How to Instantly Improve Your Mood with the Power of Thought

The power of thought to change our mood and reality is well known and documented. And yet, many of us find it difficult to master our minds effectively to benefit from this powerful tool. Below are recommended ways to get started:

1. Repeat a Positive Statement
Repeating a positive phrase powerfully affects the subconscious, which in turn strongly influences us. By repeating uplifting affirmations such as “My life is good” or “Thank You, God, for all the good You give me”, we can use the subconscious to lift our mood.

2. Change Negative Interpretations to Positive Ones
Every event is recorded in our memory along with our interpretation of it — and that interpretation determines whether the event will affect our mood positively or negatively.

Our interpretation triggers a chain reaction: we interpret the event, which produces emotions and bodily reactions (such as trembling or a rapid heartbeat). These sensations may lead us to think something is wrong, which increases fear and stress.

To change a negative interpretation, we can revisit the event and look for the positive elements in it. This shift in perspective can greatly improve our mood.

Dr. Joseph Murphy, in The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, writes that a bad mood is not caused by what happened to you, but by what you think happened to you. Changing the interpretation doesn’t alter the event, but it changes our feelings and outlook — and in turn, our entire functioning.

Even if we tend to see things negatively, we can work on it. By striving to do God’s will and seeking the good in situations, we can train ourselves to interpret events positively. This will uplift our mood, strengthen our inner resources, and help us face life’s challenges.

Writing can also be a helpful tool. When something happens, write down your automatic interpretation, and then write a positive interpretation of the same event. Create a “positive script” describing how the situation would feel and look when viewed with a hopeful mindset. Focus on what you can learn, what went well, and how to improve what didn’t. This process reshapes deep-seated perceptions, which are often based on the worldview we grew up with.

3. Interpret Events Through the Lens of Faith
We can improve our interpretations by strengthening our faith. Thoughts such as:

• “If this happened, it was from Heaven, and it’s for the best.”

• “No one can harm me without God’s will.”

• “If I didn’t get this, it must not be good for me right now — it will come at the right time, or not at all, and that’s also for my good.” We can ask ourselves, “What is God asking of me through this event?” By reframing events this way, our mood will naturally improve.

4. Focus on What Can Be Improved
Instead of dwelling on the negatives of a failure, focus on how to improve, thereby shifting into a proactive mindset that boosts mood.

A man applied for a job and was rejected. At first he was discouraged, but then he called the interviewer to ask what he could improve for future opportunities. To his surprise, impressed by his desire to grow and his willingness to learn, the interviewer immediately hired him.

5. Engage in Activities That Lift Your Mood
Sometimes we can work from the outside in: choose activities that lift your spirits such as music, exercise, art, painting, sewing, or anything that suits your personality and talents. As the Mesilat Yesharim teaches in the “Gate of Zeal,” external movements awaken the inner spirit, like sparks that ignite the heart.

6. Act Outward Joy to Awaken Inner Joy
Even if we’re irritated or sad, we can act as if we’re happy by dancing, singing, or imagining we’ve just received wonderful news. The subconscious doesn’t distinguish between imagination and reality, and it responds as if the joy were real, thereby changing our inner state.

Often, at weddings, we start dancing to cheer up the bride, and then we find ourselves genuinely joyful. As the Netivot Shalom writes: “If voice can awaken intention, all the more so can dance and music awaken the inner feeling, stir the sleeping heart, and bring true joy.”

There are ways to build joy from within so that it becomes a lasting part of us, through gratitude, self-awareness, giving, and other inner work. Occasionally however, we need to spark joy from the outside first, letting it awaken the inner joy, and then continue cultivating it until it becomes part of our nature.