15 Mood Boosting Activities To Improve Your Mood

If you’re looking to improve your mood, the first thing I want to share is that having a wide range of emotions in life is completely normal. No one ever feels happiness all the time, even if it looks that way.

Experiencing feelings of joy, happiness, gratitude, peace and empowerment are moods we wish to have. However, without feelings of sadness, boredom, grief and overwhelm, those “good” feelings may go unnoticed.

So, if you’ve been struggling with a low mood I’m happy to share that there are so many things you can do to lift your spirits.

Below I’m sharing mood boosting activities to help you in the moment, as well as over the long term. You’ll find:

8 long-term mood boosters
5 immediate mood boosters
3 things to avoid to lift your mood

15 Mood Boosting Activities To Improve Your Mood

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8 Long-Term Mood Boosters

These mood boosting activities are things you can start today that provide long term improvement to your mood and mental health.

1. Mood Tracking

Identify the activities that boost your mood and the triggers that lower your mood. This is so you can make a connection between the two.

You will soon notice activities that make you feel good and other activities that do the opposite.

This is really the basis for mood tracking – so you can do more of what gives you positive emotions, happiness and peace, and less of what brings you down.

Here are 2 mood tracking resources you can choose from to get started:

Today I Choose Joy Mood Tracker Journal – This cute journal has mood tracking, inspiring quotes, reflection pages and colouring pages. Grab a copy HERE!
Printable Mood Tracker & Reflection Pages – access here!

2. Practice Gratitude

When you get in the habit of practicing gratitude, you’ll begin to notice everyday little things that naturally lift your mood.

Having gratitude can literally change the neural structures in the brain, making you feel happier and more content.

One of the best ways to get started with gratitude is with journaling.

Here are 2 things I recommend trying so you can see which one works best for you.

3 Things Journaling: Write 3 things you’re grateful for every morning or evening. Grab a journal or download this free gratitude journal template.
Gratitude journal prompts: Using guided journal prompts is perfect to help you dig deeper into gratitude in various areas of life. You can check out the journal prompts here or pick up my cute gratitude journal that also comes with quotes and colouring pages.

3. Rescue a Pet

The act alone of rescuing a pet, whether it’s a dog, cat, bunny, bird or reptile provides true satisfaction, purely knowing you’re giving an animal a good home.

Looking after an animal also gives you daily happiness, even when times are tough. Especially if you’re a dog owner (or another animal who acts like a dog). They give you unconditional love and you get to receive the great joy of walking in the door to another being who’s genuinely ecstatic that you exist.

You are their whole world and they love you unconditionally.

Also, if you’re ever having very low days, you know they need to be looked after and this helps get you up.

Tending to and caring for a pet gives you a sense of purpose and responsibility that can get you through the hard stuff.

And even when things feel impossible, these little moments of joy that animals provide mean everything. So, always stop and appreciate what they give.

Afterall, I think it’s animals that rescue us, not the other way around.

4. Volunteer

Similar to rescuing a pet, volunteering also helps improve your mood, simply by helping someone. Let’s face it, it feels good to help people and to know you’re making a difference.

Whether you formally volunteer for an organization or do small acts of kindness in your community, the result is the same… helping others and creating some intentional joy and satisfaction in your life.

Examples of places you can volunteer:

Food bank
Community centre
Local sports league
Hospital
Animal shelter
Homeless shelter
Community gardens
Seniors home
Big Brother, Big Sister’s organization
Church
Summer camp
Arts festival
Cultural organizations

To find volunteer opportunities in your community just search online and you’ll find a ton.

5. Strengthen Your Relationships

The longest study ever run on happiness, concludes that the most important thing that impacts happiness is our relationships.

These don’t have to be romantic relationships – this applies to all relationships.

These healthy relationships can be with family members, friends, a spouse, son, daughter, brother, or sister. The key is to have a strong bond with someone.

If you’re interested in diving deep, check out this interview on Diary of a CEO with Dr. Robert Waldinger who ran the study…

6. Get More Sleep

This is a bit of a no brainer – we all know sleep is good for us… for our overall health and wellbeing, including our mood.

Yet, we spend too much time scrolling on our phones late at night and we carry more stress than ever and this impacts our sleep.

Getting a good night’s sleep can feel challenging so I encourage you to do the following…

👉 See if you can try a new simple bedtime routine this week. Choose 3 of the following items to add to your routine and see how it helps your sleep.

Have a hot shower or bath
Go to bed at the same time every night
No screens one hour before bed
Have a cozy bedtime warm drink
Read a book
Make sure the temperature of your room is ideal for optimum sleep – between 15.6°C and 18.3°C (60°F to 65°F)
Journal before bed
Diffuse lavender essential oil to enjoy its calming effects
Try a noise machine (if you’re like me and need sound to sleep – this is the one I use and love. It has over 20 white noise and fan sounds which drowns out any other noises that might keep you awake.
Make a to-do list for tomorrow. This prevents you from waking up trying to remember what you need to be doing.
Stretch your body

7. Eat Healthy

Easier said that done right especially if you feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Well, first eating healthy is not about perfection. Where’s the joy in that?

I asked a personal trainer ages ago, “How can I eat healthier? I find it so hard”.

What she said really stuck with me. She recommended not looking at removing things from my diet, but instead focus on adding healthy ingredients to my meals.

Specially look for ways to add more fruit, veg, healthy protein and fibre to each meal and snack.

According to this article from HealthPartners, these foods are known to directly boost your mood – so give them a try…

Dark leafy greens help you relax
Nuts & seeds supply zinc and selenium which help maintain proper brain function and ward off depression
Dark chocolate to clear your head (yes – it’s always healthy to eat chocolate!!)
Fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha and sauerkraut improve your gut health… and gut health is directly linked to healthy brain function.
Foods with Omega 3 Fatty Acids – great sources include nori, walnuts, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds and edamame. You can also take an omega 3 supplement with DHA and EPA

8. Go To Therapy

I’m a firm believer that absolutely everyone can benefit from getting professional help to improve their mood and overall emotional wellbeing.

There are so many different types of therapy available. Something that might work for me, won’t for you, so I always recommend doing a little research on what you hope to get out of therapy before you decide on what path to take.

There are different types of therapy based on what you need help with as well and often there are the options of 1on1 and group therapy.

👉 A great resource to find a therapist in your area is Psychology Today.

5 Immediate Mood Boosters

If you’re looking to improve your mood quickly try one of these feel-good mood boosting techniques…

9. Make Therapeutic Herbal Tea

If you’re already a tea lover you’ll know that drinking tea can feel good in itself. As you slowly sip your favourite brewed blend, it provides a feeling that encapsulates you like a warm hug.

Did you know that certain herbs have been scientifically proven to literally boost your mood?

In this study, which did research on medicinal plants used for anxiety, depression, or stress treatment, found the following…

Lavender Can Help with Anxiety and Stress

In a 6-week trial, lavender was compared to Lorazepam (a prescription anxiety medication), and it performed similarly without the sedative effects or addiction potential.

Lavender has properties that promote calmness so enjoying this before bedtime is also ideal to promote better sleep and reduce nighttime rumination.

Valerian Root can be helpful for Sleep & Anxiety Improvements

Multiple studies looking at a variety of health conditions including OCD, anxiety, depression, restless leg syndrome and more.

All found significant improvements in sleep and anxiety when taking valerian root..

👉 You can typically find lavender and valerian tea in health food stores or online… Lavender Tea | Valerian Root Tea

Note: Always check with your doctor or naturopath to make sure herbs are safe for you and have no drug interactions.

10. Get Exercise

Regular exercise is so powerful in boosting your mood, that I’m actually part of a research study (right now as I write this article).

The study I’m in is for people with depression. There are 10 of us attending a 1-hour personal training workout class twice a week for 10 weeks.

I look forward to seeing the results of this study when it’s ready, but one thing I’ve personally noticed is that…

People leave feeling more upbeat than when they come in
We’re all becoming more confident with our exercises
Our strength is improving which
Everyone seems jovial and friendly
We’re engaging in more social communication in the classes which is providing a great sense of connection
Were having fun

I think we all know how beneficial exercise is – yet so often we don’t prioritize it like we should.

Here are some things you can do to start moving your body more – so you can boost your mood and become stronger.

Look for new ways to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine – take the stairs, go for a brisk walk, do a mini workout while the kettle is boiling, do some weights while watching tv.
Get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes, 3 times a week to start – adding another day each week.
Find an exercise buddy – whether it’s to go to the gym together or a regular walking buddy, being accountable to another person really helps you stay on track and makes it more fun too.
Start a hobby that keeps you fit – gardening, swimming, dancing, pickleball, hiking, kayaking, etc.

Adding regular physical activity to your daily life helps give you a real sense of accomplishment and improves your health, both physically and mentally.

11. Spend Time in Nature

Spending time in nature is one of the simplest ways to improve your overall mood and wellbeing – almost instantly.

According to McMaster University, time in nature specifically…

Feelings of calmness
Reduces irritability
Improves concentration and attention
Reduces anxiety and depression symptoms
Increases endorphin levels and dopamine production, which promotes happiness
Reduces cortisol (the stress hormone)

Action Item: Do your best to get outside everyday – even when it’s cold or rainy.

If you live in a city, time in nature can be going to the park, sitting outside and listening to the birds and noticing the breeze on your face, going for a walk and looking up at trees to see if you can find any critters having fun.

12. Talk to Someone Who Makes You Feel Good

We all have people in our lives that make us feel good and lift our spirits.

These people make us laugh, are understanding, are good listeners or give us an alternative perspective we might need to hear.

If you’re feeling a little down, find negative thoughts taking over or dealing with overwhelm, pick the phone up and call someone you know will make you feel better.

You can even plan for this in advance…

Your to-do: Make a list of people in your life that make you feel-good. Then when you are having a bad day you can easily refer to this list and give one of them a call.

5 Things To Avoid To Improve Your Mood

There are also many things we can avoid in order to be in a better mood.

13. Doom Scrolling on Social Media

We all do it. We pick up our phone for what we think will be for a few minutes and before you know it, 45 minutes of serious doom scrolling has passed, leaving you feeling guilty and lethargic.

Action item: Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes before checking your social media. Hit snooze once if you have to, and then close down that app!

14. Engaging in Negative Conversation

You may know some toxic people in your life who are always focusing on the negative. Ever notice how after spending time talking to them that you feel like the life and soul has been drained from your body?

Well, this is your official permission to create some rules around how you engage with these people.

Here are a few examples:

If they aren’t important to you and you don’t need to engage, cut them out.
If you have to work with these people, stay positive and stick to business conversation only.
If someone in your family is toxic and you want them in your life, tell them you need to stay away from negative conversation as it isn’t good for your mental wellbeing

You can also work with a therapist to help you with this, as it can often be difficult to navigate.

15. Processed Foods + Excessive Sugar, Caffeine & Alcohol

Whether it’s junk food like cookies, processed fast foods, large amounts of caffeine or alcohol – they all have one thing in common… they negatively impact your mental health.

So, as mentioned earlier in this article, look for ways to add healthy foods to your diet, while reducing the bad stuff.

Final Thoughts on Ways To Improve Your Mood

I hope you found these ideas helpful and you can use them as a go-to resource when you’re looking to boost your mood and support mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

And of course, if you combine some of these mood boosting activities you’ll reap the benefits even more!

Note: If you feel like your low mood is negatively impacting your entire life and you don’t feel it’s even possible to try any of these suggestions you could be dealing with depression. I therefore strongly encourage you to speak to your family doctor or see a therapist to get the support you need.

About Yolanda

Website Owner / Content Creator

I’m passionate about helping you live life to the fullest so you can choose to find happiness and purpose. Learn how to CREATE THE LIFE YOU LOVE with intentional living and discovery of the simple things life has to offer. Learn more!