27 teeny pick-me-ups for when you’re having the worst day ever

Kids get a lot of flack for crying in public places but while they do cry a lot, they also laugh a lot – and it doesn’t take much to get a smile. So if you see a little one having a bad day, offering a silly smile or a high five is a great way to make both your days better.

Whether you love to swing your hips in a salsa, practise your kicks in a line dance, tap your toes in a tap dance, or just go free form in your own living room, moving to music is a quick and easy way to boost your mood. And the effect lasts even after the tunes are turned off. According to a study done by IOS Press, dancing of any kind increases brain volume which has all kinds of physical and emotional benefits in the long run.

Here are 10 short rituals you can do every day to boost your mental health. 

Sex: Curing bad days since the dawn of humanity! You don’t need a scientist to tell you that a session of good lovemaking can make you feel better but what may surprise you is what kind of sex works best. According to a study done by Penn State, the sex that makes people feel the best afterward lasts an average of 3 to 13 minutes – good news for people who are exhausted and feeling down from a tough day.

Try these 48 simple ways to boost your sex life. 

There is some real truth to the old adage “everything looks better in the morning.” In a study of identical twins, researchers from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that over half of people who got five hours or less of sleep a night reported being depressed. But this is not a case of more is always better as they also found a similar rate of depression in people sleeping 10 or more hours a night. The sweet spot for happiness is to get 7 to 8.5 hours of shut-eye a night. So if you’re having a rotten day, one of the best things you can do to make sure tomorrow is better is to hit the sack early.

Try these weird tricks that really do help you get a better night’s sleep. 

Diving into another world via a novel is escapism at its finest! Reading a good book actually helps us take on the thoughts and feelings of the characters, providing temporary relief from our own woes, according to a study published in Psychological Science.

Get inspiration from the 25 bestselling books of the last decade. 

Yogis know that doing an inversion – any posture where your head is lower than your heart – can have major health benefits, including mood elevation. Sometimes it takes literally changing your perspective to help you see your problems in a new light. But no worries if you’re not Cirque du Soleil. If trying a headstand against a wall is too much, try a gentler pose like laying on your back, planting your feet near your bottom and raising your hips.

The more active you are on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, the more likely you are to be depressed, according to a study published in Depression and Anxiety. Researchers think that it’s because people tend to only post the best versions of themselves, leading others to compare their own lives negatively. So save yourself the pain of comparing your waistline, hairline, job or home to people you stopped talking to after high school by checking out of social media and checking in with friends IRL.

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Source: RD.com