No one said it was easy, but improving our mood is also in our power, even when things are not going well or are supposed because there are difficult days for those of us who think negatively and that’s the first big mistake. “If I think it’s going to be a bad day, my head will be directed towards it, I will do things even so that this can happen because it is what I have in mind, it is what I have believed, it is what I will create,” Says psychologist Sara Noheda. In the same way that positivity can be trained “For this, you have to make an effort and be constant because our mind is used to weighing and looking differently,” says psychologist Blanca Tejero Claver, you can also improve your mood with small changes or gestures that can transform a bad day into a much better one.
Listen to a song that you like (as many times as necessary)
It has been proven that music modifies emotions and that, as David Gamella, director of UNIR ‘s Master’s in Music Therapy, explains, “it is the stimulus that makes the most neurological networks work at the same time, it is the richest food for our brain”. Although listening to music daily should be a daily self-care habit, when I have a bad day I put on that song that I like it doesn’t matter if it’s several times because listening to music that we like gives our brain a moment of hiatus. Listening to something that gives us pleasure is a prize and if we sing and dance at the same time, that benefit increases.
Remember positive affirmations
Without falling into the loop of toxic positivity that can happen when you enter an infinite loop of viral affirmations when I have a bad day I think of one of those positive phrases that make me rethink and balance the good and bad aspects of that day. A day that in principle has not started well. As psychologist Sandra Machado confirmed to us, these affirmations are a cognitive tool that helps us improve our state of mind, maintain a positive attitude and can even improve our self- esteem increase. They consist of repeating daily positive phrases about ourselves, our abilities or our aptitudes to be effective, they must be concise, not very long and written in the present tense. So when I have a bad day I try to do that exercise or remember one of those self-esteem quotes that I’ve learned from women I admire and they make me reflect. “I think laughing is the best way to burn calories. I believe in kisses, in kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to go wrong and I think that happy girls are the most beautiful. I believe tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles,” Audrey Hepburn said.
Read or listen to a podcast instead of looking at social media
When I’m having a bad day, diving into the unrealistic perfection that social media can sometimes be is not the best idea. That’s why I try to get away from that habit of checking my networks as if it were as important as checking my email, and I try to find a while to listen to a podcast that I like. Or to read. Reading causes an immediate feeling of well-being because our brain rewards reading as a positive attitude related to desire and pleasure. It is dopamine in its purest form. In addition, reading helps us alleviate anxiety and disconnect from reality.
Watch a series that makes me laugh
The psychologist Andrea Trujillo has long explained to us the emotional benefits of watching a series. “The daily routine does not cause changes in dopamine, but when faced with novel and pleasant situations, such as when we are watching a series, the brain does not stop generating dopamine,” she said. In my case, those days when I’m down, I prefer to choose a comedy or a series that makes me laugh out loud. Although I have seen it many times. They are never enough if it makes me laugh.
Wear a perfume that I like
I still remember when a veteran beauty editor told me that during confinement the only beauty gesture she did not give up for a single day was putting on perfume. There were days when she didn’t wear makeup, but wearing perfume was a comforting doubt that she didn’t want to give up, and it is not surprising, perfumes influence our mood due to their connection with memories and emotions. For this reason, when I have a bad day, I resort to a citrus perfume that puts me in a good mood citrus notes are energizing or a baby or clean-smelling perfume that keeps me in my comfort zone.
take a walk in the sun
The theory says that we need to spend at least two hours a day outdoors to regulate our biological rhythms such as sleep or muscle function. As the specialist in sleep medicine, Javier Albares, states, natural light regulates mood as it influences serotonin levels and if a walk is not possible, I try to go down to the street even if it is only 5 minutes to sunbathe. And I do it looking at the line and without thinking about anything else.
This article was originally published on VOGUE
