Bad moods tend to sneak up on us and trying to maintain a positive attitude can feel like an uphill battle at times especially, when all of the negative energy has completely drained you.

Whether it is a stressful day at work, a bad test grade or an argument with a friend, there are many ways you can improve your mood.

“Whenever I am having a bad day or want to clear my mind I always turn to working out as a way to improve my mood,” Coppell High School senior Natalie Barker said. “You are clearing your mind while working on yourself, it’s a win win opportunity.”

Fitness Magazine writer Mary Pritchard recently stated that exercise has been proven to help individuals think clearer and make better decisions. Exercise activates a part of your brain called your ventral prefrontal cortex which is important for decision making as well as emotional processing. That part of the brain also helps us process negative emotions in order to stay focused on the positive. Not only can exercise improve your mood but also your health, preventing high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis.

Venting helps restore equilibrium and lightens your mood when you are able to expose your emotions and have someone acknowledge your feelings.  

“I would say a common trend I see in my patients is that they keep everything to themselves” Plano therapist Nazanin Farahmand said. “They have trouble allowing themselves to talk about their feelings or problems because they keep everything bottled inside, but people need to understand that talking to someone can lift weight off their shoulders.”

Simple actions, such as rearranging furniture, can affect someone’s day. Inner and outer harmony happens when pieces of furniture are placed in a way that makes sense and provides satisfaction. Designing is an opportunity for artistry and comfort. When you change your personal space, you hone your aesthetic and identify what you truly love and need.

“Write down your feelings, go outside, make time for the ones you love, but most importantly remember to take care of yourself and put yourself first from time to time because we often forget what makes us happy when we are caught up in this thing called life,” Farahmand said.

A few of my suggestions:

• Surrounding yourself with friends and family

Focusing on building friendships with people and being able to build relationships is important for one’s well being.

• Listening to upbeat music

Creating soundtracks of your favorite upbeat songs and listening to them when you are feeling down can improve your mood, especially when you are making a conscious effort to improve your mood.

• Singing along to songs

Researchers have discovered that singing releases endorphins, which is associated with feelings of pleasure and elation. It also releases oxytocin, a hormone that has been found to alleviate anxiety.

• Meditate

Although it might not be for everyone, meditating is a way people take a mini-retreat from the world, which is something that is needed when the world is getting you down. Meditation releases endorphins, causing the production of serotonin which is associated with happiness and relaxation.

Although we don’t all like the same things, we can all agree that we become helpless when life brings us down. Try living your best life with the simple things you can do to lighten up your bad day.