Trendy life might be robust. However the pressures now we have to deal with can range massively. A few of us are pressured by deadlines. A few of us fall sufferer to social media’s ugly aspect. A few of us are hit tougher than others by rising prices. A few of us are deeply affected by seemingly infinite unhealthy information. However no matter it’s that takes the shine off our lives, we are able to do one thing about it.
Listed here are 5 evidence-based methods that will help you really feel extra constructive and emotionally resilient. They work whether or not you’re coping with anxiousness, low temper, or simply wish to really feel a bit extra answerable for your day-to-day life.
1. Change Your Posture
When individuals really feel down or depressed, you may normally see it of their physique. They stoop, look down, breathe shallowly. However posture doesn’t simply replicate your emotional state, it helps form it.
Shifting your physique can have a strong psychological impact. Standing tall, opening up your chest, respiratory deeply, or lifting your gaze can begin to shift your inside state, even earlier than your ideas catch up.
That is the place energy posing is available in.
In a 2010 examine by Carney, Cuddy, and Yap, members who held open, expansive postures for simply two minutes reported feeling extra assured and in management. A separate examine in Well being Psychology confirmed that sitting upright led to improved temper and decrease ranges of self-reported helplessness in comparison with slumped posture, particularly underneath stress.
So earlier than you attempt to suppose your means out of a low state, attempt shifting your physique into a special one.
2. Take Your Physique Outdoor
Bodily exercise helps scale back anxiousness and increase temper by shifting your physiology and releasing pure feel-good chemical substances like endorphins. You don’t have to run marathons or be a part of a gymnasium. Simply transfer.
However the secret is—for those who can—do it outdoors. Being in nature lowers stress hormones and calms the nervous system. A 2015 examine led by Gregory Bratman at Stanford College discovered that members who walked for 90 minutes in a pure setting confirmed decreased exercise within the subgenual prefrontal cortex – a mind area related to rumination, which is linked to despair. In distinction, those that walked in city environments didn’t expertise these advantages.
It doesn’t need to be intense. A brief stroll (together with with a pet or cherished one), a light-weight spherical of golf, or just sitting in a backyard may help. For these with mobility points, even getting recent air on a balcony or shifting gently outdoors makes a distinction.
Motion resets your system. Nature soothes your mind. Mix the 2, and also you’ve received one of many easiest, most dependable methods to begin feeling higher.
3. Assist Your Thoughts
You possibly can’t anticipate your thoughts to work correctly in case your physique is working on empty.
Whereas your weight-reduction plan won’t be the foundation reason for your stress or anxiousness, it completely impacts how intense these emotions are and the way nicely you may cope with them. Everyone knows that giant quantities of processed meals, sugar, caffeine and alcohol can go away us feeling depleted, jittery or flat. However this isn’t simply widespread sense; analysis backs it up. A 2023 examine printed in JAMA Community Open discovered {that a} increased consumption of ultra-processed meals was related to a considerably elevated threat of creating despair.
Sleep performs a component too. Poor weight-reduction plan usually results in poor sleep, and with out good sleep, your emotional regulation tanks. Analysis from UC Berkeley discovered that only one sleepless night time could cause anxiousness ranges to spike by as much as 30%.
This isn’t about being good. It’s about paying consideration. What are you placing into your physique? Is it serving to or making issues tougher?
Small modifications could make a giant distinction. Swap one espresso for water. Add extra color to your plate. In the reduction of on sugar for those who’re feeling irritable or wired. It’s not about restriction – it’s about creating the proper atmosphere in your mind to thrive.
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4. Shift the Frequency of Your Mind
When you’re in a negative emotional state—anxious, overwhelmed, or just flat—your brain tends to tune in to that same emotional frequency. It starts recalling every moment that matches – every past mistake, every bad conversation, every reason to feel worse. For example, you have an argument with your partner and suddenly your brain queues up every disagreement you’ve ever had. It’s like flicking through a playlist you didn’t ask for, but all the tracks are on the same wavelength.
Your brain also has access to every positive state you’ve ever experienced. It’s just not currently tuned into them. That’s where anchoring comes in.
Anchoring is a simple but powerful process where you take a positive emotional state—confidence, calm, joy—and link it to a physical trigger. So, when you need to feel better, you can fire the anchor and shift state instantly. You’re not faking it. You’re just accessing a part of your brain that already knows how to feel differently.
This isn’t just theory – it’s fact. It’s the same principle behind Pavlov’s dogs: associate a stimulus with an emotional response, and eventually the stimulus brings the emotion on its own.
A 2008 study published in Chemical Senses demonstrated this clearly. Students who experienced success while exposed to a specific scent later performed better when exposed to that same scent again. Their nervous system had made the link.
Another study in 2024 found that when learners were taught to associate a positive emotion with a physical gesture, it improved their motivation and focus — especially under pressure. The idea that you can condition your brain into a better state is not hypothetical. It’s measurable.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Think of a time you felt amazing. Maybe you couldn’t stop laughing, or you felt proud, powerful, or deeply connected to someone.
2. Step into that memory. See it, hear it, feel it. Let the emotion build in your body.
3. As it peaks, anchor it. Press your thumb and finger together. Tap your chest. Squeeze your wrist. Keep it simple.
4. Repeat with other memories. Stack joy, love, calm, confidence – all onto the same gesture.
5. Use the anchor when you need it. Feeling anxious? Low? Disconnected? Fire the anchor and let your nervous system remember how to feel different.
This is a great shortcut for feeling better. So, whenever you find yourself starting to spiral or sink into a low state, use your anchor — and mentally switch the dial. Change the channel from the negative loop to a more upbeat frequency.
5. Create a Supportive Environment
If you want to feel better, one of the first places to look is your environment. And I mean both the space around you and what’s going on inside your head.
Start with your surroundings. Is your space cluttered, noisy, or just a bit chaotic? That might be adding to your stress. Even small changes—clearing a desk, softening the lighting, or creating a calming corner—can make a difference. You don’t have to turn your house into a spa, but you do want to feel like your environment supports you, not drains you.
Then it’s about creating daily rituals that help steady your mind. These don’t need to be complicated. Yoga and mindfulness are great but so is taking a few minutes to breathe deeply. Try breathing in for four, holding for four, breathing out for four, and holding again. Do that for a couple of minutes and you’ll notice a shift. It tells your nervous system you’re safe.
Journaling can also help; try just jotting down your thoughts, even for five minutes in the morning or before bed. Add a bit of routine where you can. That might mean reducing screen time in the evening, stepping outside for a walk, or having a proper wind-down at night.
Also, check what you’re feeding your mind. If the first and last thing you do each day is scroll through bad news or compare yourself on social media, that’s going to shape your mood. A 2018 study from the University of Pennsylvania found that cutting back on social media reduced both anxiety and depression. It’s not about cutting it out entirely – just be aware of what you’re tuning into.
If you want more tools like these, I share many of them in my book Face Your Fears: 7 Steps to Conquering Phobias and Anxiety – along with the techniques I’ve used over the years to help thousands of people create lasting change.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christopher Paul Jones is a leading Harley Street phobia expert and author of ‘Face your Fears – 7 steps to conquering phobias and anxiety’. Having overcome his own phobias, and conducted 20+ years of research across Europe, North America and Asia, Christopher has developed an integrated approach combining mainstream psychology with cutting edge techniques: The Integrated Change System™.
The system aims to change the mind’s danger response and leave people free and happy to enjoy things they once found terrifying. A fear, anxiety or phobia can be cured in as little as a session. Christopher’s clients come from all over the world and include Hollywood actors and Oscar nominees, models, musicians, presenters and celebrities.
