Mindfulness: A mood boosting way to beat the winter blues

Jacqui Grant
Jul 4
3 min read

Connect & Grow Magazine: Issue 22 July 2025

If you’re feeling low or sluggish this winter, boost your mood and well-being by practising gratitude and appreciation.

Focusing on the positive aspects of life can reduce stress, interrupt negative thought patterns, increase happiness chemicals in our body, and give other mental, emotional, and physical health benefits.

Here are five ways to tap into gratitude to boost your mood:

1. Write a thank you

Send a note or message to someone to express your appreciation for their kindness, support, or help. The message doesn’t need to be long. Although, it’s more rewarding for the recipient if you’re specific about what you’re thanking them for.

Your thanks can be for something they’ve done recently or has made a significant difference to your life. Alternatively, you could write them a list of all the things you admire about them, their strengths, and endearing characteristics.

2. Create a gratitude jar

Whenever something good happens or you're feeling in a great mood, write down your gratitude on a piece of paper and place it in a jar, box, or other container. It doesn't need to be fancy. You can also decorate the outside of the container with images or colours that make you feel good. Add to the gratitude jar whenever you wish or take a trip down memory lane when you need.

3. Keep a gratitude journal

At the end of each day, write down things that you’re grateful for. They can be small or big things; about yourself, others and what they’ve done for you, things in your environment, or what you’ve experienced.

4. Do a round of Appreciation Bingo

This is an ‘in the moment’ type exercise that uses gratitude prompts to help jog your appreciative thoughts. (Go to innercreative.com.au/gratitude to download mine.)

Otherwise, create your own grid or list of prompts, such as: a book; a movie; food; a teacher; or holiday destinations. Randomly pick a prompt and find something to appreciate about it. See if you can create a bingo row of feel-good ideas.

5. Go for a gratitude walk

Take a walk with the aim of finding things you like and appreciate.

It doesn’t have to take long. A walk around the block is enough. Or go to another location you enjoy being in, e.g. a local park, nature reserve, beach, art gallery, museum, zoo, or shopping strip with interesting window displays.

As you walk, silently name 10 different things that you see and appreciate. Thanking each one as you go.

Expressing gratitude is a simple way to boost your mood and keep away the winter blues.

The added benefit of regularly practising any of these activities is that they build a happier mindset and habit of looking for the positive. Share them with someone else for extra cheer. Some of them also create a feel-good vault that you can refer to if you're ever feeling down. Have fun as you experiment with what works best for you and hopefully feel better no matter the weather.

Written by Natalia Walker

Natalia is available for consultations.

Inner Creative

Email: natalia@innercreative.com.au

Disclaimer: All information is accurate at the time of publication and subject to change.