From blah to buoyant, these skills can improve your mood and optimism

Want to feel more positive, even if you’re stressed by what’s happening around you?

Turns out, you can be taught ways to boost feelings of well-being. In fact, studies consistently show that people who learn — and practice — a set of strategies to manage stress end up feeling better. The latest evidence comes from the results of a new research study, which was featured in NPR’s Stress Less series.

Last fall, Judith Moskowitz and her team at Northwestern University opened up an online course that targets positive emotions, to NPR audiences. The course teaches eight skills, including gratitude, savoring and positive reappraisal, which is the ability to see the bright side of a situation.

People who signed up became part of a research study and were given a survey at the beginning and end of the course, to gauge their levels of anxiety and positive emotion.

“We found that people improved on all the well-being outcomes we looked at,” says Moskowitz, who is a professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. And the more people stuck with the program — learning and practicing the skills — the more they improved. “They had less anxiety, less depression, less sleep disturbance, less social isolation and increases in positive affect,” she says.

JoAnna Littau is one of the Morning Edition listeners who signed up. She’s a baby boomer who lives in Anchorage, Alaska, where it’s common at this time of year to see a slushy brown grit of salt on the streets as snow melts.

“Driving around town during the day, it’s cold, it’s mundane,” she says.

Taking the course reminded her to be more intentional about focusing on the beauty that surrounds her. “I rest my eyes on the mountains, and it’s so soothing,” she told me as she drove to work one recent morning. With the Chugach Mountains as her backdrop, she notices “the way the light plays on the snow on the mountains — it’s just gorgeous,” she said, as she took it all in.

Pausing to notice the beauty requires only a simple shift, and the payoff is a more positive mood.

“This moment right now is good,” she says to herself, as she takes in the scene, and that becomes a springboard to more positive feelings throughout the day.

She’s using at least three of the skills she learned in her daily life, including noticing positive events, savoring them and also positive reappraisal.

Instead of grumbling about everything on her to-do list or the demands of work, she’s focused on what she enjoys.

She says she feels gratitude for the stability and security of being employed, at a time when others are struggling or underemployed. “I get to go to work, and others don’t get to go to work,” she says.

This focus on the positive illustrates the power of practicing the skills, Moskowitz says. “This absolutely fits with what we see coming out of the study,” she says, pointing to a 9% increase in “positive affect” among participants who took surveys at the start of the challenge and then again approximately eight to 12 weeks later.

“It’s exciting to hear people actually talk about how they’re using the skills and how they’re putting them into practice in their lives,” she says. The extent to which people benefit is influenced by several factors. The data shows anxiety dropped more sharply among participants who completed 100% of the program, compared with those who completed just part of it.

One of the most striking findings was an increase in participants’ sense of self-efficacy, which rose significantly among those who completed the program. This means their belief and confidence in themselves to set a goal and accomplish it improved.

One of the skills taught in the program focuses on helping people set attainable goals, or small goals each day, so they get accustomed to feeling little wins.

“It’s an upward spiral where you take the first step. You feel some progress towards your goal, which increases your positive emotion,” Moskowitz says. Then, this momentum can help you take the next step.

The results are “not surprising,” says Dr. Samir Sinha, a geriatrician and clinician scientist at Sinai Health System in Toronto, who was not involved in the study.

“I think it’s really important to have a tool kit to help manage anxiety and stress,” he says.

A lot of the skills taught in the course are familiar concepts. For instance, positive reappraisal is like saying, “Turn your frown upside down,” an idea that even young children can understand.

However, amid the demands and worries of adult life, especially at times of uncertainty, we often forget to take time to notice the good. That’s why there’s value in taking time out to learn and practice the skills again.

“I think once people practice them and realize how much better their outlook is, it almost becomes addictive,” Sinha says. “You’re almost like, ‘Wow, this is actually how I should be approaching things every day,'” he says.

Moskowitz’s previous studies have demonstrated the skills are beneficial even for people going through significant challenges, such as a cancer diagnosis or caring for a loved one with dementia.

“We know that people can experience positive emotions alongside the negative emotions,” Moskowitz says. She cautions that, of course, it’s impossible to eliminate all your stress, but her research shows you can learn to manage it better.

If you are looking for ways to reduce stress and anxiety, you can sign up for NPR’s Stress Less series. You’ll get five newsletters, packed with science-based strategies that can help improve positive feelings, reduce feelings of anxiety and help you cope better with life’s stressors. You can sign up here.