1. Take Deep Belly-breaths

Deep breathing is the quickest and easiest tool to change your state of mind and being.

First of all, it is always available! We are all already doing it all the time. All you need to do is become conscious of it and breathe deeper.

Secondly, you can do it anywhere without making a scene a.k.a. needing to sit cross-legged, close your eyes, and loudly chant OM.

In a line at the grocery? You can do it. Listening to someone at work complain or judge about another coworker? You can do it. You can do it anywhere!

Lastly, it works without even having to think or visualize. Many tools are mental and require a change in the thought process and inner dialogue. With breathing, you just do it, and it cleans and quiets the mind automatically. This is what I love most about it and why it is number one.

All you need to do is take a few (around 5-10) deep, belly-filling breaths, and you will instantly feel calmer, more peaceful, and better in general. When you do a few more deep breaths, you may find that you suddenly don’t know why you were upset or sad in the first place. I’ve found, after taking 20-30 deep breaths, my mind is wiped clean, and I am in awe that I was ever feeling down. It is like it restarts my brain and stops all previous processes that were only slowing it down.

I definitely recommend deep breathing not only as a quick mood boost but used as a regular practice. 

2. Smile

I love this one because it’s another tool that requires no mental effort. It is purely physical.

I didn’t believe this one until I tried it myself. It’s so simple, and it works. All you have to do is smile. That’s it.

When you are feeling depressed or angry, force yourself to smile and hold the smile for 10 seconds or more, and you will feel better. Maybe not fully better immediately, but it will tip the scales, and that is all you need to start the momentum towards feeling happy again.

It’s been tested and researched. Check out this WSJ article about it. I tried it when I was in a very foul and serious mood, and I ended up laughing out loud at myself. I suddenly didn’t take myself so seriously. Even if it feels fake and forced at first, give it a try. In this case, “fake it till you make it,” really rings true.

3. Give Thanks

Being thankful for what you have instead of focusing on what you don’t or what you aren’t is a powerful and quick tool.

I like to begin with the simple yet very important things like air, water, and food. I visualize as I give thanks:

“Thank you for the clean water that I can drink at any time. Thank you for delicious and healthy food that is always available to me. Thank you for this clean air I breath in every moment. Thank you for this body, this mind, this heart. Thank you for this beautiful Earth. Thank you for this gift of life. Thank you for my friends and family.” etc…

This method is ancient. It is in our blood. Giving thanks instantly humbles us and allows us to receive that much more love from the universe.

We tend to take things for granted. It is very enlightening to stop and be grateful for all that we are, have, and what is provided for us in our lives. On that note, I’d like to say something: Thank you.

4. Listen / Dance / Sing to Music

No need to explain music. Crank up your favorite song and jam out! Nothing like a good song to turn that frown upside down. You don’t have to dance or sing along, but it can help.

You also don’t necessarily need music. You can dance or sing with a song playing in your own head.

Hear me out; this might sound silly and too embarrassing, but I’ve been trying it lately and it works wonders. I instantly feel better. Like number 2 with the smiling, you might be forcing yourself at first. But as you dance, your inner state of being will begin to rise to match your outward expression. This goes with singing too. Sing one of your favorite songs and do it loudly. I think the sillier you are, the better. Being silly and embarrassing is the point. If you want enlightenment, all you need to do is lighten up and not take yourself so seriously. It’s hard to take yourself seriously when you are busting out dance moves to silence or singing at the top of your lungs. Do it. I dare you. Extra points If it is in public. I am going to now state the obvious: dancing and singing feel good, there is no doubting that. 

5. Do Physical Activity / Go outside

Go for a run, lift weights, do yoga, walk your dog, stretch in the park, join a pick-up sport’s game… whatever it is, if it gets you moving and/or gets you outside, do it.

I was depressed for a week and all I needed was a long walk outside through the city. While I was walking, I realized I had stayed inside, sitting down, on the computer for the entire previous week! Suddenly it was obvious why I was so depressed.

Taking a walk snapped me out of it.

Several years ago, my good friend was not in a healthy state of mind. He was seriously depressed and had suicidal thoughts. He told me that the one thing that got him out of the darkness he felt trapped in was running. That was his first step.

When he started having really negative thoughts, he would start running, sometimes sprinting. He would just get up and run out the door and down the street. That is what saved him when he was rock bottom.

Running, or any physical exertion, is not only beneficial for your physical health, but for your mental and emotional too.

This one is not as quick as the others, but simply taking a short walk outside, or even stepping outside for a few moments, can be quick and just as effective as the others. Never doubt the therapeutic power of sweat and sunshine.

The Eye Opening shares the author’s profound, personal experience of the sudden opening of his third eye and how it forever changed his life. This book inspires the reader to seek out an experience of their union with the universe in their own heart and provides tools to do so.

Not only is it a testimony of what is possible and what humans’ highest spiritual potential is, but it is also a book of quotes,  revealing 9 spiritual themes that the majority of the world's religious, spiritual, and channeled texts share.

Join the author on his quest for spiritual awakening, as he receives visions, connects ancient methods for attaining self-realization, compares advice from masters, investigates Kundalini Yoga, and shares the path he took that led to his eye-opening glimpse of enlightenment.

Other Articles