Have you ever had a friend, family member, or even a stranger boost your mood? We’ve all experienced this phenomena, whether it’s through compliments, simple gestures, or just through the presence of another person. Have you ever felt good when you’ve boosted someone else’s mood? Have you ever felt happy when a friend expressed love for the gift you gave them, or a stranger broke out into a smile when you gave them a compliment? Chances are you’ve also experienced happiness through spreading it yourself. What I want to look at is the connection between these two phenomena – how we can emanate good vibes that infect us and those around us – and I think I’ve found some excellent ways to do so.
Giving Compliments
Doling out compliments can be awkward and cause anxiety, but they are worthwhile! An article by Psychology Today goes over the results of a study in which they found that those who receive compliments are more positively affected than what compliment-givers anticipate, and that they also improve the mood of the compliment-giver. Not to mention that giving out compliments can be a great exercise for improving social skills! I’m incredibly anxious and have difficulty engaging with both peers and strangers. To challenge myself, I’ve decided to make it a goal to verbalize whenever I have a positive thought about someone’s appearance, clothing, ideas, etc. with a goal of giving at least 3 compliments every day. Challenge yourself like I did, and you’ll find just how easy it is to spread those good vibes!
Share What Makes YOU Feel Good
Oftentimes, we internalize our pleasure in the little things. We see a funny piece of graffiti or an especially gorgeous sunset and have a moment of awe to ourselves. Some of us already share these things – through spam posts on social media or pictures sent to friends – but implementing it more into your life can be a game-changer! If you’re out with friends and see anything that piques your interest, don’t be afraid to point it out. You may be reluctant and think others won’t appreciate that thing in the same way, but even if they don’t gain the same feeling from the viewing experience, they can appreciate you sharing that with them (more so if they were sucked into the world of their phone and tuned-out).
Bring Along Little Activities and Trinkets!
This one might sound a little strange but hear me out. Every single time I’ve been with friends, and someone has brought a rubix cube, deck of cards, or a funky little trinket, we gain an incredible amount of enjoyment from it. We all want to try a little activity, play a game, or mess around with a funny figure! Anything that allows us to fill the time and procrastinate schoolwork, if I’m honest. Bringing something along that y’all can engage with sans-cost can help with growing bonds and brightening moods.
Group Self-Care
Share with your friends and family what you do for self-care! Gift them your favorite bath bomb, send them the songs you’re currently obsessed with, or invite them to put on some face-masks and watch that new series/movie everyone is raving about. This one doesn’t have to be an in-person event as well, which is perfect for those of us with busy schedules. Cut out the stress of planning by sharing your self-care ritual, and encourage them to share theirs too! Y’all can try out each other’s stress-relievers and have the shared experience without hassle, and talk about it when you have the time to do so.
Fake it ‘til You Make it
We’ve all heard this phrase, and it may be overused, yet it holds true to sharing and feeling good vibes. Take a day to be a bottle of sunshine! Smile at peers and strangers (when you feel safe to do so) and be your most optimistic self possible. You can interpret this phrase as you will, so be creative with it! Wear funky clothes, start spontaneous dance parties with your friends, or manifest the energy of a child at Disney World. There’s a million ways to fake it ‘til you make it, and all of them will not only be cathartic and brighten your mood, but do the same for those around you. Moods and behaviors can be infectious, after all.
These are by no means the only ways you can uplift yourself and others. I encourage you to try these methods out though, as they have been crucial to uplifting my mood and positively affecting my friends and family. To throw another common phrase out there- don’t knock it ‘till you try it!