10 Mood Boosting Rituals

When people think of their mood, they often think of just being in a good mood or a bad mood. But there is a lot in between these two extremes. Things like stress, daily habits, physical stress, and other factors that go into how you feel. 

If you feel like you don’t have balanced moods, or you are constantly one extreme or another, it might be time to take a look at your habits, daily routines, and how you spend your time. Your behaviors have such a large impact on your moods and how you feel. 

What Causes Shifts in Your Mood?

Various things can influence your mood in daily life, including things outside of your control. The more you understand about mood changes, the more you can decide what lifestyle changes will help the best with your mood-boosting rituals.

Some causes of shifts to your mood include:

Stress–Probably one of the most common causes is stress. This can be severe stress where you expect your mood to change, but also very mild forms of emotional stress that you didn’t realize had such a big impact on how you feel and behave overall.

Mental health–Many mental health disorders can lead to changes in your mood, including anxiety and depression. If you struggle with your mental health, you might already be aware of how drastically your mood can shift.

Sleep habits–Yes, how much and how well you sleep is going to affect your mood! We aren’t just talking about having a crappy night’s sleep and not feeling your best the next morning. This also includes just poor sleep hygiene habits that affect your mood the next day.

Diet–What you will see throughout this content is that what you eat can greatly affect how you feel. What you choose to eat most of the time makes a big difference in your mood.

Medical causes–Your mood can be affected by medical causes like hormone fluctuations, thyroid disorders, stroke, vitamin deficiency, and diabetes.

Alright, so let’s get to some mood boosting rituals:

1. Morning Journaling Routine

Let’s talk a little about the morning routine. This is one of those trending topics that people think are just popular right now and will be gone before we know it, but that isn’t true at all. 

You have a morning routine now, whether you consciously realize it. You probably have certain tasks you like to get done shortly after waking up, such as brushing your teeth, taking a shower, walking your dogs, making your kids breakfast, or stumbling out of bed and rushing out the door to get to work.

We are not trying to invent the wheel with your morning routine, but just add a few activities in your morning that will improve your day and your mood. 

One of the best activities you can do during your morning routine is to write in a journal. There are many ways this can help you, but one of our personal favorites is with a brain dump.

What is a brain dump?

This simply means you write whatever is on your mind, and keep writing until you feel you have gotten through all those nagging thoughts. Your mood fluctuations might be from stress or just feeling overwhelmed. Your thoughts can do that without you even realizing it.

By doing this type of brain dump in the morning, you get those thoughts out on paper to help release some of the tension, but also gain a little more clarity.

2. Improve Your Sleep Hygiene

The next most important thing you can do each day when you want to boost your mood naturally is to get better sleep. And we aren’t just talking about how many hours you sleep, though that is definitely important.

You want to focus on proper sleep hygiene, which is simply the nighttime routine you have before you go to sleep. 

Here are some things you can add to your sleep routine that will help you get more restful sleep and balance your mood at the same time:

With these few changes, you notice you fall asleep a little easier, and you don’t wake up exhausted and cranky.

3. Pay Attention to What You Eat

This might not be what you want to hear, but what you eat makes a difference in how you feel, including mentally. Foods with lots of sugar and refined carbs give short-term energy but lead to an energy crash and worse mood later.. 

When it comes to eating right, you want to focus on balance and proper nutrients. Not being on a restrictive diet, but just trying to get in more complex carbs, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and lean protein.

4. Move Your Body Every Day

Besides eating right, try to get some regular exercise in. This isn’t about completing a tough fitness challenge or forcing yourself to do something you don’t like..

You should find workouts that will move your body, motivate and excite you, and that you truly enjoy.. They promote mental wellness and improve mood, while also benefiting physical health..

Some exercises try include are:

5. Practice Gratitude

When you appreciate the blessings in your life, instead of focusing on what you don’t have, your mood will change practically overnight. No matter how difficult things might feel right now, there are always things to be grateful for. You can be grateful for the people who love and support you, a good job, a home, pets or family, or even just a morning cup of coffee.

To improve your mood every day, start writing 5-10 things you are grateful for in your journal. Turn this into a daily ritual that you do every morning or evening, and you will notice the changes very quickly.

6. Make Self-Care a Priority

Self-care is so much more than people realize, and often misunderstood. To put it simply, your self-care routine should be something you do for yourself and only you. At least once a day, you choose some type of activity that you enjoy, that will relax you, and that will make you happy.

While it can be absolutely anything, here are a few ideas if you’re not sure where to start:

It can be something you do alone or with friends. There are no rules about self-care, as long as it makes you feel better and is something you truly enjoy.

7. Declutter and Organize Your Space

Yes, working on your space and getting it organized helps with mood stabilization! Have you ever woken up in a clean and orderly room, and just felt better? Just having a decluttered and clean home makes all the difference. You feel happier, healthier, and more productive.

Spend just a few minutes a day picking up your home and tidying it as much as you can, even if you have a busy schedule.

8. Unplug at Least Once a Day

Take a break from all electronic devices, including computers, laptops, tablets, and cell phones, at least once a day. It’s up to you whether to include television. No phones! You need some time to relax without social media, phone updates, and text messages. This allows you to sit in the quiet and just enjoy your home and family, without all that extra noise. 

9. Set Healthy Boundaries

This is probably one of the more surprising ways you can boost your mood naturally. Sometimes, you have so many expectations and so many people needing things from you that you don’t realize your responsibilities are what is negatively affecting your mood.

It is okay to say no. It’s okay to turn down an invitation. It is okay to not always be the one person people can count on for whatever they need. Set some healthy boundaries and let people know when and if you are available to them. If they love you, they will understand your need for boundaries, just like you respect their boundaries.

10. Get Outside for Fresh Air

Lastly, try to spend more time outside if you can. Fresh air and vitamin D will both benefit your mood and energy levels. Many people don’t get enough vitamin D in their diet, and aren’t outside enough during the day to get it naturally from the sun’s UV rays. The simplest thing is to figure out how you can spend a little more time outside.