. These naturally produced chemicals affect how your brain responds to pain and stress. Endorphins have a lot in common with prescription anti-anxiety drugs and opiate painkillers. You don’t have to feel like smiling to reap the benefits of a smile. Go ahead, turn the corners of your lips towards your ears… and you can start to reap the benefits of those feel-good hormones!

5. LAUGH

There is a lot of truth to the saying: “Laughter is the best medicine.” A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after. Besides all the emotional and psychological benefits, laughter has anti-inflammatory effects that protect blood vessels and heart muscles from cardiovascular disease. Laughter also decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

Laughter Therapy and Laughter Yoga are two research-based healing tools found beneficial in cancer treatment and improving all kinds of conditions. Norman Cousins, after being given a few months to live and experiencing debilitating physical pain, found that 10 minutes of belly laughs would give him two hours of pain-free sleep. In fact, nothing else, not even morphine, could help him. With the aid of laughter, Cousins was able to heal from a life-threatening condition and outlived his doctor’s death sentence.

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” – E. E. Cummings

6. SMELL THE ROSES -OR THE LAVENDER

Our sense of smell is directly connected to the brain and therefore to our nervous system. Aromatherapy is a well known treatment used to reduce stress and tension. Different scents can evoke memories and images from happier times. Lavender is a favorite scent for inducing relaxation. Have your favorite scents handy, or just smell a fresh lemon for a fast pick me up. Can you smell that lemon now?

7. JUMP

Jumping is a quick mood lifter and immune booster. There is no way that a person can jump and stay in a bad mood! I have a rebounder (a mini trampoline) in the middle of my tiny apartment and take regular rebounder breaks throughout the day. Besides the mood lifting effects, rebounding moves the lymph system supporting immune function (great for healthy boobs), increases bone mass and exercises the whole body. For more benefits read here. After using a few cheap ones, I decided to invest on a Bellicon and both my husband and I are in love with it. It has a soft bounce and it’s very quiet.

8. APPRECIATE EVERYTHING

This is the best Rampage of Appreciation I have ever heard! Look around and see how many things you can be thankful for in 60-seconds. Spend a moment reflecting on each thing that comes to mind. Say it out loud for greater benefits. For more ideas, listen to Abraham Hicks’ Rampage of Appreciation.

9. GET SOME SUN

Go outside, breathe some fresh air and put your toes in the Earth. Research shows that connecting to the Earth’s electrical energy promotes physical well being. Also, every cell in the body has vitamin D receptors and the sun is the best source of this nutrient. Go outside and recharge your battery!

10. MEDITATE

YES, ONE minute counts! Meditation is the most transformational experience I have encountered in my life. It has been proven to reduce stress, improve concentration, increase self-awareness, release anxiety and depression, increase happiness and lots more. To meditate means “to make aware” and when we begin to meditate the first thing we become aware off is our thoughts.

Often people say that they cannot meditate because they have too many thoughts. The fact that you are aware of your thoughts is already a meditation win! Read more about my experience with my thoughts.

“Clearing your mind is impossible unless you’re enlightened… Congratulation! or dead… I’m sorry.” -Dan Harris

Some of my favorite meditation resources:

Dr Joe Dizpenza – my husband and I have been practicing meditation time on-and-off for many years. In December of 2016 we made the commitment to practice Dr. Joe’s meditations every day and we haven’t missed a day! We highly recommend his work to anyone experiencing any physical or emotional condition.

Insight Timer – this is a fantastic free phone app with over 15,000 meditations and growing. You can find one-minute meditations here or just a timer with bells. Search by length, teachers or topics until you find what the moment needs!

10% Happier, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics – Outstanding resource for new and experienced meditators. “Dan Harris is a fidgety, skeptical ABC newsman who had a panic attack live on Good Morning America, which led him to something he always thought was ridiculous: meditation. He wrote the bestselling book “10% Happier: Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics” and has a great phone app and a podcast.