30 Ways to Cheer up and

Improve your Mood Any Time

1. Have a Pajama Party.
2. Buy a Sushi Kit: Buy one of those “make your own sushi” kits from the supermarket, and learn to roll your own scrumptious treats. Eat your sushi sitting on the floor watching kung fu or your movie of choice.
3. Go for a Bike Ride.
4. Take a Shower.
5. Sit in the Sun for 20 Minutes.
6. Take a Walk.
7. Walk Barefoot in the Grass.
8. Write a Gratitude List of Ten Things you Appreciate.
9. Dress up in a ridiculous outfit to do something mundane in public: (like walk the dog or buy groceries)
10. Bake someone, (who wouldn’t mind the extra calories), a plate of all-natural, preservative-free, fresh cookies.
11. Play a Good Hearted Joke on a Friend. (Example: Send a friend an email saying you’ve decided to join an odd religious group and ask them to attend your conversion ceremony.)
12. Experience Nature: Play in the garden, get a new plant, re-pot a plant, hang out near a body of water, etc.
13. Play with a Pet (or a friend’s pet).
14. Participate in Operation Beautiful: Operation Beautiful’s mission is to put up anonymous notes in public places for other women to find. The notes say, “You are beautiful” and give the Operation Beautiful web address.
15. Participate in a Flash Mob.
16. Hide something fun and then create a treasure hunt of clues for a friend or family member to find it.
17. Cheer Someone Else Up: Mark Twain said, “The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer somebody else up.” Call an old friend up, just to say, “Hi!” Text someone and tell them they’re awesome.
18. Postcard Compaign: Buy a packet of ten postcards and send a note to your friends – even the ones you see every day. Tell them how awesome you think they are, and how much you love hanging out with them.
19. Play a Board Game: Meet a friend (or a stranger) at a coffee shop and play a board game.
20. Build a Fort in your Home!
21. Friend Someone New on Facebook: You know all those random “friends of friends’ who keep adding you on Facebook? Strike up a conversation with one of them. You know you already have something in common, and they added you so they can’t think your a serial killer or anything. Who knows, a “friend of a friend” might turn into an actual friend.
22. Love Letter: Write someone a love letter in chalk on the steps up to their apartment or the pavement outside. Use several colors. Hide and watch their reaction when they see it.
23. Celebrate Random Holidays: You can think of lots of ideas for random or made-up holidays. (You can even google “strange holidays’ and get a complete list.) Celebrate the birthdays of your favorite writers, musicians and artists. Celebrate crazy religious holidays – someone wrote about celebrating Holi – a hindi festival where everyone throws colored powder over everyone else.
24. Have a Picnic (Even if it’s on a blanket in the living room).
25. Call a friend and ask him/her to tell you their favorite joke.
26. Bake chocolate chip cookies for your neighbors/neighborhood. And, if they’re not home when you deliver them, hang them on the doorknob with a note.
27. Drink two glasses of water. (Many times, what you think is sadness is really just dehydration!)
28. Buy yourself a bouquet of fresh flowers.
29. De-clutter a part of your home or office that needs it (These little jobs can be really uplifting as they give us a sense of accomplishment throughout the day.).
30. Get Moving: Dance, jump, do pushups, kick box, do yoga, do anything aerobic (There are lots of free fitness videos online, at the library and even with Comcast On Demand!)
31. Sing at the top of your lungs!

(Excerpted from http://ezinearticles.com/?Cheer-Yourself-Up:-25-Instant-Mood-Lifters&id=334147 and http://steffmetal.com/101-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up/)

Please leave a comment and tell us about some of your favorite mood lifters too so that we can expand our list!

Would you like to be happier? . . . When you take the time to research the science behind happiness, you’ll find some interesting and very doable ways to increase your bliss.

For example, if you start practicing gratitude for just a few minutes each day, after thirty days, your overall happiness will go up 25%!

(That’s a way better result than antidepressants are getting!)

Sources:

1. http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/09/practicing-gratitude-can-increase.php

2. Quote from Vishen Lakhiani at The Engaged Authority Series (http://www.authorityformula.com/squeeze_pages/4804) 

We shared some of the good news about coconut oil in our Feb. 22nd post (http://www.feelgoodbuzz.com/ coconut-oil-th…cal-super-food.html).  Now it’s time to get into the nitty gritty and put our knowledge to work for our teeth . . .

* According to a study posted on www.pubmed.gov , (“The effects of fatty acids and their monoesters on the metabolic activity of dental plaque”), coconut is good for reducing cavities and plaque! 

* Here is what coconut oil does for the teeth!:

• Helps stop tooth decay/prevents cavities
• Helps create strong teeth (because it facilitates the absorption of calcium by the body)
• Minimizes the risk of getting gum disease
• Eliminate bad breath
• Whitens

* Coconut oil also helps to pull heavy metal toxins out of the body!

* If you ever get an infection (or want to avoid getting one), use coconut oil. It forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus!

~ Always buy chemical-free, unrefined/virgin coconut oil or better to ensure the highest nutritional value and purity. ~ (This can be found at most health foods stores, such as Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage/Natural Grocers, Sprouts, Sunflower Market, etc.)

Here are two basic “recipes” for using coconut oil on your teeth:

A. Swish it around in your mouth: swish a table spoon of oil for about 15 min. (Make sure to squeeze and suck it between your teeth too.)

B. Make your own coconut toothpaste:

1. Combine 2 tbsp. of melted coconut oil with 3 tbsp. of baking soda in a small bowl to make a paste.

Blend the ingredients together with a fork until the paste resembles a regular toothpaste. (Besides turning the coconut oil into a paste, using baking soda also increases teeth whitening benefits.)

2. Wet your toothbrush with warm water before applying your new coconut paste to your teeth. (Also, brushing your tongue will remove bacteria and freshen your breath.)

3. To protect your sink and drain, do NOT spit your coconut toothpaste residue into the sink. (Coconut hardens at cold temperatures and could end up clogging your drain down the road.) Instead, spit outside into the dirt (or into a container to dump there later).

For maximum benefit, do this a few times a week.

(Excerpted from http://www.ehow.com/how_6904250_brush-teeth-coconut-oil.html.)

Here is something to think about when negative people are doing their best to rain on your parade. Remember this story the next time someone who knows nothing (and cares less) tries to make your life miserable…  

“Rome? Why would anyone want to go there? It’s crowded and dirty. You’re crazy to go to Rome. So, how are you getting there?”   

(more…)

Seize the Day
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven’t thought about it, don’t have it on their schedule, didn’t know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.  I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I’ve tried to be a little more flexible. 
 
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn’t (more…)