Today I woke up in a bit of a funk.

Getting out of bed was hard work.

I overslept and missed my (pre-paid!) yoga class and my to do list was hanging over me like a black cloud.

We all have those days when we just feel in low vibration, don’t we? Our life circumstances may not have changed from yesterday, but for some reason, today, we’re just not feeling it.

But,  I told myself,

“No! Today is going to be a good day. I’m in charge of my life and how I feel!”

I was determined to turn things around and have a good day.

So here, I’ve put together my tried and tested (and backed up by actual science) techniques for helping you feel more positive in 10 seconds.

1. Sing your heart out.

It’s thought that the benefits of singing work in a number of ways.

First, when you’re singing you’re focused on the song and therefore distracted from your troubles.

Secondly, singing often involves taking lots of deep breaths, which can help you to feel more relaxed and at ease.

Evidence suggests that singing in a group has the most powerful mood enhancing effects, but that solo singing is also effective. So this morning, I sang in the shower and it helped to brighten my mood.

2. Look at old photos.

Browsing photos of happy times was food to boost positive feelings by as much as 11%, found a study by the Open University. They even compared this with eating chocolate and quaffing wine and found looking at happy snaps the most effective.

Plus, it’s free and low calorie too!

Log onto Facebook and spend some time chuckling over those pictures of the last big night out you had with your friends, or the amazing holiday you had with your partner, then prepare yourself for a wave of positivity and good vibes.

3. Grin.

We all know that we smile when we’re happy, but did you also know that it works the other way too?

By pasting on a smile we can improve our feelings of happiness. Evidence suggests that even if it’s a fake smile, it works because smiling sends a biofeedback message to the brain to let us know that we’re feeling good.

So, in the shower this morning, in between belting out a frankly strained rendition of Alicia Keys’ “If I ain’t got you,” I also fixed a big grin on my face. It seemed to help!

4. Be Kind.

Acts of kindness are really quite powerful.

The giver of the act of kindness, the receiver plus anyone who happens to observe this act, all get a mental boost.

So, this morning, purely for the selfish reasons of wanting to cheer myself up, I bought the homeless man on my street a banana and a packet of crisps (his choice). I felt pretty good about it! I hope someone else saw it and got a mood boost too!

Other acts of kindness could be giving to charity, helping someone out with something, giving someone a sincere compliment or writing a thank you note to someone out of the blue.

5. Three Things.

This neat little written task takes just a few seconds and Action for Happiness says it boosts good feelings fast.

Grab a note book or bit of paper and jot down:

• Three things you’re grateful for in your life—people, places, fresh running water in the taps. There’s so much to be grateful for when you think about it.
• Three things you like about self. Are you a great cook? Do you look fantastic in shorts? Can you down a flaming sambuca with ninja like ease?
• Three things you’re looking forward to—days off, holidays, special meals, an early night!? It could be anything.

Done! Feeling more positive?

I bet you are, and if not, rinse and repeat.

Let me know in the comments what strategies you have for boosting positivity quickly—I’d love some more ideas!

Relephant:

3 Crazy Easy Steps to Happy.

Author: Chloe Brotheridge

Apprentice Editor: Brandie Smith/Editor:Renee Picard 

Photo: Scarleth Marie/Flickr