Feel very low, any ideas to boost mood?

[anony24444]

Ideas please. Usually what works is (no judgements please!) watching re-runs of Friends, going for a walk or smelling aromatherapy oils. But this time nothing is working, I feel incredibly low I don’t know how to get out of it. I texted 3 friends today and not one and not one responded. I feel very depressed.

I would kit yourself out with the right gear.
Some outdoor shops have sales on at the moment.

Same here. Things I've decided to try:
Exercise
Give up alcohol
Journalling

Can't tell you whether they work but I'm hopeful.

Exercise - whatever you can manage or set yourself a goal and work towards it. I love running whenever I feel low it gives me such a boost. But if you don't fancy a run, try a walk outside listening to music or a podcast.
Also meeting up with other people - joining a club, a distraction/doing something different.
Or go for a massage, some pampering.

Exercise/fresh air (if friends aren't available, look for a local walking club or meet uk group)
Listen to favourite upbeat music
Clear out some cupboards
Eat nutritionally well
Watch some comedy
Bake a good cake
Volunteer to help others to get out of your own head (e.g food bank/dog shelter)

OP, by common consent this is just the worst time of year. You are most definitely not alone! I'm a cheerful person but I struggle with January. I find that just knowing that it's 'normal' helps me through it.

You're doing the right things, I think. Get out each day if you can and experience a bit of nature if possible. I think we're all short of sun after the last awful month of rain. The days are now getting longer and (as my old mum used to say!) it will be light at 5 pm by the end of Jan. Then Feb is a short month and before you know it Spring will be in sight.

Yes - watch cosy, familiar things and find books etc which take you somewhere else. I'm a big Thomas Hardy fan (lovely Dorset countryside!) but also love a thriller or a cosy detective story (Susan Hill's Simon Serailler books) or the fantastic Kate Atkinson.

Also - try to 'achieve' something each day, either in terms of a chore or a personal interest/hobby. This will lift your mood too.

Good luck, and it will pass, I'm sure.

A small organising job helps me. Eg tidying a drawer or cupboard. That sense of a small achievement gives me a boost. Good luck OP x

Plan a holiday/break away. It's always nice to have something to look forward to.

Try going for a walk and photographing things you wouldn't usually. Play with the settings on your phone camera, - try some arty close-ups, or using filters. You'll be concentrating so much, your mood will change!

Is something specific making you sad? I find sitting down and actually having a good cry really helps. Gets it out of my system.

Great ideas here. Thanks.

Place marking for some ideas

For me the key is staying active in some way - even if it is just pottering about the house completing odd jobs and tasks - listening to an audio book helps me. Changing the focus of the mind - when you find your mind is going over and over problems/dwelling on matters that make you feel low, consciously switch the focus to the task in hand, to the book you are listening to etc.

And in starting a task or activity don't wait for motivation. Motivation, in my experience follows action. Just take the first couple of steps, start the activity - motivation will follow.

Open the windows to let some fresh air into the house

All good advice here.

I have spells of low mood and I find myself in the usual rut. Eating crap food, not going out, feeling tired all the time. I do a lot of the pp's suggestions but also I do mindfulness which is a type of meditation. Headspace is good, as is Calm.

I hope you feel better soon x.

Sorry youre feeling low.

Another idea is to do something creative. I'm not artistic at all, so for me it would be a simple knitting project, or maybe a tapestry or embroidery - something that I can do of an evening on the sofa.
If you've a garden, then getting a job done outside might help - edge the lawn, turn the compost heap, plant up a winter pot, etc.
I have a bird feeder and love watching them from the window, if thats feasible for you I completely recommend it!

Fresh air, simply standing outside, reading and staying away from screens usually but to be honest sometimes I just need to wallow and cry and that helps! Hope you feel better soon

I always feel a bit better when I have achieved something that day whether that be clearing out a drawer I have been meaning to do for ages or taking some rubbish to the dump. I think the fact that you feel a bit let down by your friends isnt helping. Do you feel like this is a pattern in your relationship with them?

I think it's your friends not responding that is making you low. Did you give them enough time to respond, sometimes people can take a while to get back for various reasons. It's best to give it a few days and then maybe text and say hey who's up for a coffee, drink, cinema or whatever you do together.

For me, to cheer myself up it's a walk in nature - if I'm on my own I try and smile at people - some won't smile back but some do and that's a little lift for me. Other ways to find cheer are to volunteer if you have time e.g. food bank, dog walking, litter picking - anything to get out and interact with people

I (like a lot of people)have been struggling to this Winter. Today I put on a Spotify playlist called Celebration with an excellent selection of disco and 80s classics and today it's really lifted me. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Upwyhv7PKJBc9rQDvzRtL?si=045fd025965e4a75

I know that all the suggestions to get outside and walk are actually quite difficult to achieve when you feel down, as the pointlessness is part of the feeling, but asking for suggestions indicates you are trying. My one task today was to press play and at this moment with a bit of Candy Stanton and Chaka Khan a feel like I am winning.

The other thing is keeping the fairy lights up and putting them on through the gloomy days. It will pass.

Slightly controversial but go and have a stand up sun bed for about 5 minutes. I never “sunbathe” in summer but I usually have 2 or 3 stand up sun beds over the winter months and they cure my blues. Just a short session, not long enough to get a tan. I also put sunblock on my face, hands and chest. I take vitamin D too but a 2-3 sun beds over winter really help.

It's really varies depending on personality. For me, something organisational, like declutterring or cleaning, takes me out of my 'mind / head'. Also exercise.

Walking doesn't help me if I'm low - I think for me it's too slow and with too much time to think!

I also like to bake - it seems to relax me, and as I've a sweet tooth, there is the added benefit of something nice to eat afterwards!

https://www.bighealth.co.uk/

Really useful apps and lots of links. Hope you feel better soon.

@Savedpassword I’ve clicked on that. It looks good but how do you actually get the apps?