Six Instant Mood Boosters for Busy Women

Women have always been busy, and most of us are better at looking after everyone else than ourselves. When stress builds, the advice to "take time for yourself" can feel like one more item on the to-do list.

So here are six mood boosters that take minutes, not hours. None of them solves the causes of stress, but each gives your nervous system a real, quick reset, and together they add up.

Why small resets help

When you're stressed, your body releases stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline among them. In short bursts they're useful. Kept up for weeks, stress is linked to poorer sleep, more cravings for sugary and fatty food, tension headaches and low mood.

You can't always change what's causing the stress. You can interrupt the stress response, even briefly, and those breaks matter.

1. Take a ten-minute walk

This is the one with the most science behind it. Regular physical activity eases symptoms of anxiety and depression, and even a single short walk can lift mood and clear your head. If you can get outside into daylight or green space, even better.

Try it: walk around the block after lunch, or take the long way to the car.

2. Breathe slowly, with a longer out-breath

Slow breathing activates the part of the nervous system that calms you down. One simple pattern: breathe in through your nose for a count of four, then out slowly through your mouth for a count of six. Repeat five or six times.

Try it: before opening your email, or while waiting for the kettle to boil.

3. Laugh

Laughter relaxes muscles, eases tension and lifts mood in the moment. The original version of this article said even forced laughter "lowers cortisol and blood pressure instantly". The research on that is small, but it does suggest laughter, even a deliberate chuckle, is good for how you feel.

Try it: keep a favourite funny video or comedian on hand for bad afternoons, or call the friend who always makes you laugh.

4. Sing, out loud

Singing combines slow, controlled breathing with a sense of joy, and group singing has been linked with better mood and wellbeing. Singing in the car or the shower counts.

Try it: put on the song you know all the words to.

5. Connect: call a friend, or talk to your pet

Talking with someone you care about eases stress. Social connection is strongly linked to both mental and physical health, and loneliness to the opposite. Stroking a pet can be calming too.

Try it: a two-minute voice message to a friend is better than none.

6. Squeeze, stretch or savour

Tension collects in the body. Squeezing a stress ball, rolling your shoulders or doing a quick stretch releases some of it.

Or savour something small. A square of dark chocolate eaten slowly, with your full attention, or a cup of tea in the sunshine, can be a genuine moment of calm. Chocolate won't cure a bad mood, but savouring, paying close attention to something pleasant, is a proven way to lift one.

Building them into your day

• Morning: five slow breaths before you get out of bed.
• Midday: a ten-minute walk.
• Afternoon slump: a song or a call instead of a sugary snack.
• Evening: a stretch and a cup of herbal tea.

The bottom line

You don't need an hour or a spa to reset. A walk, a few slow breaths, a laugh or a song, a call to a friend, or a savoured square of chocolate can shift your day. Pick one and try it right now.