External Lifestyle Factors that Can Improve Your Mood

Photography Anthony Tran

When you suffer from mental illnesses, overwhelming emotions, or negative mindsets, you’re taught that in order to truly heal from these things, you must work on the inside. You take medications to help rebalance your brain, you go to a therapist to get to the root of your problem and effective ways to cope, you switch your diet to reduce mental and physical symptoms, and you work out to improve your mood. 

Though it is essential for someone suffering from mental illness or other negative mental problems to seek help from the likes of doctors, therapists, TMS Los Angeles treatment centers, rehab facilities, nutritionists, and personal trainers for assistance in working on the inside, there are also external factors that need to be considered to truly heal. 

Working on the inside and outside simultaneously helps to speed up the healing process and boost your spirits. What things might you be able to work on external to help heal internally? Review the external lifestyle factors listed below:

Personal Style

Whether you suffer from low self-esteem or depression, when you look good on the outside, it makes you feel good on the inside. However, it is very common for those that suffer from such conditions to stop caring about their outer appearance, thus making their mood even worse. 

Try working on your personal style. Go through your wardrobe and get rid of outdated, old, or damaged items and start thinking of ideas to replace them with. You can grab inspiration from fashion blogs, magazines, or researching the latest trends online. Look for pieces that speak to your personality and most importantly, make you feel good when you put them on. 

Home Environment

Where you live can have a grave impact on your emotional well-being. Whether you’re stressed, anxious, or depressed, an unkempt home with no real sense of personality can make those feelings even worse. So, as you keep working at improving your mind, start making changes to your home environment. 

Get rid of the clutter in the home by donating things or having a yard sale. Then, start getting organized so that things are easy to find. Now that the place is clean, you can start working on the decor. Change the window treatments to allow as much natural light in as you can (great for boosting your mood), opt for soft or bright wall colors that evoke calm or positive emotions, incorporate decor pieces that bring flavor to the space whether it be family pictures, vases, candles, artwork, throw pillows, or area rugs, and finally, throw in some life by adding houseplants. The idea is to essentially create a safe haven that you enjoy coming back to every night. 

Social Circle

When you’re struggling with mental illness or negative emotions, it is common for you to want to reach out to those closest to you for healing. What many people aren’t aware of, however, is that sometimes the people you surround yourself with are a hazard to your health and keep you from being happy. If your social circle is constantly using you, putting you down, pointing out your flaws, or not adding to your happiness, you may need to make some changes. 

Social interaction is imperative to improving your mood. So, if necessary, isolate yourself from those that are toxic. This may seem harsh, but your mental health is on the line, and if they cannot understand that and support you, you have to keep them at a distance. The idea of making new friends may also be intimidating, but it’s not as hard as you think. You can make new friends just about anywhere these days from social media to a local cafe. Just get out and assert yourself and get to know people who like who you are and want you to be the best you can be. 

Life is too short to spend it feeling stressed, anxious, depressed, or down about who you are. Though not all factors are within your control, make an effort to start changing what you can. As you turn to resources like therapy, medication, diet, and exercise to work on the inside, use the above-mentioned advice to begin restructuring external factors in your life that can make a big difference in how you feel all around.