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What helps lift your mood when you are feeling increasingly low?

36 replies

Sundaynightterrors · 09/05/2026 22:41

I’ve been feeling low mood for a while and it seems to be getting worse. I just wondered what sort of things you do to try and lift you out of low mood periods in your life

OP posts:
ToRideOrNotToRide · 09/05/2026 22:43

The outdoors (countryside, not city)
Exercise

wombpaloumpba · 09/05/2026 22:45

Agree with getting outdoors. Also limit social media. Talk to someone about how you are feeling, if not someone you know then try a phone line it really does help to talk openly about feelings with the right person

KimonoQueen · 09/05/2026 22:46

Honestly- exercise. Im no natural gym bunny but ive found a gym that suits me and does loads of classes. I book myself in as much as possible and an hour of dance or a group weights session and my mood is lifted.

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GrillaMilla · 09/05/2026 22:47

Give in and have a good cry, just feel it.

Give myself something to look forward to and to focus on.

Go for walks and switch off.

Know it will pass or ease off.

daffydreams · 09/05/2026 22:53

A really long walk, preferably in the sunshine. So long that you feel exhausted.

CharlotteStreetW1 · 09/05/2026 22:54

Off the top of my head, short term...

  • Getting out in nature and tuning into birdsong. It really clears my head. It doesn't have to be a hike up Mount Snowdon, an hour in a park will do.
  • Reading a book that "takes me away from all this".
  • "Seaside tribe's fishing cats" on Instagram which I find strangely soothing.

Hope you feel better soon 🩷

BuddhaAtSea · 09/05/2026 22:54

Showers and clean clothes. Put some music on.
Going to an art exhibition.
A good book. Nothing too heavy.
Gardening.
Exercise.
A salad: couscous or pasta, beans, cucumber, tomatoes, olives, capers, parsley, mint or whatever herbs, a dollop of hummus and one of yoghurt, a splash or olive oil.
Swimming.
Contact with people.

BlueShoeGlue · 09/05/2026 22:55

Headphones in with a podcast or some music (usually club classics or Fleetwood mac) and then go out for a gentle walk. Preferably somewhere pretty like the coast.
or if I have a morning to myself (which is rare) then grab a coffee and walk around a cute little town/village shops.

RobinEllacotStrike · 09/05/2026 22:56

“How you feel tomorrow depends on what you do today”.

I centre this when feeling depressed. I use it to drag myself to do something today. Even small. A walk, a nice bath book & all over body moisturising, with an early night.

it’s been a truism in my life.

I saw it painted on the side of a building 45 years ago

Tonissister · 09/05/2026 22:57

Exercise - especially outside. Walking or running, or outdoor bootcamp.

Something odd that helped massively was doing something I had never done before every single day for a year. It was a sort of private project to get me out of a rut - I read about someone who'd done it, and did the same. Sometimes it was something very small like ordering a drink I'd never tasted before in a cafe, or walking down a street I'd never been down. Sometimes it was something big, brave or somethingI'd wanted to do for ages. It had a really uplifting effect on mood.

Other easy small things that helped were to create tiny moments of peace or pleasure that sort of pierce the low mood. Play music that is calming or uplifting, feed the birds and watch them or listen to them sing, or watch the clouds in the sky. Focus on enjoying a cup of tea or coffee, on stroking the cat or dog, on having a gentle stretch in the morning or evening, read a chapter of an escapist book or watch an episode of a favourite comedy. You mught feel low again after these moments have ended, but I realised if I put enough of them in to each day they interrupted the low mood often enough for it not to really take hold.

Mini self care projects are good. They don't always lift the mood, but it's good practise to be nice to yourself even while you are feeling down, so focus on easy-to-prepare healthy food, taking time to have a long bath or to shave your legs or cleanse and moisturise your face etc. If socialising feels a biut much, use spare time to book dental or eye checkups or any other medical appointments, or book a haircut. These are hard to do if serious depression kicks in, so it's good to get them done even if you just feel you are going through the motions of self care.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 09/05/2026 22:58

Sitting out in the sun
Or if cold, opening the windows and getting fresh air in
Flowers
A nice dinner
Reading a chick lit book to escape reality xx

Looseweightlooseinterest · 09/05/2026 23:07

Shower every morning,clean clothes,dog walk ,even if it’s pissing down ,chatting to one of my friends,meeting up with friends and doing something every day that makes a difference to someone else,even if it just means smiling and being friendly to strangers ie walking the dog ,thanking considerate drivers .

Theyreeatingthedogs · 09/05/2026 23:28

Walking in the hills.

TheeNotoriousPIG · 09/05/2026 23:31

The biggest thing for me is to do what I call "taking time out from the rest of the world". I live rurally anyway, but I stay at home, potter about getting things done, baking, gardening, muting my phone and WhatsApp, and not having to deal with the stress of other people (but my animals are fine). I'm into reading, writing, knitting, cookery, arty things, music and generally a lot of "unsociable" hobbies. I tend to listen to a lot of instrumental music, which I find calming.

Having a soak in the bath- the kind where you use your best toiletries, so that you and your hair smell fabulous afterwards! I then shave, moisturise and feel a lot cleaner and better. Self-care is something that goes down the pan with periods of poor mental health, so I do try to make the effort.

Also, eating my favourite kind of chocolate...

Morepositivemum · 09/05/2026 23:31

Books, magazines, chatting to a friend, a pampery shower, the outdoors, sleep

DeedlessIndeed · 09/05/2026 23:34

Being productive is a good one for me, (even when that is the last thing I feel like doing) which could be very small - get up early and put a wash on, keep on top of self care etc or a little bigger - tackle a disorganised cupboard etc.

DH and I joke that if I feel low I should either get stuck into a job in the garden, go for a swim or have sex. I am so far guaranteed to feel much better afterwards.

WeirdyBeardyMarrowBabyLady · 09/05/2026 23:37

Dancing

Netcurtainnelly · 10/05/2026 00:59

exercise

Maraudingmarauders · 10/05/2026 01:22

Definitely a nice hot and unrushed shower. An hour or two on my own in a cafe with a cup of tea and a nice breakfast and a long walk in a wood or similar.
it depends on the cause of the low mood, of course. Sometimes I need the opposite, and an afternoon with friends with a glass of wine
and a good chat can do the job. But mostly I find it’s because I’m feeling overwhelmed and time out to prioritise myself and give myself room to think is the best remedy.
Hope you feel better soon. Don’t overlook the small stuff, drinking out of your favourite mug, using your nice plates and watching a weepy film you’ve seen 20 times before, are all worth the effort.

Meadowfinch · 10/05/2026 01:23

Bird song. Going for a run round the woods & lanes. Baking bread.

Flinging the windows open on a fine day and spring cleaning.

Cocorico22 · 10/05/2026 01:35

Eating a whole packet of fig rolls and watching TV

CrikeyNumpty · 10/05/2026 02:09

Getting out in nature. Particularly woods. I have been feeling down recently and have been out every weekend in woods or gardens. Fabulous bluebells, magnificent rhododendrons, bird song, dappled light, amazing trees. So reviving.

Books not screens.

Music, particularly music that reminds you of happier times. Years ago I went on holiday to the Amalfi Coast and I used to play an album on repeat. If I play it now it immediately zaps me back there - the sun, the bikini, the cappuccino, the view.

A spritz of perfume.

MinnieMountain · 10/05/2026 05:42

Swimming in the lido.

OrangeSeaGlass · 10/05/2026 06:05

Sorry you’re feeling low.

Things that I do if I’m feeling down,

Talk to my partner or friends as they can often make things seem much better.

Go for a run outside in nice surroundings.

Walk the dogs. Seeing them be so happy from just sniffing everything and running free cheers me up.

Watch a film that I have watched lots of times before or read a book I’ve read a lot. Something comforting in knowing what’s going to happen.

Sometimes I make lots of food and freeze it as doing something productive sometimes seems to help.

I hope you’re feeling brighter soon. 💐

Moveyourbleedingarse · 10/05/2026 06:31

Prob not in the spirit of the thread, but I live in idyllic countryside and walk amongst the dawn chorus every day, walk miles around fields with my merlin app to listen to and identify birds..
I do workouts in our garage where we currently have nesting swallows. I keep chickens and own dogs.

But frankly it isn't enough sometimes and so on Friday the only thing that helped was a double tanqueray 10 & tonic. Strong. Medicinal. Helped me forget all my woes for an hour or two.

So have you tried a big drink?