Feel tired, stressed, bored, overwhelmed? Don’t succumb to your bad mood. Try one (or more) of these 10 simple ways to lower stress, boost your mood, and get more energy.

1. Let natural sunlight come in. Open all blinds and curtains. Open windows, if not too cold. Get out of your little mental cell. Pull in the energy of the world

2. Pump up the music. Load up your player and listen to the music that makes you dance, whether you are working, working out, or driving. The tunes you liked when you were a teenager work best – it’s like reconnecting with the old friend, the younger you!

3. Stretch. Just a few moves will do. Stretching helps improve circulation and flexibility and may help ease muscle tension that come with stress. Sit up or stand tall — feel big, young, and powerful

4. Lough out. Watch a silly movie or a YouTube clip, find a funny cartoon, read jokes – and lough out loud. If it doesn’t work, fake it. The simple act of smiling seems to activate happiness centers in the brain. Keep smiling and your mood will improve.

5. Clear your desk (or closet, or bedroom). Clutter makes you lose focus and drives a feeling of overload. Get rid of it. You will feel empowered.

6. Sniff a lemon (or lavender, or juniper). Smell is an underrated, but very powerful sense. It works subconsciously to lift up your mood.

7. Go for a long walk. Walking improves blood supply to the brain, helps clear one’s head and shed negative energy. The longer the walk the better, but even 10 minutes will help. For best results find a scenic route with a lot of visual candy.

8. Accomplish something. Bake a cake, fix a broken light, or paint a wall. Choose something that you know you can do well, but never had time to get down to. You will feel better about yourself and can share the results with others

9. Plan something fun. Be it a trip to Paris, a visit to Barnes & Noble, or a golf game – just put it on the calendar. You will have something to look forward to!

10. Do something you’ve never tried before. Think out of the box. How about dance lessons or an extreme driving school? Volunteering at a local community center or signing up to help at an animal shelter? Whatever it is – just do it!

Unfortunately, sometimes a bad mood is not just a bad mood. Persistent feeling of stress, anxiety, tiredness, lack of interest in things you once enjoyed could be a sign of depression – a health disorder that requires medical attention. Talk to your doctor or click here to learn about studies of new anti-depression medications being conducted at Boston Clinical Trials.

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