30 Silly Ways to Lift Your Spirits When the Times Are Tough

At times when things are not going well, it’s easy to become demotivated, unproductive, and even depressed.

When you don’t see a light at an end of a tunnel, when nothing seems to be working out, try to remind yourself that things will change for the better. They always do, even when it doesn’t seem possible.

And in the meantime, here are 30 brilliant tips that might help you get through a rough patch.

Some of them have worked for me before, some of them haven’t, and some of them are just utterly impractical & impossible, but 30 is a lot, and the title is set in stone, so here they are:

1. Watch a silly video, the internet is full of them.
2. Read a motivational blog post, even a cheeky one can put you in a good mood.
3. Cat gifs or gifs of equivalently silly animals can always make you smile.
4. Meditate for a couple of minutes, it’s surprisingly frustrating.
5. Scream for a couple of minutes, it’s surprisingly therapeutic. (If you don’t want to alarm your neighbors, scream into a pillow, it works just as well.)
6. Send someone a heartfelt thank-you note just to make their day, it will make you feel much better.
7. Go for a walk, even if it’s just around your apartment, then brag about it on social media.
8. Call a friend and share your worries, fears, and concerns with them, just venting out to someone can often help.
9. Play a video game, the sillier the better.
10. Read a book, a one you can really enjoy, even if it’s a shallow book with no substance.
11. Sing along your favorite song, it will certainly put you in a better mood.
12. Sing along your least favorite song, it will certainly put you in a better mood.
13. Watch another silly video, or watch the first one again.
14. Close your eyes and balance on one foot as long as you can, it’s bound to make you smile.
15. Throw away an old item that no longer brings you joy.
16. Create a giveaway among your followers or friends for an old item that no longer brings you joy.
17. Flip a coin, call both tails and heads, then see where it lands.
18. Eat something healthy other than a banana.
19. Reply to the latest spam message you received with a genuine, heartfelt story that ends all spam forever.
20. Write a poem, the sillier the better.
21. Write a blog post, the sillier the better.
22. Write some gibberish text without meaning or structure, then call it a poem or a blog post.
23. Draw an arc, a circle, a square, then try to figure out which one you resemble the most.
24. Draw a stickwoman, preferably in a dancing position.
25. Reply to every post and tweet you see in the next 10 minutes with “Yes! But why?”.
26. Hug someone, preferably yourself.
27. Eat an avocado, it’s a super-fruit, so it’s bound to give you superpowers.
28. Write a list of 3 things you’re grateful to have in your life.
29. Write a list of 3 things you’re grateful to not have in your life.
30. Write a list of 3 ideas that are impossible to accomplish, then create a detailed plan on how to tackle each and prove yourself wrong.

If you do any of these, please let me know on Twitter if it works. And if it doesn’t, I certainly won’t remove it from this list.

And remember, it’s OK to have some fun, it’s OK to take a break, it’s OK to feel bad sometimes, and it’s OK to read a motivational, or a silly blog post every once in a while.