{"id":901,"date":"2009-06-30T07:31:11","date_gmt":"2009-06-30T15:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/"},"modified":"2014-10-29T21:57:38","modified_gmt":"2014-10-30T05:57:38","slug":"3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up \u2013 and 3 Ways Which Work"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/p>\n

When I\u2019ve got a case of the blues, I sometimes cheer myself up by buying a new book or two on Amazon. Perhaps you have some similar habits: you know what cheers you up, whether it\u2019s going shopping, eating a giant bag of chips, opening a bottle of wine, lighting up…<\/p>\n

The problem is, a lot of these little habits don\u2019t really cheer us up, and, over time, they can have a very negative effect on our health, our wallet, or both.<\/p>\n

These are some perennially popular ones \u2013 and reasons why they\u2019re not a good idea:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Comfort\u00a0 Eating<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you ever turn to food when you\u2019re bored, stressed, or feeling low?\u00a0 Many of us have a long-established pattern of eating for emotional reasons \u2013 this may be something we learnt as small children, if parents gave us candy as a comforter (or to keep us quiet!)
\n
\nThe problem with comfort eating is that, even if a king-sized candy bar dulls our misery temporarily, we usually feel worse afterwards<\/em>. If you\u2019re trying to take care of your health, or lose weight, you\u2019ll probably feel guilty for using your bad mood as an excuse to succumb to temptation.<\/p>\n

A short-term sugar crash won\u2019t do much for your state of mind, and your long-term health is likely to suffer if you regularly over-indulge in sweet, salty or fatty snacks.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Alcohol or Cigarettes<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I realized in college that I often felt I \u201cneeded\u201d a glass of wine at the end of the day in order to unwind and relax, I knew it was time to go teetotal for a while. You might be far from being an alcoholic \u2013 but that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t have a drinking problem.
\n
\nTurning to the bottle when you\u2019re feeling blue isn\u2019t going to help.<\/em> At best, you might forget about what\u2019s troubling you for an evening \u2013 but your problems will still be there the next day (and they may well be accompanied by a hangover). If you\u2019re starting to feel that you \u201cneed\u201d a drink in order to de-stress, be careful.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never smoked, but a few of my friends are smokers, and from what they\u2019ve said, I know that cigarettes do provide some stress-relief. This comes, however, with a hefty price tag, both in monetary and health terms. If you\u2019re putting off quitting because you can\u2019t relax without a cigarette, start exploring some better stress-busting techniques<\/em>.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Shopping<\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing wrong with using your money to buy things that bring you enjoyment. If you regularly go shopping to lift your mood, however, there\u2019s a good chance that you\u2019re buying a lot of stuff that you don\u2019t really need and don\u2019t really want.<\/p>\n

If you get into the habit of shopping when you\u2019re down, you\u2019ll be more susceptible to succumbing to cunning marketing ploys. As with comfort eating, alcohol and cigarettes, excessive and unnecessary shopping won\u2019t make you feel good about yourself the next day<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Plus, if your financial situation is a bit rocky, shopping will add to your worries.<\/p>\n

So, if these popular mood-boosters don\u2019t really work, what does? There are a whole host of things you might try, but three that are pretty much guaranteed to lift your mood are:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Exercising<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t groan! Getting your body moving is a great way to boost your mood<\/em> (and, of course, it\u2019s good for your health). Have you ever had that satisfied, completely de-stressed feeling after a workout? Or have you ever gone outside to \u201cwalk off\u201d some excess nervous energy, or to get some space and recover from a bad mood?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve tried exercising in the past, you\u2019ll know how effective it is. Over here in the UK, doctors are increasingly encouraging patients with mild to moderate depression to exercise regularly \u2013 it can help people to manage their depression without the need for drugs.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Doing Something for Others<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many volunteers find that giving their time and energy to a good cause helps them to feel fulfilled and satisfied, and that it can be a great way of meeting new friends with similar interests and values. Knowing that you\u2019ve used one of your skills to help someone in need can give your confidence and your sense of self-worth a massive boost<\/em>.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t necessarily need to join a formal scheme as a volunteer. How about dropping in on a lonely neighbor, doing a favor for a friend, or taking the time to phone someone who you know will appreciate a chat?<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Get On With Something Absorbing<\/strong><\/p>\n

When you\u2019re feeling down, it can be hard to feel motivated to start on anything. Perhaps you\u2019ve got a stack of emails to reply to, but you just can\u2019t face them. (Indeed, a backlog of work might even be the cause of your bad mood.) Maybe you\u2019ve got a particular hobby or interest that you never seem to get time for any more.
\n
\nGetting on with something \u2013 anything \u2013 can sometimes be enough to lift your mood<\/em>. It might mean throwing yourself into work, or enjoying a chapter or two of an engrossing novel. Sometimes, all that\u2019s needed for your mood to lift is to simply find an activity that occupies your brain.<\/p>\n


\nHow do you lift your mood when you\u2019re feeling down<\/em>? Do any of the above tips work for you, or do you have some of your own to add to the list?<\/p>\n


\nGot a Self Improvement Question? Click Here!<\/a>
\n\"\"
\n<\/p>\n

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter! <\/a><\/p>\n

Related Articles: <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

5 Simple Ways to Increase Your Intelligence <\/a><\/p>\n

6 Motivation Tips When You’re Feeling Depressed <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I\u2019ve got a case of the blues, I sometimes cheer myself up by buying a new book or two on Amazon. Perhaps you have some similar habits: you know what cheers you up, whether it\u2019s going shopping, eating a … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":28223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[33,32,17,21,6],"tags":[3179,464,3178,3180,2027,561],"yoast_head":"\n3 Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up \u2013 and 3 Ways Which Work - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When I\u2019ve got a case of the blues, I sometimes cheer myself up by buying a new book or two on Amazon. Perhaps you have some similar habits: you know what cheers you up, whether it\u2019s going shopping, eating a giant bag of chips, opening a bottle of wine, lighting up...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up \u2013 and 3 Ways Which Work - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I\u2019ve got a case of the blues, I sometimes cheer myself up by buying a new book or two on Amazon. Perhaps you have some similar habits: you know what cheers you up, whether it\u2019s going shopping, eating a giant bag of chips, opening a bottle of wine, lighting up...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-06-30T15:31:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-10-30T05:57:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-10-29-at-10.56.24-PM.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"655\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"344\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@pickthebrain\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Falconer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-10-29-at-10.56.24-PM.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-10-29-at-10.56.24-PM.png\",\"width\":655,\"height\":344},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/\",\"name\":\"3 Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up \u2013 and 3 Ways Which Work - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2009-06-30T15:31:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-10-30T05:57:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\"},\"description\":\"When I\u2019ve got a case of the blues, I sometimes cheer myself up by buying a new book or two on Amazon. Perhaps you have some similar habits: you know what cheers you up, whether it\u2019s going shopping, eating a giant bag of chips, opening a bottle of wine, lighting up...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"3 Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up \u2013 and 3 Ways Which Work\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5\",\"name\":\"Erin Falconer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Falconer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"3 Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up \u2013 and 3 Ways Which Work - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"When I\u2019ve got a case of the blues, I sometimes cheer myself up by buying a new book or two on Amazon. Perhaps you have some similar habits: you know what cheers you up, whether it\u2019s going shopping, eating a giant bag of chips, opening a bottle of wine, lighting up...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"3 Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up \u2013 and 3 Ways Which Work - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","og_description":"When I\u2019ve got a case of the blues, I sometimes cheer myself up by buying a new book or two on Amazon. Perhaps you have some similar habits: you know what cheers you up, whether it\u2019s going shopping, eating a giant bag of chips, opening a bottle of wine, lighting up...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/","og_site_name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pickthebrain","article_published_time":"2009-06-30T15:31:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-10-30T05:57:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":655,"height":344,"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-10-29-at-10.56.24-PM.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@pickthebrain","twitter_site":"@pickthebrain","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Falconer","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/","name":"Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-10-29-at-10.56.24-PM.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/Screen-Shot-2014-10-29-at-10.56.24-PM.png","width":655,"height":344},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/","name":"3 Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up \u2013 and 3 Ways Which Work - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2009-06-30T15:31:11+00:00","dateModified":"2014-10-30T05:57:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5"},"description":"When I\u2019ve got a case of the blues, I sometimes cheer myself up by buying a new book or two on Amazon. Perhaps you have some similar habits: you know what cheers you up, whether it\u2019s going shopping, eating a giant bag of chips, opening a bottle of wine, lighting up...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-stupid-ways-to-cheer-yourself-up\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"3 Stupid Ways to Try to Cheer Yourself Up \u2013 and 3 Ways Which Work"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2da8ae162c097bdb749ab098472b4cc5","name":"Erin Falconer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1173c63284b173ff225e5f87a1af5028?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Falconer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/author\/erin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}