How to Improve Your Mood When Stuck at Home

How to Improve Your Mood When Stuck at Home : Whether you are in temporary confinement due to Covid, you’re ombrophobic, or you’ve just got to lay low for a while and you don’t want to talk about it, here are some great tips to improve your mood.

Connect with Friends and Family

Being stuck at home doesn’t mean that you can’t connect with others. We saw that during the worst of the COVID pandemic. Even the most technophobic among us got to grips with technology to stay in touch with loved ones.

So, why not use your time at home to connect with someone you haven’t seen enough of? Maybe you have a friend you’ve been neglecting for a while because you’ve been busy with work? Or perhaps it might be nice to check in with some family out of state.

Whoever you call, note that gamers demonstrated low incidents of depression during quarantine, because they were still connected to others online despite not being able to socialize in person. The relationships we have with people online, even if we’ve never met them in person, are meaningful.

This is not to say that everyone you know only online is who they say they are. But you can always use Nuwber to verify their identity for some peace of mind. And don’t give out personally identifying information, such as your email address or any account details.

Eat Well

If you’re stuck at home alone, the chances are good that you’re not in the mood to look after yourself foodwise. Preparing a healthy meal for one can be a lot of effort compared to ordering a pizza or burger. But if you have a low mood, it will be so worth it.

A tub of ice cream might give you a short-term lift, but the come-down …! Eating healthy, fresh fruit and green vegetables will give your body the nutrients you need to be and feel your best.

Take a Shower or Bath

Getting clean will help you wash off the bad mood. You will literally feel like a new person. People tend to get clean at the beginning or the end of the day. Grabbing a shower right in the middle of the day is like punching reset and getting a fresh start.

Get Some Sleep

Lack of sleep can contribute to low mood. If you’re stuck at home, this is a brilliant opportunity to catch up on sleep.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need around 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. If you’re in the 35 percent of adults not getting enough sleep per night, get a nap right now.

The first benefit of healthy sleep cited by the National Sleep Foundation is improved mood. Among other advantages, they also state that sleeping well can:

help protect your heart
regulate blood sugar
decrease stress, and
maintain a healthy weight.

Meditate

Away from the traffic and the office and the distractions of the modern world, this might be a good time to just sit still and realize that you’re not stuck at home. You have an opportunity that others crave, to just sit and be for a moment.

Meditation is scientifically proven to reduce anxiety and improve cognition. A regular meditation habit can help you feel great and perform better.

If you’ve meditated before, you’ll know what to do. If not:

Sit on the floor or on a stool if possible. You don’t have to cross your legs if that makes you uncomfortable, but do try to sit. Lying down will make you more likely to fall asleep. While sleep is also good for your health, that’s not the goal right now and you need to remind your brain of that.
Breathe: meditation isn’t about emptying your mind or trying not to think. Instead, people focus on something. Often it is their breathing. Try counting to four on your in-breath and then to five during your out-breath.
Meditate some more: when you start having thoughts, like making a shopping list or replaying conversations, notice where your mind went and then go back to meditating on your breathing.
That’s it – you’re training your mind to go quiet because that will have massive benefits no matter how you use your mind. The important thing isn’t achieving quiet, but the practice itself. So whether you nod off immediately or you can’t stop thinking about your favorite show on Netflix, you haven’t failed – you’ve practiced meditation.

Plan Your Release

Your body may be at home, but your mind is free. Enjoy planning what you will do when you can leave again. Maybe you’ll catch up with some friends or you’ll go for a run around the park. Imagine yourself there and think about how much sweeter it will be because you have to wait. Be grateful that you have something to look forward to because not everybody does.

Watch a Favorite Movie or Series

Binge-watching an entire series in a day can actually make you feel pretty low, but nobody says you have to do TV and movies chronologically. You can go to a favorite scene of a movie or a favorite episode of a series and just watch that. This can be a great way to give yourself a quick hit that improves your mood.

Laugh

According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter relieves stress and can improve your mood, relieve pain, and boost your immune system. So prescribe yourself an hour of stand-up.

Plenty of comedians have free sets on YouTube. Or check out a comedy movie that will transport your mind from your current situation and then bring you back feeling more cheerful and ready to tackle the world.

Work Out

Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins that literally make you feel good. It’s excellent for your body and your mind, so working out, even only for 30 minutes, is a big deal if you’re feeling grotty at home.

There are lots of workouts you can do without going to the gym. You don’t need anything but your body weight and a little space. Check out some “at-home no equipment workouts” online and jump right in. Be careful not to overdo it as the routines might be more challenging than they look. Just do as many repetitions as are comfortable for you.

You might also consider doing some yoga, which doesn’t require a ton of equipment and is also great for the body and mind. You don’t need special pants or a mat – you’re at home, so you can do it your way.

Follow these tips to improve your mood fast when you’re stuck at home. You may find that some of them become lifelong habits – there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do things that make you feel good all year round.