Websites and advertisements everywhere boast the best pill or powder to boost your mood: a one-stop shop to balance your emotions and keep you happy. While these may work for some, for those seeking a more holistic lift in spirit, there are plenty of cheap, easy and healthy options that you can do virtually anywhere.
Jam Out
One scroll through Spotify’s “Mood” category will give you loads of playlists for any feeling you may have. But to boost your mood and bust a move, here are some of the best ones: “Songs To Sing In The Shower” for everything from Ed Sheeran to Toto to Spice Girls. For a more indie-style pick-me-up try “Happy Chill Good Time Vibes,” and “Wake Up Happy” with tracks from the likes of Kygo, Selena Gomez and Zedd.
Work Out
Try out yoga with Down Dog, the perfect app for quick yoga sessions when you’re feeling down or overwhelmed. The free version gives short, 15-minute instructed workouts for beginner or advanced yogis. Give kickboxing a try if you want to release some deep-seeded anger or frustration; or download the Nike Training app for guided workouts that fit your every time and equipment need.
Make Out
It should come as no surprise that locking lips with the one you love can improve your mood. After a few minutes of swapping spit with your significant other, oxytocin is released to lift your spirits (and maybe something else).
Prep for Summer
Do your research on upcoming summer concerts you want to go to and get a ticket. Before you know it, you’ll be in a mosh pit with sweaty dudes or crowd-surfing into the arms of stage security.
Do some shopping (online or in the real world) for your summer clothes and give them a whirl ahead of time. Bright-colored clothes have been proven to boost moods. Shed the black sweaters and put on the pineapple covered crop top. Feel the joy.
Plan a vacation (or daycation). Scope out places that are within your budget to travel to this summer and set the groundwork for a trip. It may not be possible to set a date in stone, but nail down the details you can and get an idea of what you might do. While you may not have a foolproof plan, you will have something to look forward to and something to continue planning throughout the spring.
Spring Clean
Those shirts you haven’t worn in 2 years? Take them out of your closet and give them to Goodwill or sell them to a secondhand store. Not only will you feel better getting rid of clutter, but you could make a little bit of cash as well. Freshen up with a warm bath or shower. Drop a bath bomb into the tub or invest in a scented body scrub to rejuvenate your body and mind.
Flip on a Himalayan salt lamp for a natural way to deodorize a room and absorb contaminants from the air. Himalayan salt lamps are notorious for their ability to attract dust and pollen particles from the air and trap them in their salt, which sounds like a gimmick but is actually science
Essential Oils
Aromatherapy is the real deal, my friends. A few drops of oil into a diffuser can do some serious wonders for your attitude. Peace, a boutique situated beside Lou Malnati’s, sells a variety of premixed oils for certain effects and also has an oil bar for you to make your own.
Need energy? Rub some Bergamot, Lemon, Peppermint or Sandalwood onto a cotton ball and dab behind your ears to give yourself a wake-up call before class.
Can’t sleep? A few drops of lavender oil on the bottom of your feet will send you into a snooze better than any drug would.
Having trouble focusing? Diffuse cedarwood or rose into the air and feel yourself zone in on the task at hand.
Feeling down? Chamomile, Jasmine, orange or rose oil can send your blues away. Drop the oil into a pot of hot water for a quick, homemade diffuser.
