The following tips are brief and basic but are very effective even if you do one of them per day, or you do one or more when you are feeling down: You might find some of these more attractive to you than others.
1. Interact/socialise with people (or pets), particularly people you enjoy being around.
2. Let unhelpful thoughts be or pass without dwelling on them or getting into a wrestle with them.
3. Everyday identify at least 1 thing that you are grateful for and focus on that during the day.
4. Live in the here and now, and enjoy what you are doing and what’s around you right now.
5. Do something for others ie say thank you for something they do, give them a gift, help them with something, or perform a random act of kindness.
6. Exercise (eg go for a walk) especially with another person whose company you enjoy (this boosts several ‘feel good’ chemicals).
7. Do something you enjoy or that makes you feel good about yourself.
8. Do something new or different (this stimulates the production of chemicals that make you feel more alert and alive).
9. Identify and then focus on your strengths or things you like about yourself
10.Listen to music that uplifts you or increases your energy.
11.Forgive yourself if you are feeling guilty or judging yourself.
12.If you are feeling helpless, focus on things you can change or control and accept what you can’t (there are always plenty of things you can change or control if you think broadly)
13.If there is a feeling bothering you such as anger, sadness, guilt …… write about the feeling or talk it through with someone.
14.Change your body language (posture, stance, head level, eye gaze) or activity level, to how you act and what you do when you are feeling happy and alive.
15.Think of a memory from the past when you felt, happy, safe or loved and immerse yourself in the memory.
The more of these you do and the more frequently you do them the greater the potential for you to feel better about yourself and your life. Sometimes it’s a matter of doing them whether you feel like it or not, or whether you think they will work or not and even a small improvement in your mood is worthwhile.