10 Psychological 'Mind Tricks' You Can Use When You Desperately Need To Feel Better
KIRAYONAK YULIYA | Shutterstock There are so many reasons people feel emotionally stuck. Grief, depression, job loss, breakups and so many other factors can really mess with your head. That's why, when you feel like you desperately need to start feeling better, you might need to practice a few little mind tricks on yourself.
These mind tricks aren't shallow manipulations, and they aren't going to cause you to compromise your values. They're ways to use your brain's natural plasticity and resilience to start boosting your mood and reset your drive from the inside out.
10 psychological 'mind tricks' you can to use on yourself when you desperately need to feel better
1. Send yourself subliminal messages
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According to the Association for Psychological Science, subliminal perception, also known as subliminal messaging or subliminal stimuli, is defined as information you receive that you are not consciously aware of. While most of the ways subliminal messaging is used in entertainment is false, like getting someone who is highly ethical to rob a bank, there are ways in which it can be effective.
So, if you want to transform your life, find better ways to control the information around you. That means you can put on a self-help video while you're sleeping or listen to uplifting music. You can try self-hypnosis and play a track designed to help you reach your goals. Over time, small changes like this can have a huge impact on your mental health.
2. Visualize the big picture
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It's easy to get discouraged when you’re on the road to accomplishing your goals. When the little things trip you up, it can be difficult to see the bigger picture and keep moving forward. Often, it feels pointless.
But during times like this, you can create your own reality instead. Imagine your goals and what you're trying to accomplish. Create a vision board of what you want to do, make a big-picture plan and zoom out on it so you can start seeing what matters, and what does not.
Being able to see the vision can give you the motivation necessary to keep pushing forward and embrace that change.
3. Reorient your mindset for gratitude
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When you wake up in the morning, what do you do first? Do you grumble about everything you have to do? Do you pick up your phone and start scrolling bad news? If you do, you're certainly not alone. But it's not good for you.
It's easy to get caught up in your anxieties and worries. But if you want to change your life, you have to trick your mind into thinking differently by "training" your mind for gratitude. After all, if nothing changes then nothing changes.
While it may seem trite or clichéd, gratitude journals are scientifically shown to change people's behaviors and orient them more toward happiness. Even if you don't do it purposefully, practicing gratitude can help you think reflexively about what you're looking forward to and allow that positive feeling to fill you up inside.
4. Make small changes to your appearance
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Everyone feels down about themselves from time to time, but being unhappy with the way you look can make that feeling a whole lot worse.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, “Research has found that higher body dissatisfaction is associated with a poorer quality of life and psychological distress, a higher likelihood of depression symptoms, and the risk of unhealthy eating behaviors and eating disorders.”
To avoid this, it’s best to put a little bit of effort toward your appearance in ways that are meaningful to you, not anyone else. If you want more color in your wardrobe, do that. If you'd like to start warming up your smile, test some lipsticks or try an approved tooth whitening process. Whatever it is, make sure it's a relatively easy change and something attainable, oriented around what you want.
These small changes are more than just about appearance, they're also about changing habits, which helps change your brain. Doing a few small, new things help your brain get ready for bigger changes that will benefit you even more.
5. Journal often
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Journaling is one of the best things you can do for your mental health. The University of Rochester Medical Center confirms that can help you gain control of your emotions and improve your mental health.
If you aren’t sure where to begin, download an app on your phone or buy a fresh, new journal. Spend at least five minutes a day writing down everything you've been feeling lately. Make sure you include your wins and things you're grateful for, especially at the end of your journal entry. That way, you're setting your mind to notice the positive things even more.
Understandably, this might feel useless at first, but stick with it! Within a month, your mental health will likely begin to improve, as well as your outlook, eventually changing your life for the better.
6. Give yourself a physical outlet
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We all get overwhelmed at some point, but managing your emotions is a non-negotiable when it comes to trying to get yourself to feel better. According to Better Health Channel, "People who exercise regularly have better mental health and emotional well-being, and lower rates of mental illness."
Whether it's one hour or just 10 minutes a day, getting some form of exercise into your daily routine brings plenty of benefits, ones that can serve as mind tricks to make your body feel like things are going to get better.
This can be a walk, a five minute dance party in your kitchen, or lifting weights (or whatever you will actually enjoy doing!). Your body, along with your brain, will be all the better for it.
7. List your goals
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Everyone has a list of goals they want to accomplish, but they can be difficult to reach if you don’t take the time to list them out first. They can be even harder when you feel a bit stuck in your mind with sadness, anxiety or even grief.
Laying out your goals can help move them back to the forefront of you mind and can sort of trick you into feeling hopeful.
Grab a piece of paper and take 20 minutes to think about the goals you want to achieve. Start small by listing the goals you want to fulfill in a week, and then list your goals to reach by the end of the year. Understanding where you want to be can make it a whole lot easier to get there.
8. Take on a new artistic challenge
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Feeling creative isn't always easy, and it often cannot be forced. This is partially because most of us go through life feeling completely drained and out of tune with ourselves.
That's why you can trick yourself, psychologically, into thinking differently by setting aside one day a week to do something creative, something that feels challenging. You don't have to be good at it, you just have to lay down the new neuropathways by trying.
Try your hand at painting or photography. Do something new like sewing or baking. Whatever you choose to do, put yourself out there and use this new experience to find inspiration and change your life for the better.
Marielisa Reyes is a writer with a bachelor's in psychology who covers self-help, relationships, career, and family topics.
9. Do one thing you're afraid of
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Facing fears is scary, obviously. It's right there in the word! But few things change your brain positively more than facing a fear.
Whether that's facing a little fear, like putting a cup over a spider instead of squishing it, or a big one, like speaking in front of a large group when you're absolutely terrified of it, you trick your brain into seeing yourself as brave every time you push back that initial panic.
Little by little, you start feeling brave and strong when you desperately need it, but it only happens if you push yourself to try. As an added bonus, you may find yourself becoming more successful in other endeavors, too, as these benefits spill into many areas of your life.
10. Hypnotize yourself
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If you think of a guy in a weird cape with a pocket watch when you hear "hypnotism," you're not alone. Fortunately, real hypnotism isn't about putting people into a freaky robot phase, it's about getting your mind to be calm and quiet enough to invite new ways of thinking that you might normally block with fear or reflexive thoughts like, "I'm not strong enough."
While you likely will have the best results when you hire a certified hypnotherapist, there are plenty of programs for self-hypnotism that have been utilized for decades. The hypno-birthing programs are one great example. According to the Cleveland Clinic, hypnosis can also help treat depression, anxiety, stress and even PTSD.
Considering that people are able to experience minimal pain during childbirth using hypnotism, imagine how well you can trick your mind into feeling better by trying it!
