This time that we are living in now has already been called a very scary time.  It can also be called a time of extreme and fast movement which can be the most inspiring time we have ever seen. The world is always in a state of change and it can feel very unsettling since we cannot know what is going to happen. As humans, we can tend to begin to worry instead of anticipating the best.

The good news is there is always a sunny side and a positive way to look at change. If we only expect the worst what are we calling to us and the world at large?

I’ve outlined 7 specific tools that you can use now to feel empowered by looking on the bright side and lifting your spirits now.  It really does not take too long to switch up your energy to know things can, in fact, turn out better than you may have ever imagined.

It’s my pleasure to share with you 7 inspiring ways to lift your spirits now!

1)  Be Present and pay gratitude –

Leave the past where it belongs – behind you and put any concerns or worries about the future aside.  Pay gratitude for something today that is exactly as you like it in your life. Maybe a comfy bed, good friends or close family, a sunny sky.  When we are present and pay gratitude we are showing love and appreciation which opens the world to give us even more goodness.

2) Watch/Listen to something inspirational –

You get to choose what information and influences you invite into your life. If you are watching even half an hour of mainstream news a day that will not be the case.  Instead, choose a positive news site where you can read about inspirational people, listen to a podcast that specializes in inspiring stories or go on YouTube and pull up a magician like David Blaine or the show The Carbonaro Effect.  We can all use believing in a little magic these days and especially knowing life is more than meets the eye!

3) Call/Reach out to someone who makes you smile –

Getting together with a friend or friends that make you laugh is sure to put a smile on your face. These days we can reach out to someone from decades ago even if they moved across the world via Skype or Facebook or Google chat.  Think of someone that has made you smile in the past and reach out to bring some joy into both of your lives. If you don’t have many close friends see if somewhere in your community they have a meditation group or a group with an interest you have.  Being around others in a positive way can lend a new way at looking at everything.

4) Anchoring Moment  –

We can all sit in the soup of past memories that are not so great – but what if you gave yourself permission to fully immerse yourself in one of your fondest memories?  Sit for a few minutes, eyes closed and think about a time where you felt total joy. It can be when you were alone on a walk or a significant moment in your life. Bring in every sense; who was there with you (if anyone), what it felt like, looked like, smelled like, sounded like. Stay there for a few moments remembering that feeling of joy.  Knowing you felt it once and reliving that vibration you are calling even more joy into your life. if you felt that joy before you surely will be feeling it again!

5) Energy Play  –

We always have energy coursing through our bodies. The whole world is made of energy yet we seldom pay it any attention.  I ask you to close your eyes and rub your hands together for one-minute palm against palm. Next, if you put your hands a few inches apart you will feel the reverberations of the energy that is always in your body. Be childlike – play with this. You can pull your hands a few inches apart and together and see what sensation that creates. Keep your eyes closed and see this energy going up your arms and up and down your body. This might take a few times but it is not hard. If you don’t feel the energy anymore – rub your hands together again – no one is judging you.  Keep a slight smile on your face and recognize how cool it is to tap into your energy body. In your body you have this huge energetic field you probably barely pay attention to that can make you feel warm and fuzzy while relaxing you. Imagine what other cool things are out there that you might not be tapping into on a regular basis?

6) Play Passions  –

The more we return to a childlike state and stop taking ourselves and life so seriously all the time the more life can feel fun again. You tap into your soul when you do something you are passionate about which brings joy. It could be writing, reading, dancing around the house, singing loudly, drawing, cooking, taking an exercise class outside the house or via youtube… there is no end to the expression that makes you truly you.  The more you play the more you are opening yourself up to joy. The more joy you are anchored in the more you have the energy if something does happen to not jump to that fear space but instead come from that state of love.

7) Love  –

Who do you love? Your pets? Your family? A significant other? Your friends? Love truly is the answer during these times.  The more you affirm it to others and to yourself the more secure you will feel. Write down five aspects of yourself you love or five things that you have done in the last year you are grateful for. Reach out to someone you love to tell them what an influence they have been in your life or shower your pet with love and pets as you tell them. There is no right way or wrong way to do this. Feeling secure in self-love lets us bring more loving relationships to us. Paying gratitude for the already loving relationships in our lives allows for that to expand and for more to come in. Love truly can heal all and we want to be standing in love during these changing times so we call more of that to ourselves and the world at large.

Here are seven ways to lift your spirits now but there are so many more. It requires bringing yourself to the present moment when you find yourself in worry and giving yourself permission to do something that will lift your spirits. In doing so you are not only lifting yourself but the energy around you, and the potential for the world at large!  You deserve to be happy! We all deserve to be happy and feel secure. Using these seven tools can help you to lift your spirits and usher in the changes coming with love and a huge smile!