Lift Your Mood:
When You’re Feeling Low or Stuck
Explore gentle practices to help shift your energy and support you through times of depression, low mood, or feeling stuck. From energising breathwork and movement to creative prompts and small, practical actions, these resources offer ways to reconnect with yourself and move toward lightness — in your own time and at your own pace.
When we talk about low mood, it doesn’t always mean depression — it can also feel like stuckness, lack of motivation, or a heaviness in daily life.
Our mood and emotions are entwined with our physical and mental states. Sometimes we find ourselves in a bad mood for no obvious reason. Yet under the surface, there’s often a story unfolding — a decision we’re avoiding, a longing for change, or perhaps the absence of direction altogether.
Low mood can touch every part of life: our work, our relationships, our sense of purpose.
Feeling like you’re wandering through life without direction—or wondering if “this is it”? That’s deeply human. You’re not broken. You’re cycling. And you deserve gentle tools, compassion, and permission to feel.
This section offers gentle practices to shift your energy, reconnect with yourself, and explore new ways forward. These aren’t quick fixes — they’re small, compassionate steps to help you find movement and clarity when things feel heavy.
How Low Mood Shows Up
Career & Purpose → That feeling of stuckness or questioning: “Is this it? What am I doing with my life? I don’t know what to do.”
Practice: journaling prompts for values & directionRelationships → Sometimes low mood shows up as withdrawal or disconnection — both from yourself and from the people around you.
Practice: grounding breathwork before difficult conversationsMental Health & Depression → The heaviness that makes it hard to get moving, or the fog that dulls motivation.
Practice: very small “activation” steps, nervous system regulation, and practices that remind you you’re not aloneDaily Energy & Motivation → Feeling flat, lethargic, or like everything takes extra effort.
Practice: energising breathwork, uplifting playlists, mindful movement
What You’ll Find in This Section:
Breathwork and somatic movement to gently lift energy
Reflective journaling prompts for clarity in work or relationships
Soothing practices to regulate your nervous system
Creative prompts and micro-rituals for motivation and hope
If you’re feeling stuck, flat, or weighed down, know you’re not alone. These practices aren’t about forcing positivity — they’re invitations to reconnect with your body, soften your mind, and open space for clarity and connection.
Breathwork
Mindfulness
Somatics
Understanding Low Mood: The Continuum and the Seasons
Mental health isn’t fixed—it moves along a continuum*. The model taught by MHFA England shows that we can shift between thriving, surviving, struggling, and in crisis. Just as our physical health changes over time, our mental health also fluctuates, day to day and across our lives.
To make sense of these shifts, you might like to think of your mood and wellbeing as moving through inner seasons:
Winter: heaviness, withdrawal, low mood, depression
Spring: hope returning, tender beginnings
Summer: connection, confidence, vibrancy
Autumn: slowing, reflecting, letting go
Low mood can feel like winter. It isn’t permanent, but a season that will eventually shift. Understanding both the continuum and the seasons helps us see that low mood is part of being human—not a failing, not forever.
*You can view the Mental Health Continuum here.
Noticing Triggers & Glimmers
Low mood is often stirred by triggers — moments, thoughts, or situations that leave us feeling heavy, flat, or withdrawn. But just as our nervous system responds to triggers, it also responds to glimmers — the small everyday sparks that bring comfort, ease, or joy.
It might be the warmth of a morning cup of tea, sunlight on your face, hearing a favourite song, or a kind word from a friend. These glimmers may feel tiny, but noticing them helps shift your state and remind you that moments of light still exist, even in difficult times.
Learning to spot glimmers isn’t about ignoring pain or forcing positivity — it’s about gently re-orienting your attention toward the small things that nourish you, helping your nervous system lift out of low mood and into connection.
Reflective Journal Prompts for Low Mood
Before you explore the practices below, pause with these journaling prompts. They’re here to help you notice what’s really going on beneath the surface, gently shift perspective, and find small ways to reconnect with yourself when things feel heavy.
Noticing Shifts
What thoughts, body sensations, or emotions do I notice right now? How are they showing up for me?Helpful vs. Unhelpful
Is this thought or story helping me in this moment? If not, what might be a kinder or more supportive thought to hold instead?Recognise, Respond, Rebalance
Recognise: What am I thinking and feeling?
Respond: What tool or practice could support me right now?
Rebalance: How does my body feel after trying it?
Finding Glimmers
What’s one small thing today — however ordinary — that brought me a spark of ease, comfort, or joy?Looking Ahead with Care
What’s one simple way I can support myself tomorrow if low mood shows up again?
Bringing Balance To Your Nervous System
“To chill out, breathe it out”
Your breath is a built-in tool for regulating stress and calming your nervous system. In moments of anxiety, it’s common for our breath to become rapid and shallow, which triggers the fight-or-flight response. This can leave you feeling overstimulated and disconnected, as your body floods with oxygen while your mind races.
By slowing your breath and extending your exhale, you signal to your body that it's safe to relax. The longer exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps calm your heart rate, steady your thoughts, and shift your body out of high-alert mode.
Breathing deeply and intentionally engages your diaphragm—the “wonder muscle”—to promote deep, full breaths that ground you in the present moment. Scientific research supports the power of breathwork: studies show it can reduce stress hormones, improve emotional regulation, and enhance mental clarity. For instance, HeartMath research has demonstrated that regulating your breath can create harmony between the heart and brain, improving focus and emotional balance.
When you're feeling overwhelmed, focus on your breath. It’s one of the quickest, most accessible ways to regain a sense of calm and reconnect with your body and the present moment.
Breathwork practices to explore.
The Flow Loop (coherence breathing)
What it is: The one to bring balance and gently shift your energy. Use it when you feel low, stressed, or out of sync, or anytime you want to restore calm focus.
How it helps: Breathing at around 5 breaths per minute (inhale 5, exhale 5) balances your nervous system, boosts heart rate variability (HRV), and activates the vagus nerve. This steady rhythm helps calm stress and anxiety while lifting low mood and creating a greater sense of presence and flow.
How to practice it: Inhale for 5 seconds, then exhale for 5 seconds. Keep the rhythm steady and equal for 5–20 minutes.
Reset Your Breath
What it is: The one to help you self-regulate and feel grounded. Use it when you need to take a moment and recentre yourself.
How it helps: This helps to bring your nervous system back into balance by calming you and helping you to focus. This is a gentle way to reset when you’re angry, stressed, or upset.
How to practice it: Inhale to the count of three, gently hold your breath for three, before slowly releasing to the count of three. Follow the triangle in your mind as you breathe, as many times as you need.
Mindfulness: Presence with Compassionate Curiosity
Mindfulness is the art of paying attention to the present moment with curiosity and compassion. It has deep roots in Eastern tradition, but its benefits are now backed by a strong body of Western science. Evidence-based programmes like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) have been shown in clinical trials to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, while improving quality of life, sleep, and emotional regulation.
Mindfulness helps you slow down, tune in, and meet each moment with awareness. When stress or anxiety takes over, it’s easy to feel scattered and disconnected—like your thoughts are spiralling. This is where grounding comes in.
Grounding is the practice of reconnecting with your body and environment. It helps settle the nervous system, calm intense emotions, and bring you back to the present. Simply feeling your feet on the floor, noticing your breath, or naming things around you can shift your attention from chaos to calm.
Mindfulness practices offered here include guided meditations, breath awareness, and simple everyday strategies to shift from reactivity to presence. You'll learn how to observe your thoughts without being overwhelmed by them—and gently return to the here and now, again and again. To be grounded is to feel calm, clear, and connected—even when life feels uncertain.
Mindfulness to explore.
Standing Grounded
This is a short guided standing practice to help you feel calm, steady, and connected to your body. Grounding is a simple yet powerful way to draw your awareness back to the present moment — especially when your mind feels scattered or overwhelmed. Through gentle movement and focused attention, you’ll be invited to return to yourself, find your footing, and feel supported from within.
Calm & Confident Meditation
This meditation is designed to guide you into a state of deep relaxation, helping you cultivate calm, confidence, and a sense of inner belief. It’s a gentle practice to support you in connecting with yourself and setting a clear intention for your day. Find a comfortable position, close the door to any distractions, and give yourself permission to fully arrive in this moment.
Mood Booster: EFT + Breath Session
This uplifting practice combines Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT tapping) with grounding breathwork to help release stuck or heavy energy, leaving you feeling lighter, clearer, and more energised. If you’re feeling drained, uninspired, or out of sync, this session will support you in shifting your mood by calming the nervous system, breaking negative thought loops, and opening space for more positive emotions. As you follow the guided tapping and affirmations, you’ll reconnect with focus, motivation, and ease—ready to step back into your day feeling your best.
Somatic Practices: Movement That Grounds You
“Soma” means body, and somatic practices invite you to feel more and force less. Through slow, mindful movement, you begin to notice the messages your body is sending—whether that’s tension, fatigue, or emotional tightness—and respond with care. Somatic yoga and movement sequences offered here are designed to reconnect you to your body, improve sleep, calm your nervous system, and help you process and release stress through embodied awareness.
This is movement for healing, not performance. Through a blend of breathwork, somatic awareness, and mindful motion, you’ll learn how to create space in the body, soften internal noise, and shift out of overwhelm. These practices activate your parasympathetic nervous system, helping to reduce stress hormones and restore balance to your body’s natural rhythms. By engaging with your body in a compassionate way, you’ll develop resilience, emotional clarity, and a greater sense of calm.
Somatic practices support emotional regulation by helping you tune in to the present moment, release built-up tension, and respond to stress with greater ease and self-compassion. Over time, these practices teach you how to reconnect with your body’s wisdom, allowing you to stay grounded and centered, no matter what life brings.
Somatic practices to explore.
Simply Seated (15-minutes)
This super simple 15-minute practice is designed for days when your mood feels low, your energy is flat, or fatigue is weighing you down. From the comfort of your chair, you’ll stretch out the upper body, create length and space through the spine, and release tension from the neck and shoulders. Gentle, grounding, and accessible anytime, this sequence helps soothe an achy body, ease the pressure of modern life, and lift the “weight of the world” from your shoulders.
Somatic Slow Flow (20-minutes)
This 20-minute soothing somatic sequence will guide you to a state of homeostasis; feeling calm, safe and "at home" in your body. Expect a body-mindful flow of rhythmic movements to create space in your body and soothe your tired soul. Perfect for any time of day but especially delicious at the start of your cycle, when you've not been getting enough sleep, and after a "bad day in the office."
A Stretchy Yoga Hug (20-minutes)
This 20-minute flow is perfect for days when your mood feels low, your energy is heavy, or you just need a little extra care. By easing tension in the hips and heart space—where we often hold emotions—this sequence soothes the nervous system and creates a sense of spacious relief. Gentle strength and playful stretchy shapes will bring you back to your body feeling calmer, lighter, and more rejuvenated.
Discover how low mood shows up in different areas of life—and explore simple ways to shift your energy, notice glimmers, and reconnect with yourself.
