Three Small Ways to Improve Your Mood

Who writes about self help and personal development on a libertarian site?

Bearing Liberty has the ultimate goal of liberty. This includes (as stated in our first blog post) mental liberty. That is, liberty from the invisible chains that hold you back from becoming the best person you can be. Slavery does not have to be external, it may very well be your own mind that is limiting you.

How do you break free of the mind that limits your true potential? You could have everything in your life sorted out, still find yourself faltering in your life if you don't have the right mood.

When it comes to being the most best version of yourself, mood is a dealbreaker.

It doesn't matter how competent, smart or how hard you try at a task, one's mood is the key factor in ensuring success in any and all walks of life. However, anyone will know just how hard it is to maintain a joyous attitude. Especially those who are naturally pessimistic, depressed or anxious. Despite the efforts one puts into "looking at the bright side" or the other cliches he will still find his mind cloudy and filled with dismal thoughts. Instead, I want to provide a number of small, pragmatic tips and tools in assisting you in achieving the best mindset possible. For often in life, it is the small and seemingly insignificant aspects in life that are by far the most important.

1. Clean Your Workspace.

I am not your mother. However, it is often in a cleaner, more organized environment where you may find your mind to to be cleared. Often it is the pile of papers on your desk or the clothes on your floor that limit you from having a cleaner mind. While this is anecdotal, I have found this to be extremely pertinent in my life. My mood is dependent on how clean my room. Why? When I walk into my room and find clothes strewn across my floor, a feeling of claustrophobia often floods my mind. The simple fact that I need to waltz across my floor, or look through my pockets for my wallet creates minor inconveniences that pile upon each other that stifle my mood.

However, a cleaner desk creates a feeling of refreshment. You can start work with a blank slate without worrying about the jumbled mess that limits your workspace. The mess on your desk correlates to the mess in your brain. By cleaning your room, you are inadvertently cleaning and organizing your psyche to create a better internal workspace.

Aside from the pragmatic aspects of a more tidy desk or room, there is also the feeling one has after he cleaned said workplace. The act of accomplishing a task instils upon you the feeling of fulfillment. Its as if you have done one small thing to better your life. You've done something. You aren't worthless. And now you can stand back and look at your clean desk or room and say "I did this, now I can do something more."

2. Learn Something New.

Learning has a power far greater than intellectual superiority. When one learns something new, a feeling of accomplishment swells up. You have now grown as a person and expended you mind. This also removes time from idleness. Instead of browsing memes on Instagram, you can watch a TED Talk or read a random Wikepidea article. What I do, is as the day comes to a close, I write what I learned in a journal. Then I can compile all of those obscure facts and fragments of knowledge so I can look back at it and smile. You don't need to become an expert in said field of learning, you just to know the basics. Aside from the utilitarian aspect, it assists you become a more well rounded person. Even if what you learned is something trivial, you have ended the day smarter than when you began it. You have grown mentally and that gives you satisfaction and you can realize that you haven't wasted your day. You've done something, so pride swells up and your mood is therefore boosted.

3. Work Out

The most important part in maintaining a good mood is exercise. People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being. They feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives. And it’s also powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges.

Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, ADHD, and more. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood. And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise can make a difference. No matter your age or fitness level, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better.

Health benefits from regular exercise that should be emphasized and reinforced by every mental health professional to their patients include the following:

- Improved sleep

- Increased interest in sex

- Better endurance

- Stress relief

- Improvement in mood

- Increased energy and stamina

Mental health service providers can thus provide effective, evidence-based physical activity interventions for individuals suffering from serious mental illness. Further studies should be done to understand the impact of combining such interventions with traditional mental health treatment including psychopharmacology and psychotherapy.

Even if you’re starting at “ground zero,” you can still workout. Exercise helps you get in shape. If you have no experience exercising, start slow with low-impact movement a few minutes each day.