Friends and family matter most during hard times.

All moods have a cause. If you change the root cause, then your mood will follow suit. Furthermore, mood is a choice. It may not be a completely free choice, but you can choose which mood you spend the most time in.

Beautiful and familiar objects can help us to feel better. Photos of family and friends, which remind us of the people we love and who love us, are important mood-lifters. Items that inspire us or encourage periods of reflection do the same.

Almost all negative moods are missing one key element - calm. By learning calm, you learn to deal with difficult areas. Calm allows us to achieve what we want, without being overwhelmed by anxiety.

Even a simple imaginary exercise can change your mood: Close your eyes, and take yourself back to your last holiday where there was a lovely warm sun, beautiful sea, relaxed beach and fun meals in the evenings. Open your eyes and consider how you feel now.

Postural exercises such as yoga, Pilates, Egoscues, Alexander technique and martial arts are about avoiding pain and injury as much as helping you feel good. Attractive men and women have good posture.

The regular rhythm and upbeat tunes of military music or marching bands positively affect your mood even if you don't actually 'enjoy' listening to it.