Boost your mood

Saturday morning, my son accidentally put a deep, four-inch scratch in my new car. Instead of being that cool, calm mom that I've always wanted to be, I flipped out a little bit. From that moment on, I was in a bad mood all weekend. I was a grump with a capital G. Thankfully, I shook my bad mood and I'm back to normal this morning. (Good thing, too, because this morning my son used an Allen wrench to knock about 30 dents into the molding on our staircase. I swear to goodness, destruction is my son's middle name).

If you're anything like me, stress and other day-to-day occurrences play a big role in your mood. But there a lot of things you can do to help boost your mood:

• Be thankful. Spend some time thinking about the good things in your life. Maybe even write a list of all the people and things you have to be happy about.
• Try something new. Have you been wanting to take guitar lessons? Don't put it off until life is less hectic. Whether you want to join a sports team, learn to play an instrument, take cooking classes, or join a book club -- don't put it off. Trying something new can actually improve your mood and help you better deal with life's stressors.

• Be proud. We all have good qualities, but when we feel down we tend to forget what's good about ourselves. Write down three (or more) qualities that make you proud of yourself.
  
• Exercise. When life gets busy, exercise can sometimes go to the wayside. Don't let it! Being physically active will help you maintain a more positive attitude.
• Eat right. Comfort foods may be what you crave when you're feeling a bit blue, but many so-called comfort foods will leave you feeling worse in the end. Focus on good nutrition and you'll being doing your attitude a favor.

You can also use Prevention's mood tracker to keep track of your moods and see what helps boost your mood.