How to feel good quickly

I was recently sent a video clip by email. The friend who sent it said it brought tears to her eyes. Having been sent many such inspiring clips and pictures over the years and found most of them saccharine and sentimental, I was sceptical. The title ‘The Juggler’ didn’t reassure me. I didn’t see how a juggler could make me tearful, unless s/he dropped the balls, which would probably just make me cringe. To my surprise when I played it I was extraordinarily moved. A man ( whom I later learned is Chris Bliss) juggled three very ordinary looking tennis balls to the Beatles’ song ‘Golden Slumbers’. His timing and moves perfectly reflected the rhythm and moods of the music. I have heard of poetry in motion but this was music in motion. Despite myself I felt my own eyes pricking. More than that, I felt lifted onto a higher emotional plane. (To see the video click on this link.)

This is not an uncommon reaction to a movie, picture, performance or other positive experience. Researcher Barbara Frederickson has investigated the impact of positive experiences on emotions and thinking and found that not only do they make people feel better, but they improve their ability to think clearly and creatively. One of my most powerful experiences of this was when I was recovering from a serious suicide attempt. I was meeting a friend downtown to see a movie called Window on Paris. On my way there I felt so downhearted and emotionally pained I wished that the suicide attempt had succeeded. The film started in a poor apartment in Russia and didn’t seem likely to lift my spirits. But it took off in a whimsical and inspiring direction. By the time I left the theatre I was a different person. I felt in love with life, full of hope and joy, like life was really worth living.

I now know that when I feel down one of the easiest and most effective ways to lift my mood is to get out a bunch of funny or uplifting DVDs. Music and Lyrics, Zoolander, Blades of Glory, Step into Liquid and This is Spinal Tap are a few of the titles that will change my mood by the time they’re over. (In fact even looking at stills from Zoolander for this post got me smiling and intensified my already good mood as I remembered how funny and silly it was.) While it’s nice to know there’s a scientific basis for this the most important thing to my mind is that it works. Once I’ve watched the movie(s) I can see life with more hope and perspective. Problems seem smaller and joys are more obvious. It’s a winner.