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Morale Booster Ideas

Everybody's morale needs a boost now and then. While it would be great fun to hop on a plane and take an exotic trip, usually we need something more immediate, more accessible and much more cost-effective. Go ahead, buy a piggy bank, and start saving up for that dream vacation, but in the meantime, here are some simple ways you can lift your spirits--starting right now.

  1. Change your surroundings

    • The quickest way to give your morale a boost is to change your surroundings. By tidying up your workplace or home, dusting off the cobwebs, and adding something beautiful or whimsical, you'll immediately feel at least some improvement in your mood. Clean out your inbox, put the dirty clothes in the laundry basket, enlist the kids' help to pick up the toys--in other words, organize. Then clean, if only briefly. Remove everything from your desk and dust it thoroughly; run the vacuum; wipe the countertops. Finally, improve your surroundings by adding something fun: a vase of fresh flowers; a humorous, not overly-offensive cartoon for the office bulletin board; or maybe something whimsical like a kaleidoscope or a bobblehead toy.

    Exercise

    • Exercise has an incredible number of health benefits, both mental and physical. Just 10 minutes of exercise will give you a boost. Think what a half an hour can do. Exercising for 30 minutes per session three times a week improves your mood by releasing feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. Exercise also releases beta-endorphins, which helps improve clarity and increase energy.

    Focus on Happier Times

    • When life looks bleak, you can lift your morale by focusing on the good times you've experienced in the past. Martha Beck, life coach and writer, recommends people keep a box filled with positive reinforcements, such as thank-you cards you've received, good work evaluations, love letters, awards and photographs of happy times and special moments. When you are feeling bad about yourself, get the box out and remind yourself of all the things you have to be proud of.

    Feed Your Spirit

    • Many people find their morale is lifted when they pay attention to their spiritual needs. That might mean attending weekly services at your house of worship, gathering with like-minded people to pray or discuss spiritual issues or developing a practice such as regular prayer and study of religious materials or meditation. Feeding your spirit might be as simple as listing everything for which you're grateful. Or it might mean finding a sense of purpose, such as devotion to your family or an important cause.

    Lend a Hand

    • Helping someone else is almost guaranteed to make you feel better. Join the animal-rescue league, visit a nursing home, mentor a child. There's an endless number of ways you can help others and make yourself feel better at the same time. Or find a cause you believe in and work with others to make it happen: plant a community garden, work with an environmental group or lobby your legislators. Practice random acts of kindness, such as paying for the people behind you in the drive-through lane or holding the door for a person carrying a heavy load. You'll make somebody's day better and, at the same time, give your own morale a boost.

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