1. Pay one person who isn’t expecting it a compliment. This will lift your mood as well as theirs. It could be to someone close to you, or a guy you’ve just met, but it has to be considered. It can’t just be “You look nice” (unless they habitually look like crap, and for some reason today they don’t). Try to make it a close observation: for instance, I told a lady on the delicatessen counter in the Ramsgate Waitrose that her eyeball estimation of the weight of things was the best I’d ever seen. That was in 2004. She still says hello to me. Zoe Williams
2. Try alternate nostril breathing. I’m a big fan of yin yoga, which often starts with breathing exercises. This is my favourite – it’s very calming. Hold your right hand over your nose and rest your index and middle fingertips in the space between your eyebrows. Block your right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril. Block your left nostril with your ring finger, release your thumb and exhale through your right nostril. Inhale through your right nostril. Block your right nostril with your thumb, release your ring finger and exhale through your left nostril. That’s one round: in through your left, out through your right, in through your right, out through your left. Repeat for up to five minutes. Rachel Dixon
3. Grab some weights. I keep two 3kg dumbbells on my desk. Every time I need a pick-me-up, I reach for them and lift them 10-15 times. It wakes me up more than a coffee – and it’s good for maintaining muscle. Sometimes I lift them during video calls when I don’t need to show my face. Viktoriya Blazheva, Milan
4. Have a cuddle. Whenever my partner or I need it, we’ll lie down and hold each other. Even just a few minutes lowers our stress levels, as the happy hormones are released. Jenjen, Devon
5. Smell a winter forest. Find a clump of trees near you. Walk in. Inhale. As leaves fall and decompose, they are digested by bacteria and fungi. Cold air traps fewer smells than warm air, leaving our senses less overloaded than in summer, so we are especially receptive to the odour produced. Many people find this smell immensely comforting and bracing. Nigel Kendall
6. Phone an old friend. I know calling anyone is a scary prospect for certain generations but get over your phobia and try it. Your friend (after initially being worried someone has died or wondering if you’ve butt-dialled them) will be delighted to hear from you and you will get a burst of serotonin. It’s good to talk! Arwa Mahdawi
7. Scratch your back. To assess and improve your shoulder mobility, stand up and try to pat yourself on the back with one hand – aim to get it between the shoulder blades, with the elbow in the air. Then move your other hand, palm facing outwards, up your lower back, with that elbow bent downwards. Try to get the fingers of both hands to touch in the middle of your back. Don’t force it. Take it slow – a little bit each day. Yogis might recognise this from the cow face pose. Amy Fleming
8. Watch the sunrise. I’m not a natural “lark” but on the island of Lundy earlier this year, I forced myself up before dawn to sit on the beach. The sky was already streaked pink as the sun peeped over the horizon and slowly rose into full view, casting a rose-gold light across the water. Witnessing this ephemeral spectacle, I experienced a sense of gratitude and wonder – a kind of awe – that has been linked to many aspects of wellbeing including positive mood, less worry about ourselves and more kindness. Sunset works just as well. Sam Pyrah
9. Play a game of Hardle. I’m assuming you know Wordle, because you weren’t born yesterday. Hardle takes the same principle – you guess a five-letter word – but it’s in a different league of hard. It’s by no means a given that you’ll solve it. We know word puzzles can reduce the decline of brain function, thanks to a 2017 study. But they’re even better if they remain puzzling. ZW
10. Learn to juggle. It’s not just for clowns and you don’t need any special equipment. Just grab a few clementines or rolled-up socks – or some eggs if you’re feeling really cocky. As well as improving your brain and your hand-eye coordination, it’s a great way to amuse small children. AM
11. Buy a toy for your dog. Or a shipwreck for your goldfish to explore. A US study found that spending $5 on your pet boosts your mood more than spending the same amount on yourself or another person. SP
12. Unsubscribe from 10 email mailing lists. I’m a sucker for a deal, so I’m forever signing up to mailing lists on the promise of discount codes and exclusive offers. As a result, my inbox is flooded with marketing bumf and promotions in which I have no interest. Periodically, I’ll unsubscribe to a handful – slowly chipping away at my deal with the consumerist devil and making it easier to spot the messages I actually need to read. Leah Harper
13. Floss. When my sister was training to be a dentist, she used to say, “You don’t have to floss all your teeth; only the ones you want to keep,” and we used to say, “Wow, nobody warned us how annoying it would be to have a medical professional in the family.” But who’s laughing now? She is. While showing off her beautiful gnashers. ZW
14. Talk to a stranger. We’re reluctant to talk to strangers, assuming it will go badly and they won’t like us, but research shows we’re wrong. People like us more than we think and we enjoy interacting with them more than we expect, too. Forging a tiny moment of connection feels life-affirming: this week I’ve complimented a woman on her shopping bag and learned all about a charming dog in a yellow bandana. If you’re not convinced, listen to a five-minute snippet of Catherine Carr’s podcast Where Are You Going?, in which she asks strangers this question. The results are touching, strange and delightful. Emma Beddington
15. Stand on your head. This is possibly one of the fastest ways to change your perspective on the world. But – and I cannot stress this enough – only attempt a headstand if you know how to do one properly. Otherwise you’re risking not just your health but also your dignity. AM
16. Watch the video for OK Go’s White Knuckles. It’s almost impossible to feel down while watching any OK Go video, but this one – which features dozens of adorable dogs performing intricate choreography with the band – is perhaps their greatest achievement. Joel Snape
17. Brush a cat. Studies have shown that having a cat can reduce your risk of cardiovascular diseases by lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, and reduce stress and anxiety by triggering the release of oxytocin. If you brush one, you’ll help it to avoid furballs and stimulate its skin to produce healthy oils. You’ll both end up healthier and happier. RD
18. Draw! The practice of writing “morning pages”, as popularised by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way, has been adopted by everyone from Reese Witherspoon to Elizabeth Gilbert. A while ago I came up with an alternative: morning sketchbook pages. I started with a two-minute doodle in a Moleskine, then graduated to making a quick study of the view from my window. The drawings are wonky, but looking back at the collection is weirdly satisfying. And research reveals that drawing has a more positive impact on mood than writing. Anita Chaudhuri
19. Try loving kindness. This form of meditation is quick, you can do it anywhere, and it makes you a happier and (hopefully) kinder person. You silently repeat the following words three times each for yourself, for a loved one, for someone neutral, for a difficult person, and finally for all beings: “May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be safe, may you always feel at ease.” Sometimes, I’ll just wish it for myself, when a bit of softness lifts my day. Or for a difficult person, after having a frustrating interaction with them. Or for all beings, on a morning when I’m looking out the window drinking my coffee, and imagine tiny field mice and wrens receiving that touch of warmth. It never fails to lift my heart. Ash, Harrogate
20. Sigh. Did you know that the average person breathes in and out about 22,000 times a day? It therefore makes sense to make some of those exhales great big gusts of air that can communicate everything from dissatisfaction to pleasure. Do it at work, on public transport or in line at the post office and it encourages solidarity and kinship. Do it alone and it can alleviate stress. Do it with a partner and … well, that’s really up to you. Do it often and do it loudly. Kate McCusker
21. Paint your toenails. It’s easier than painting your fingernails, lasts longer and brightens your mood. I like neon green; you may be classier. Disclaimer: it will take longer than five minutes for your nails to dry, but you can get on with anything that can be done barefoot in the meantime. RD
22. Watch a cute animal video. This is not procrastination – it’s self-care! A 2020 study from the University of Leeds found watching videos and images of cute animals can help reduce stress levels by up to 50%. The study was done in conjunction with Western Australia Tourism, which made sure that all study participants watched videos of the quokka, a small and very cute marsupial found in that region. It’s possible this was a stealth quokka marketing campaign, but other studies have also found cute animal videos provide stress-relieving benefits. AM
23. Write a limerick. Defined by Chambers as “a humorous poem with five lines that always have the same rhyme and metre patterns”, they were popularised by Edward Lear in his 1846 Book of Nonsense. Here’s one I made up in three minutes and 40 seconds: A musician got trapped in a flue / And wanted to make a to-do / He had in his pocket / A comb and a docket / So he started to play the kazoo. NK
24. Plog. The world is a mess, but we all have the power to clean up the space around us. Picking up litter in your local area is good light exercise as it is but, if you want to be really fancy, you can combine it with jogging. The Swedes call this plogging, a combination of plocka skräp (pick up litter) and jogga (jog). AM
25. Play a song you learned at school. We dismiss the tunes we learned to play on, say, the recorder, piano or euphonium as cheesy or childish. But playing music is like giving your brain a full workout and a luxury massage all at once. As University of Pennsylvania neuroscientists have found, you’re using executive function to keep your focus on what’s coming next as you play, along with visual, auditory and emotional processing. Plus, like smells, music has the power to take you on fun trips down memory lane. AF
26. Snuggle a horse. When I’m feeling down, I give a carrot or two to one of the horses at the local stable, and brush its face to get its guard down even further. Then I snuggle up to its velvety nose and let it put its head on my shoulders. It’s the most surreal and comforting feeling – a 1,000lb animal showing, not telling, you that it is totally at ease with you. Luniya Msuku, Nairobi
27. Make like a flamingo. Any time, anywhere, this is a fun way to boost your health for the long term. Practise standing on one leg when you’re waiting for the kettle to boil, brushing your teeth, working at a standing desk or just for the hell of it because you haven’t moved for three hours. Balancing engages muscles involved in stability from your core to your toes. More importantly, getting good at it helps you avoid falling over. Balance ability starts dropping off at 60, so make sure you can stand on each leg for at least 30 seconds at that age, then try to maintain it. (Aim for at least 43 seconds if you’re under 40, says the NHS.) Want to take it up a notch? Bend your upper body to one side while balancing. If you can’t do this already, you’ll be bloody delighted when you can. AF
28. Give yourself a myofascial massage. I learned this trick from Liv Townsend, who does flexibility and lots of other training on her website Livinleggings. Fascia is, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, like a spider web of connective tissue that surrounds all your organs, bones, nerves, blood vessels and muscles and keeps them in place. When stressed, it tightens up. Townsend does a trick with a tennis ball or a water bottle – anything vaguely sturdy that you can roll. Roll the object under and around your foot for 90 seconds. It feels amazing and, somehow, you are usually more flexible afterwards. It’s magic. Jenny Stevens
29. Admire a pigeon. Pigeons are absolute icons of resilience. They are clever problem solvers and endlessly adaptable, with a millennia-long history of profitably coexisting with humans; they can even tell us apart. They’re also stunning: those iridescent chest feathers, orange eyes and hot-pink legs are high-fashion fabulous. Once you start noticing and enjoying the everyday wonder of pigeons, you become more alive to other kinds of overlooked wonder. EB
30. Smell something nice. Your sense of smell is remarkable: it can bring back old memories and rejig your mood. Sniff some lavender to calm down or some peppermint to feel energised. Or a madeleine if you want to cosplay as a dead French writer. AM
31. Let someone go ahead of you in a queue. This is the easiest instant-happy fix I know. It doesn’t matter where you do it – pharmacies and coffee shops are good – but you can spread maximum joy (and sometimes get a free beer on a Friday night in your local pub). Cheers! AC
32. Spend five minutes trying to catch falling leaves. It’s harder than it sounds, and hilarious! Angi, North Carolina mountains
33. Buy someone a bed for the night. Several homeless charities in the UK provide emergency shelter and support. If you’ve got the money to spare, providing a few hours’ warmth, a hot shower and a good night’s sleep for a homeless person is a gratifying way to spend it. Options include St Mungo’s (nationwide), Share in Chester and A Bed Every Night in Manchester. NK
34. Have a beauty snack. Forget those time-consuming and costly salon appointments. I always feel a little brighter after a DIY fringe trim (don’t tell my hairdresser), but it could be anything from taking tweezers to unruly brows to a spot of dry body brushing. LH
35. Put a smile on your face. The bare minimum will do, Mona Lisa style. The brain finds it hard to distinguish between a fake or a real smile, so just looking happier will make you feel happier. Philippe, Switzerland
36. Open all your windows. Whether you live in a tower block or a houseboat, a Victorian terrace or a new-build, ventilating your home is vital for your respiratory health and to prevent the creep of condensation, damp and other domestic nasties. No wonder so many German rental agreements insist on lüften – the practice of opening your windows as fully as they can go, once or ideally twice a day to air the place. Nell Frizzell
37. Google “hedgehog cake fails”. When I’m down, this always makes me laugh. I save it for dire straits, though. I don’t want to overuse it and see it lose its magic. Lyndsay, Colchester
38. Ground yourself. If you can’t shake that head-exploding anxious feeling, try this visualisation I learned from Viv Groskop, author of How to Own the Room, which she recommended as a tip for tackling stage fright before public speaking. It’s often used in drama training and is an express route to stepping outside all that mind noise and discomfort. Stand with your feet firmly rooted and try to imagine your brain is in your feet. That’s it. Simple but powerful. AF
39. Sing a song. There is a vast body of research on the health and wellbeing benefits of singing in groups, but even if you can’t persuade anyone to harmonise with you, singing is associated with improved lung health (sing therapy is regularly used for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and circulation. But it’s also about joy, beauty and memories. My favourite solo, pottering round the house, is the perfectly romantic Irving Berlin number Cheek to Cheek, sung by Fred Astaire to Ginger Rogers in Top Hat. It’s the song my mother sang to me when I was tiny; later she did the same as she rocked my infant son to sleep. Singing it now connects me to her, but it’s also just a pure pleasure. EB
40. Touch grass. Literally. If you can’t face meditating or breathing exercises or anything that takes longer, but are feeling anxious or stuck looping around a Spaghetti Junction of thoughts, go outside and find something natural to focus on. It could be a leaf, some grass, berries or the skeletal branches in winter. I’ve even been taken out of my own head by tenacious weeds growing through cracks. It helps connect me to the wider world and the bigger picture. Jenny Stevens
41. Read a poem – or listen to one. If you need a quick hit of inspiration, Spotify has a ton of verse, some read by the poets themselves. Two personal favourites are Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Kubla Khan and Sinéad Morrissey’s Vanity Fair. And while reciting a poem won’t give you bigger biceps, studies show it can boost your mood. AM
42. Look at your laundry. I make a cup of tea, sit down by my window and watch the washing in the wind on the line outside. After a few minutes, I feel as light and carefree as the items of clothing that dance hither and thither, and I imagine myself doing the same thing. Annabel Morley, Borneo
43. Post a thank-you letter. It’s taken me a very long time to learn that the five minutes this takes is wholly preferable to the weeks of guilt you will feel for not doing it. If you can’t think what to write, don’t worry – just make your handwriting indecipherable. It’s the thought that counts. And the stamp. Tim Dowling
44. Have a 30-second dance party. This is almost guaranteed to raise your spirits during a bad day. It’s best done alone in silence in the toilet, but also works in a changing cubicle or with friends. The key is full commitment to the dance, and brevity. Helen M, Nottingham
45. Lie on your back on a hard floor. You don’t need to be a practitioner of Alexander technique or a yogi to feel the benefits, although it will help if you have hoovered. Ideally, you’ll have a couple of books under your head to raise it a little, your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Then breathe for five minutes and feel your spine reset. NF
46. Have a sword fight. Now only one of our three children is at home, he’s lost his playmates. So I bought a couple of foam swords and we have an energetic battle a couple of times a day. It ends with us both out of breath and laughing – a lot. It’s great for my sense of wellbeing, even when he whacks me quite hard. Daniel, Brighton
47. Go for a naked swim. My quick personal refresher is to pop down to the local beach (150 metres from the front door), strip off and wander naked into the cool water. Watching the to-ing and fro-ing of the seaweed in the gentle waves and the gliding movements of the fish has an immediate calming effect. You are at one with the environment and completely in the moment. Bob Horrocks, Fuentaventura
48. Look at the moon. “Regard the moon, / La lune ne garde aucune rancune”. These lines, from Rhapsody on a Windy Night by TS Eliot, often come to my mind when I look at the night sky. It translates as: “The moon doesn’t bear any grudges.” Spending a few minutes looking at the moon on a clear night is a great way to get your problems into perspective. And observing the phases of the moon can help keep you in touch with nature, even in the middle of a city. RD
49. Eat an apple slathered in peanut butter. More nutritious than a chocolate bar, but not so virtuous that it doesn’t feel like snacking at all, this is a tasty way to stave off hunger – and resist the sugary lure of the biscuit tin. Go for sweet apples and salted peanut butter for a popping flavour combo. LH
50. Ride an imaginary bicycle. If I feel stress and anxiety start to bubble up, I’ll collapse on to my back and start bicycling my legs in the air hysterically, as if I’m frantically pedalling toward the finish line of the Tour de France in some kind of upside down multiverse. The grand prize is self-regulation and mental wellness – but it’s also excellent for your circulation. Tommy Vinh Bui, Los Angeles
51. Do the sitting-rising test. The bare bones of this are to make your way to the floor then back up to standing, taking as much time as you like, with “the minimum support you believe is needed” – but your goal is to do it without using your hands, forearms, elbows, knees or the sides of your legs. Massive false claims are made about this – like, people who can do it will find it impossible to die within the next seven years – but a study showed that, in the 51-80 age range, people who score a perfect 10 are five to six times less likely to die over that period than people who score between zero and three. ZW
52. Make your own nettle tea. Take a tip from a lifelong anaemic: nettle teabags are an absolute swindle. In Britain, nettles grow just about everywhere, all year round. Wearing gloves, pick just the tips of the plant (about five heads will make a decent cuppa), rinse them in warm water to remove any nasties, then pop them in a mug and cover with boiling water. In a minute or two you’ll have a bright green, iron-rich tea that tastes like growth itself. NF
53. Use canned food to exercise while you’re cooking. When I don’t have time to lift weights or go to an exercise class, I like to incorporate it into my cooking time. Mashing potatoes makes a brilliant arm workout (especially if you’re a lump-free perfectionist), but you can also use tins of food as weights. Try lifting them over your head or doing bicep curls while you wait for your pasta to boil. Bonus points if you’re also singing along to Wicked. Lizzie Cernik
54. Listen to birdsong. An avian soundscape is the most soothing of natural sounds for a frazzled nervous system, reducing stress and boosting mood, even in people with depression. Remarkably, it doesn’t matter whether you are consciously listening or simply in the presence of chirps and twitters – the restorative effects remain. This was revealed by the results of a neat study in which hidden speakers played a “phantom” chorus of birdsong in a national park and the effect on hikers’ mental wellbeing was recorded. Stuck indoors? Go to the website A Soft Murmur, or download the app, and select the birds option for a virtual dawn chorus. SP
55. Lie on your back with your legs up the wall. Inversions such as headstands and shoulder stands are thought to be good for circulation, but they aren’t achievable for everyone. Legs up the wall is an easier inversion that puts less stress on the neck and spine, but has the same effect. Lie on your back on a blanket or mat next to a wall. Stretch your legs up the wall, keeping your knees relaxed. Move your bottom closer to the wall to increase the intensity, or further away to reduce it. Relax and breathe deeply for up to five minutes. This feels especially good after a run or long walk. RD
56. Write a daily list of achievements. A to-do list can be helpful, but it’s often more overwhelming than inspiring. Instead of focusing only on what you still need to do, try listing all your achievements from the previous day. It’s a nice reminder of your successes, which will set you up to complete new tasks. LC
57. Start the day with some lemon water. I am a monster in the mornings – especially in winter – and used to go straight for a coffee to make me slightly less of one. Then I would regret it because I ended up with a headache. Now I have hot water and lemon first thing instead. It’s warming, tastes of something and is hydrating. Jenny Stevens
58. Watch Fred Astaire. When I feel a bit low, I look up one of his best dance routines on YouTube. Two of my favourites are Begin the Beguine from Broadway Melody of 1940, where Fred dances with Eleanor Powell, and I Left My Hat in Haiti from Royal Wedding, where he teams up with Jane Powell. The songs are great, the pace and rhythm are fast and fun, and the sets are silly and wonderful. The dances are sheer magic. Mikaela Kindblom, Sweden
59. Do the “no money” drill. This move, which stretches and strengthens your shoulders, is perfect for everyday office use: it doesn’t take any kit, it only takes seconds, and you can do it anywhere. Start standing up, and bring your hands out in front of you with your forearms parallel to the floor, your upper arms by your sides, and your palms facing the ceiling. Now pivot your hands outwards (as if you’re cartoonishly showing someone you’re penniless), pause and repeat. Do it 3-5 times, at least once a day. Joel Snape
60. Big glass of water, piece of fruit, 20 jumping jacks looking out at the garden. Job done! Sara, Southampton
61. Play with a dog. It is very hard to feel down when you are rolling around on the floor, wrestling your overexcited terrier for control of a threadbare furry monkey. Five minutes of hide and treat, ball in the hall or any of the other games Morris and I have co-invented leaves both of us grinning and panting. I hear children aren’t bad, either. SP
62. Try walking meditation. If you struggle to sit still and meditate, you’re not alone. I like to listen to a short mindfulness exercise on YouTube while I walk down the road. You could also use a walking mat if you want to stay in your office, or even go up and down the stairs. An active meditation can be just as effective as being still, as long as you can stay in the moment. LC
63. Try a chain reaction-themed challenge. Made by the inimitable Joseph Herscher – creator of some of the most elaborate Heath Robinson-inspired contraptions on the internet – the YouTube video Which door will the ball hit? is a whimsical bit of wizardry that’s appropriate for all ages. The premise is instantly gettable: a table-sized chain reaction is going to roll a ball through a door (or somewhere else), but which one? There are half a dozen of these in the video, but I’d watch about a hundred more. Joel Snape
64. Have a hot chocolate. As a therapist, I have a box of tricks for mood boosting – from breathwork to gratitude, meditation to grounding. However, this is one that I haven’t really shared with clients, although I think I will now. It sounds simple, but this is a very specific hot chocolate. First, I use cacao powder, which is the raw, unprocessed version of cocoa. It’s a lot richer in taste, though a little more bitter and packed with good stuff like minerals and antioxidants. I heap a big dessert spoonful into a mug, then I dollop a teaspoon of honey on top and add a teeny amount of hot water to create a glistening paste. Meanwhile I’ve heated my whole milk in the microwave. I slowly pour the milk on bit by bit while stirring gently and making sure every bit of the bitter-sweet mixture is dissolved. Drinking this, for me, is the definition of a mindful moment. Amy Sutton, Dorset
65. Learn a foreign phrase. I won’t pretend they’re all going to stick, but this is one way to maintain mental acuity, and just imagine if everyone in Britain did it. We could slough off the reputation for arrogant exceptionalism and narrow-minded insularity we’ve laboured under for decades. ZW
66. Clean your fridge. Just straightening out one shelf can feel productive. Take everything out, chuck foods that are no longer edible (mouldy pesto and long-forgotten lemons for me), wipe down the empty space, then restock, with items you use regularly near the front. Fridges can be breeding grounds for bacteria, so regular cleaning not only turns a big job into a smaller, more manageable task, but helps keep your dinner germ-free, too. LH
67. Light a candle. The gesture, the moment of reflection, the light in the darkness combine to make lighting any candle, from tealight to birthday cake, into a tiny moment of magic; no wonder candles are part of so many religious rituals and practices. When a winter afternoon of work is dragging and my brain has stalled, taking a moment to light one instantly makes me feel more purposeful and poised. EB
68. Get weeding. If you don’t have a garden, there’s always the street. It’s a good way to get outside, breathe some fresh(ish) air and do some light exercise. Clears the mind and the landscape! AM
69. Try the Roxanne workout. This is a perfect little challenge with a variety of exercises, but the classic version is to do it with press-ups: get into the “top” position of the move, then put on the classic Police tune and do your first press-up when Sting sings “Roxanne”. Go back to the plank, and do a press-up every time he sings “Roxanne” for as long as you can. If you get all the way to the end of the song, you’ll have held a plank for about three minutes, and done – let’s not spoil it – quite a lot of press-ups. If you’d like to make this easier, try it with wall press-ups or even squats. Or, for a tougher challenge, pick another song with a frequently repeated word (AC/DC’s Thunderstruck is very much hard mode). JS
70. Give yourself a scalp and neck massage. Sitting over a laptop all day, I regularly get a tight neck. A gentle massage of my head and neck relaxes the muscles, relieving the stiffness. If you’re prone to headaches, like me, try paying particular attention to your temple area. LC
71. Drink a big glass of water. This will help with everything from circulation to joint lubrication and digestion. Staying well hydrated can also lower the risk of anxiety and depression. LH
72. Hang from a bar for two minutes. You won’t be able to! This is insanely hard. If you don’t have a pull-up bar or something similar at home, you’ll have to find a park with some monkey bars. But it’s a self-contained skill that you can improve by just doing it daily, for five seconds longer each time. It’s extremely good for maintaining mobility. ZW
73. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths … and take your mind to places where you have been happy. It’s like a little holiday. Ruskin Bond once wrote: “What is nostalgia but a longing for that which has been good in the past? The past has been good to us; let us thank it this way.” I rarely come away from this meditation with any intentions or actions, but I feel happy and I always have a smile – and smiling at the world is important. Oishee, Cardiff
74. Buy a nicer loaf of bread than you normally would. It’s a lot less effort than making bread at home, and probably better, and quite possibly cheaper. TD
75. Breathe slowly. Research shows that a breathing frequency of 10 breaths a minute or less is associated with reduced stress, fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression and greater mental wellbeing. With each breath, try to make the exhalation longer than the inhalation. Participants in a study published in the journal Nature breathed in for four seconds and out for six seconds, for five minutes. This simple protocol successfully lowered both physiological markers and reported feelings of stress and anxiety. SP
76. Do a five-minute face mask. I used to put off using face masks, waiting until I had time for a full-blown “pampering session”. Needless to say, that day never came. Now I use a clay mask once a week – I just put a thin layer on five minutes before I get in the shower, then rinse it off. My oily, sensitive skin feels softer and looks less shiny afterwards. RD
77. Rest and reset. I get my five-minute fix from remembering a quote by the Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön: “Each moment is the opportunity to make a fresh start.” I find it comforting and uplifting to think that no matter how sad or anxious I am feeling, I can always come back to the present moment and “reset”. Let go of those feelings and begin again. Anna, Hampshire
78. If you’re working from home, brush your teeth after lunch. This isn’t a hard scrub after a sneaky WFH cigarette or a panicked freshen-up after a garlic-heavy lunch. Using a soft-bristled toothbrush, simply spend a couple of minutes cleaning your teeth after you’ve eaten. After all, what’s the point of paying for loo roll if you’re not going to make the most of the other amenities? NF
79. Do 20 burpees. Don’t stop, just do it. You’ll feel proud, and an incredible physical rush afterwards. Everything immediately feels better. Karin Hogsander, London
80. Park further away. Stop competing for prime parking bays near the entrances to supermarkets, train stations and office blocks. Just park a few minutes away and walk the extra distance. It’s a lot less stressful and the steps will do you good. When you see a sign that says “Overflow car park”, allow your heart to lift a little. TD
81. Do something nice for someone else. If you’re feeling low, it’s tempting to think that giving yourself a treat will cheer you up. But research shows that channelling your efforts into making someone else happy raises your mood more. You don’t even need hard evidence that your efforts have been fruitful; simply acting with the intention of contributing to someone else’s happiness is enough to make you feel better. SP
82. Get jumping. When it comes to exercise, I’m a bit of a cardio-phobe. The idea of running for 30 minutes or cycling across the city fills me with the kind of dread most people associate with a root canal treatment. I prefer to get my heart rate up in short bursts – like doing star jumps in the garden. Try sticking on your favourite song and jumping until the end of the track. LC
83. Tell your feet a joke. Toes make a great audience for practising a speech or an anecdote. If you paint your nails in a variety of colours, you may even be able to gauge individual reactions. My little toes are real gigglers. NK
84. Tend to a houseplant. Taking five minutes to bond with a ficus or a swiss cheese plant can be a soothing bit of micro-mindfulness. There’s the pleasing nesting element – tending to your space is a form of self-care. But it can be meditative, too, to carefully snip off those dead stems and leaves, check the soil, maybe give it some food and sit back and admire the healthy foliage. AF
85. Free your flexors. Long periods of chair-sitting render the hip flexors (the muscles high up at the front of your thighs) short and tight. An extended stretch helps liberate them, and can also alleviate lower back pain. Start in a kneeling position. Bring your left leg forward, thigh parallel to the floor, knee bent at a 90-degree angle and foot flat. Keep your torso upright. Now curl your tailbone under, to lose your lumbar curve. Lean forward until you feel tension across the front of the right hip. Hold for 30 seconds, swap sides, then repeat on both sides. SP
86. Play with a ball. Five minutes may be too short for a game of squash or tennis but you can fit in plenty of other activities. Throwing a ball against a wall can improve your hand-eye coordination; a quick kickabout will bring up your heart rate. AM
87. Get off the bus one stop early. A 10-minute walk is generally a lot more uplifting than another five minutes on the bus. TD
88. Hula Hoop. I never got the hang of Hula Hooping as a kid, so this summer I joined a workshop in the hope of finally cracking it. The teacher had some great tips: stand with one leg further forward, rather than square on; move your hips forwards and backwards, not round in a circle; and use a weighted hoop (it’s much easier). Like magic, I got it. The next day, my abs were screaming. No pain, no gain, right? I now have my own hoop. RD
89. Splash cold water on your face. It’s less intimidating than blasting yourself with a frosty shower, but seems to do pretty much the same thing. By activating your parasympathetic nervous system, a quick slosh of the cold stuff might be the best way to calm yourself down in a hurry. Some people go for the full sink-dunk, but I’m not quite there yet. Joel Snape
90. Add clotted cream. This doesn’t work for everything, but it works a lot more often than you imagine it would, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Can you put clotted cream on clotted cream ice-cream? Yes, you can. TD
91. Get a resistance band and do a couple of sets of clamshells. We all know hips don’t lie – and as you age they’ll be painfully honest about how old you are. The good news is that you can keep them mobile with a few minutes of lying on your side, opening and closing your legs while a resistance band tries to shut them. Your muscles will be happy as a clam! AM
92. Un-hunch your shoulders. This restful posture also helps to release tense back muscles. Take a foam roller (or a rolled up bath towel) and lie lengthways on top of it, with knees bent, feet on the floor and hips and head supported, either by the roller or cushions. Stay here, with arms resting on the floor, palms facing up, for a couple of minutes. SP
93. Leave work five minutes early. Don’t tell anyone: just pretend you’re taking an important phone call, say, “Yes, I’ll be right down,” stand up from your desk, walk into the street and keep going. TD
94. Post a card. I keep a stack of postcards in a drawer, usually the ones bought on impulse in a museum shop. Crucially, I put stamps on them as soon as I can. Then, whenever a loved one that I haven’t heard from in a while pops into my mind, or someone I know is having a crap time, I mail them one. It’s amazing how a simple piece of card can provoke such happy surprise – even from diehard curmudgeons. AC
95. Write down three things you’re grateful for every morning. Studies suggest that many people allow their lives to be shaped by things that go wrong, because mishaps are more memorable than things that go well. Taking time to be grateful, even for small things such as warm socks, has been shown gradually to make people more positive. NK
96. Try a matcha latte. Yes, the first time you have a matcha latte may be like licking a trowel. But by your third, you won’t recognise the overwrought wreck who spent so many years crashing in and out of the coffee trenches. In all seriousness, though: not only is gen Z’s drink of choice delicious once you find a good one, its caffeine is released slowly, giving you a smoother hit without the scuzzy comedown that can accompany coffee. Best served with a little lunchtime walk. KM
97. Watch the skies. Finding a dark patch of night sky and gazing up at the stars has a way of putting mundane problems into perspective. According to some opticians it may even sharpen your vision, because the more you observe the stars, the better you become at seeing faint details. NK
98. Come on Eileen by Dexy’s Midnight Runners. Brings a smile to my face every time. Anonymous
99. Overtake dawdlers. Sure, it gets your heart rate up. But crucially, overtaking dawdlers, dilly-dalliers, slowpokes – whatever you want to call them – results in an opportunity to be smug. And who wouldn’t revel in that? KM
100. Swear. Contrary to what your parents told you, swearing is both big and clever: it improves your tolerance to pain, lowers anxiety, channels aggression, and is a sign of intelligence and creativity. Of course, you also run the risk of offending people, but fuck them. TD
101. Just don’t do anything for a while. It’s very easy to fill every waking moment with “stuff”. But there’s a lot to be said for just … not doing anything for a bit. Do the washing up, go for a walk without listening to a podcast or just lie on the couch for a while and stare at the ceiling. Whenever I do this, I feel like my brain eases off the accelerator and I can actually stop to think. Joel Snape
