1. Pamper yourself 

A great way to lift your mood and to make yourself feel better when you are feeling blue is to pamper yourself a little. Doing something nice for yourself is a great way to make yourself feel better because it will make you feel more relaxed and calm. This is because when you do something nice for yourself, you forget about feeling glum and you can focus on feeling good once again. Self care means different things to different people, so you may have different ways of pampering yourself than other people. For example, a lot of people like to have a nice hot bath, do a face mask and read a good book to indulge and to make themselves feel better. Other people may like to eat their favourite food or go and buy a nice outfit to pamper themselves a little bit, so you should do whatever you need to do to pamper yourself. If it makes you happy, then mentally you should feel a little bit better as well. 

2. Do some exercise 

When you exercise, your body creates endorphins which is the chemical that makes you feel happy, so it can make you feel better when you are feeling down. This is why so many health experts recommend that to be at your physical peak you need to have a combination of a good diet and exercise incorporated into your daily routine. Even if you lead a busy life and you can’t afford to spend time at the gym every day, adding just 30 minutes of exercise a day can make you feel better about yourself. Another great thing about exercise is that it can be a great distraction when you are stressed out, because you have to focus on something else for a little while, and will help you to forget about your problems for a while. Exercise is also great for self esteem and helps you to feel better about yourself and your body. If you exercise regularly, your body will get fitter and more toned, and you will like the way that you look better than when you are overweight. So if you want to be mentally healthy, you have to be physically healthy, too. Remember that you are not doing this to avoid guilt tripping but rather you are doing this for yourself. Stay focused on making yourself better through being physically healthy and do away from negativity.

3. Eat something good 

Different foods have been proven to lift your mood and make you feel better, so you should try to add them to your diet where you can. Fruits like berries and bananas that are full of natural sugars, vitamins and antioxidants are great to incorporate into your diet because they make you feel great, and less prone to stress and inflammation. There have also been studies that have found a link between eating fruits and vegetables and lowering your risk of depression, so they can really change how you feel mentally if you eat a lot of these foods. Something else that is great for lifting your mood when you are feeling down is dark chocolate, as it has been proven to boost brain activity and it is high in natural sugars, which make you feel good when you eat it. No one is saying that if you’ve had a bad day that you can’t have a cheeseburger and some fries to make yourself feel better, but don’t make a habit of eating things that are bad for you because it can seriously affect your mood and your overall mental health over a period of time.

4. Speak to a professional 

There is no shame in admitting that you are feeling down and that you need to speak to someone about your mental health. You should always think about seeing a counsellor or a psychologist when you are feeling down, anxious or frustrated over a long period of time. This is because they are trained professionals who can help you to get to the root of your problems so that you can deal with them in the best way possible. Mental health providers such as New Vision Psychology are professionals at dealing with people who need help with their mental health. There will always be someone available to listen to you and support you when you are going through issues with your mental health, but if you talk to a professional they can give you some strategies to help you deal with your problems.  

5. Connect with other people

Even though a lot of people like to stay away from others when they are feeling down, getting some social interaction is a great way to improve your mental health. People who are socially isolated are more likely to feel depressed and have other mental health problems, so you should try to talk to others regularly when you are feeling blue. Having regular interactions with other people also gives you a sense of purpose and something to live for, which can help people feel like they are valued and needed even if they are in the pit of despair. Even in trying times, when it can be hard to connect with people face-to-face, just talking on the phone or having a video chat with some of your friends or family can really boost your mood and make you feel a bit better. So if you are feeling sad and need a bit of a lift, you should try to reach out and talk to someone you love.