How to Keep Your Spirit Up

Down economy, unemployment, ill health and breakups are all things that drive your spirits low. It sometimes seems like life is insurmountable when things turn sour. Simple things designed to bring your spirits back up help ease the tensions and stress modern life heaps upon you. Keeping spirits up lets you face daily challenges with aplomb and stare down troubles. Even maintaining a more positive outlook on things benefits your mood and spirit.

Instructions

• 1

  Spend time with loved ones and old friends. When down, find old schoolmates and chums via online social media. Ask them to "friend" you and get back in touch. Avoid talking about the blues, instead focusing on old adventures and high jinks from high school and college.

• 2

  Take your pet to the park. If you are a dog lover and have canine pets, there is nothing that restores the spirits like watching four-legged friends bound at the simple pleasures of a thrown ball, a good romp and a rewarding rubdown after play. Studies show pets lower heart rate and provide longer life to owners than those who do not have pets.

• 3

  Face your troubles head-on. When troubles seem overwhelming, the brain goes into a "survival" mode that often leads to playing the worst-case game. Remove the fear by dealing directly with the cause of the stress. While it might be uncomfortable at first, it empowers you. When you feel empowered, chances are high your self-esteem increases and your spirits lift.

• 4

  Turn off the TV and put down the newspaper for a spell. Getting a daily barrage of bad news via TV and papers just serves to bring the spirits down. Reading about natural disasters and down economies takes its toll. Give the news a break for a few days and recharge your batteries.

• 5

  Get out into the sun. Studies show that daily doses of vitamin D, produced in the body through the sun's rays, boost mood. In addition, the exercise of simply walking in the sun releases endorphins, a mood enhancer. If you live in the North, where winter and gray skies are present, buy an SAD (seasonal affective disorder) light that simulates sunlight. Spend at least 30 minutes a day in front of the light to boost spirits.