When life’s good, it’s easy to stick to our routines, push ourselves at work, in the gym, and at home, enjoy our hobbies and time with our family, and generally be productive and proactive. When life’s hard because we’re unwell, stressed out, overwhelmed, or just struggling to keep up, it’s easy for motivation to slide. It’s suddenly harder to keep on top of our to-do lists, and even to look after ourselves. Which inevitably makes those tough times even tougher. 

When times are hard, being able to stay motivated helps you to keep on track and come out of the other side. Here are some healthy mood-boosting habits that can improve your motivation and mood, no matter what is going on in your home and work life.  

Use Supplements

If you eat a healthy and well-balanced diet, you should be able to get all of the vitamins and nutrients that you need. But it’s not always that simple. If you have any food intolerances, you stick to a restrictive diet, or you are pushing yourself hard and need more than your diet is giving you, you might find that you aren’t getting the balance right, which can leave you feeling tired, sluggish, and unhappy. 

Adding simple supplements to your diet can boost your mood, help you to avoid coughs, colds, and other bugs, and increase your energy levels. Vitamin C can help to boost your immune system and using this supplement may increase dopamine. 

Exercise

Exercise is often one of the first things we stop doing when we are busy or unwell. But regular exercise has so many benefits. Of course, it keeps you fit and healthy and helps you to stay strong, but it also makes you feel better, increases energy, and boosts your mood. 

Even a short 20-minute home workout or a walk on your lunch break can have a big impact but sticking to a regular training plan with cardio and strength exercises can lead to better results. 

Listen to Music

We tend to listen to music that suits our mood. When we’re down, we listen to slower, more emotional songs. When we’re feeling happy, we listen to upbeat fun songs with more uplifting lyrics. But it can work the other way too. Start your day with an uplifting playlist and you could improve your mood. Music makes us happy, but it can also reduce pain, stress, and depression. 

Do Something for Other People

There’s a theory that there are no selfless good deeds because when we do something nice, it makes us feel good. But what is wrong with that? When you help others, you should feel good about yourself. Simple things like donating money, food, or your time, or even giving blood can help other people and you’ll feel great about yourself. 

Read

Reading is great escapism that gives your mind a break from all of its worries and stresses. It’s a wonderful way to unwind, which can boost your mood and help you to sleep. Try turning the TV off for 30 minutes and reading instead. 

Make Time for Gratitude

Even when times are hard, chances are, you’ve got plenty to be grateful for. It can be hard to see the positives when we’re busy and stressed out, and easy to see the negatives. Making time for gratitude each day forces you to think about all of the good in your life. This can improve your mood, increase motivation, and help you to see the world in a more positive light. 

Spend time practicing these mood-boosting habits, whether things are going well, or times are tough, and you might find that you can stay motivated all of the time. 

Joniel Suezo