7 ways to find happiness when times are tough

1. Eat a healthy, balanced diet and try to be active every day

Exercise and activity have been shown to reduce the risk of mental health problems, such as low mood. Some studies suggest that activities such as jogging, walking, and dancing can reduce anxiety and depression, and improve your self-esteem and ability to think, focus and remember. One of the reasons for this is that your body produces chemicals called endorphins during exercise, and these act on the brain to make you feel good. Exercise can also improve both the quantity and quality of our sleep, which can suffer when we are unhappy or stressed.

Eating well will help you to feel better and give you the energy you need for the day. During times of stress, you might not have as much interest in healthy eating, or your appetite might change in the short term. Try to keep to a regular pattern of small meals and snacks to help you return to a healthy balance in the long term. A healthy diet could also have additional benefits as there is a growing amount of research linking gut health with better mental health. While it is too early to draw firm conclusions, we know that a diet that is good for your heart and circulatory health is also one that is good for your gut health and the additional possible link with mental health means there could be even more reason to make some healthy changes.

Eating a well-balanced and varied diet which includes plenty of fibre will help maintain the health of the bacteria in your gut. A Mediterranean style diet, which contains lots of vegetables, fish, olive oil and whole grains, is a healthy diet to follow, for your body and your mind.

While food and drinks like chocolate and coffee can make us feel better in the short term, they contain caffeine. Too much of this can make you feel more anxious or affect sleep, so you feel more tired the next day.

• Read more about healthy eating.
• Read more about staying active.

2. Make sure you get plenty of rest

Sleep and mood are closely related, with many people familiar with feeling more irritable or stressed after a poor night’s sleep. This relationship has been shown in several studies, with one finding that subjects reported feeling more stressed, angry, sad, and mentally fatigued when they were limited to only 4.5 hours of sleep a night for a week. These feelings were resolved once they started to sleep normally again. The effect also works the other way, with anxiety and stress leading to trouble sleeping.

If you find it difficult to sleep or rest, you may be able to make changes to your sleep habits. Positive changes include keeping a regular sleep schedule, doing relaxing activities before bed, exercising, and eating well, and avoiding caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, all of which can disturb sleep.

3. Take your medication following the instructions you have been given

If you have been prescribed medication for a health condition, it is important that you follow your doctor’s advice and take it at the times and quantities that they recommend. Taking too much or too little may have a negative effect on your mental and physical health and could be dangerous. If you change your medications or your schedule and dosage during times of upset and stress can lead to you feeling worse.

If you want to change your medication or think you need to reconsider your dosage you should book an appointment with your GP.

• Visit our Drug Cabinet section which explains all the common heart medications.
• Read more about medication.

4. If you drink alcohol, follow your medical team’s advice and keep within recommended limits

In the short-term alcohol can enhance your mood, leading some people to turn to drink when they are going through a tough time. But in the mid to long term, too much alcohol will have a poor effect on your mood. Alcohol is a depressant, and too much can lead to feeling depressed or anxious. It can also disrupt your sleep and make negative feelings even stronger.

Turning to alcohol to manage feelings of anxiety or sadness also means that over time you can build up a tolerance. This means that to achieve the same effect you find you have to drink more, which can lead to becoming dependent.

It’s fine to drink in moderation or at the limits suggested by your GP, but it is important to not drink excessively on the occasions that you do consume alcohol and to avoid doing this too regularly if you want to feel your best mentally.

5. Spend time in the open air, getting close to nature

Studies have shown that spending time in nature improves people’s mental health, reducing stress and increasing concentration. If you spend too much time indoors, you don’t experience direct sunlight or fresh air, both of which make you feel better. Natural sunlight has been shown to increase levels of a chemical, serotonin in the brain, regardless of whether it is warm or cold. Serotonin is a natural mood stabilizer and helps to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Nature is also hugely beneficial during times of grief because it helps people to cope and increases self-awareness, as well as positively affecting mood.

• Read our guide to winter walking.

6. Keep in touch with family and friends who can provide support, a listening ear and help you solve practical problems

Spending time with others has been shown to help control our response to stress and anxiety. Social contact with other people has even been linked to lowering your risk of heart and circulatory diseases, high blood pressure, cancer and poor wound healing.

At times when you are upset and stressed your instinct might be to keep your feelings to yourself and shy away from others. Try to avoid isolating yourself and allow your friends and families to support you.

• Read our feature on coping with loneliness.

7. Ensure you take part in activities that you enjoy or do something you’re good at to boost self-esteem

One of the best ways to improve your frame of mind is to set aside time for things that make you feel better or good about yourself. This could be reading, listening to music, going for a walk with a friend or gardening. You could also focus on self-care which is not only enjoyable but might boost your self-esteem if you’re feeling low. Take a warm bath, do a face mask, or get your nails or hair done, to help you feel your best.