So I’ve had some trouble maintaining a reasonably good mood lately, and could use some ideas for a little pick-me-up every now and then. My usual strategies include treating myself to something nice (food or drink, mostly), finding something that interests me, reading, or watching something fun—mostly British panel shows on YouTube. But I find myself just re-treading the same well-worn grooves over and over, so I’d appreciate something to jolt me out of my routine. Thus, what do you do if you feel your mood could use some improvement?
For me, exercise is best mood enhancer, especially yoga or dancing. Straightening up the house gives me a it of a boost sometimes.
Hot bath and a good puzzle.
I eat favorite foods.
I smoke weed.
Smoke, vape, eat
Drink beer, play with the dogs. Ski. Drive reckless, wreckless.
This, except that I’m on a bike. Not that I often get down.
A long time ago a friend told me that whenever he was depressed he listened to the blues. His reasoning was that it was nice to know that there was always someone worse off than you. I’m not sure about the rationale; but at times in the past the blues have certainly helped.
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I’ve had great success with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and I have a number of techniques that I use to redirect my thoughts and make me feel happier. My favorite book on the subject is Learned Optimism. Now that I have enough experience, it only takes me a few minutes to clear out negative thoughts and improve my mood.
Music. Instrumental, because lyrics can take me down rabbit trails I don’t want to take. Something peaceful when I’m depressed and exhausted, and something upbeat when I want energy to get up and moving.
Find a way to help someone else. There are millions of ways to do this and it is hard to help others without improving your own mood.
First step is to do whatever I need to do to get a good night’s sleep. Anything can look better after eight hours of good sack time.
If that’s not an option then high energy music and something productive to do while listening to it is usually helpful. I emphasized productive because, speaking just for myself, many of my problems stem from procrastination and my lack of will to deal with what seem intractable problems. If I just get off my ass and do the work to improve my situation then things tend to get better.
It varies. Retail therapy. Watching an old Marx Brothers movie. Comfort food(including the occasional edible). Music therapy, be it NIN or chamber music.
This. For me it can range from anonymously paying $20 toward someone’s groceries in line behind me or $5 for the next person in the drive-up coffee kiosk, to helping a friend with a challenging task or offering help do what needs doing at the local women’s shelter.
If those don’t grab you, a drive to somewhere you’ve never been or to a special place such as the beach to watch the ocean may grant a sense of peace/comfort. Or maybe the mountains or the desert, depending on your locale. A good stargazing session can also be restorative.
If you feel a little more ambitious, become proficient with your camera, take a pottery or art class, meet a friend for lunch at a new restaurant, take a wee hike, check out Meet Up groups with interests that match yours. You may open up your life in many surprising ways!
Go outside. Talk a walk. Fresh air instantly improves my mood. I have a horse so I spend a lot of time with her. Indoors, I read or do paper crafts. If this is a long term bad mood, I also suggest talking to a therapist.
Dang, i thought i was invited. No wreck, no Beck!
A cup of coffee and a long walk. The combination of caffeine and exercise does it for me.
Or I go to the library and sort books or to the women’s center and sort clothes. Makes me feel useful, and I usually get some free stuff for doing it.
My friend is baby-sitting her sons Cockatoo while he’s deployed. I go over and interact with the bird. It is the funniest thing ever. I love that goofy bird. I’m gonna miss him when he’s gone home. Cheers me right up, everytime.
I think getting outside is the best head-clearer for me. I take the dogs for a walk or just sit on the patio and read (weather permitting of course). Sometimes just being cooped up in the house can be depressing. Get in the car and just go for an aimless drive. Stop and look around in antique/junk stores. We have grandkids that are at the perfect age (7&8) to take places. We love taking them to the zoo, the aquarium, museums, hikes, picnics, etc. They can make us smile all the time. To see them experience things is really fun. They even got us ice skating again! I pack some snacks and we go to the outdoor rinks. Our grandson plays hockey so he finds a bunch of kids and plays a pickup game. Our granddaughter just likes to skate around. So instead of sitting in the warming shack being bored, we put on our skates too. Great exercise and fresh air!
I can tell this is the true answer for me because I don’t like it. 
I do the “redirect my thoughts” thing, usually at night when the Whatifs come. My go-to topics which have little emotional resonance are deciding what to wear to work the next day, or my hair. :o Sometimes I think about a current book, or one I read a long time ago.
Another technique is to sing with the radio, no matter how much I’m not in the mood. It doesn’t get me to feel happy, necessarily, but it breaks the cycle of miserable thoughts.