150 Tiny Joys That Will Instantly Lift Your Spirits

Life is full of ups and downs, some good memories, and some that you want to forget forever. The best way to live life is to find happiness in every little good thing that crosses your path. In fact, everyone has their preferences, but there are very small things that we ignore on daily basis but they give us small moments of happiness that we don’t even realize.

Here is a list I have compiled that I think most of you would agree that they uplift everyone.

Small Things That Can Uplift Your Mood

Swimming in a crisp lake.
A lazy afternoon in a friend’s sun-drenched backyard.
A good kitchen knife.
“Screw it, I’ll just walk”.
Bookstore cats.
Rain on the roof.
New book smell.
The first sign of shorter nights.
A loved one waiting at the airport.
People watching from a little cafe.
Lightning bugs.
Petrichor.
Girl Scout cookie season.
A candle on a long winter night.
Tidepool critters.
Catching the bus or train just in time.
Holiday markets and mulled wine.
A clean home after returning from travel.
Earthworms after a rain.
A giant tub of homemade Chex Mix.
Golden hour light.
Meditating with friends in a temple in Kyoto.
Old book smell.
The first sunny weekend after a long winter.
Turtles drifting around in a pond.
The scent of chimney smoke in the crisp winter air.
Lovely scents from an indoor citrus tree in bloom.
Surprise ladybugs.
The lacy bits on the edge of a fried egg.
Ferns.
People smiling for no apparent reason.
Waking up and realizing you still have a couple more hours to sleep.
Coming home to your dog who thinks you are the best thing in the entire world.
Peeling the whole orange in one go.
Peeling the whole egg in one go.
Finishing composing a song (or finishing learning how to play a song).
Seeing "100%" written down on an assignment.
Spotting an unexpected animal.
Inquisitive birds on the window sill
The boss says "thank you."
Teaching children about basically anything.
Singing in the shower to an imaginary audience of thousands.
Learning something new.
The crystalline nature of freshly fallen snow.
Hot chocolate on a cold winter day.
A breeze blowing in from the sea.
A fruit smoothie on a warm summer day.
Waking up and realizing you're not sick anymore.
A lone dandelion on a lawn of grass.
Giving a pedestrian at a crosswalk the right of way.
Helping someone with groceries who's a dime short.
The laughter of children.
All dogs.
When the chords in a song sound just right and resonate with my thoughts.
Ripe, in-season fruit.
Sunrise.
Sunset.
Finding twenty bucks in your pocket.
Forgetting you left it there and finding it again that night.
An intense aroma of pine.
Beating a personal high score at a video game.
Cleaning out papers after a semester of studying.
Finding an oddly shaped baby carrot.
Thunderstorms while tucked into bed.
Eating the airy puffballs that sometimes form on pizza.
Learning and performing a new taekwondo move (or dance move).
Beating your mile time.
Nice clean sheets.
Bringing someone a surprise treat from the store.
Singing a song in public and having someone sing along with you.
The sound and feel of a perfect high five.
Cuddling.
Showing affection to someone who shows you hate.
When a girl is all dressed up for a formal night out.
Pets after you feed them.
The smell of rain.
The first minute in a hot shower.
When crises bring people together (ex: people hugging while crying).
When someone changes an opinion on a before strongly held belief
Closure
Finishing a great novel
Finishing a puzzle
The look on someone's face when they get the punch line
Every time I see her name
Getting a new bench press record.
A girl complimenting anything about me.
Goosebumps as the breeze hit the back of your neck.
The first bite of a plump nectarine.
Seeing how many peas can fit stuck in your fork.
Taking your pants off after a long day.
The neighborhood bursting with blossoms in spring.
The beach at night.
Family game nights.
Front-yard gardens.
Tiny sprouts, grown from seed.
When someone says "You made my day."
Complimenting someone.
The feeling of inertia as the plane descends.
Being awake while the whole world is asleep.
Catching sight of a small bird at someone’s feeder.
An object made with love.
Giving out Halloween candy.
Getting a straight or a flush in poker.
Opening the door, the fly leaves, no flies enter.
That all the animals in the sea are still in there doing their thing, all the time.
The moment of meditation after you do something wrong.
Drawing a perfect circle with a compass.
Hitting green lights your whole way home.
Getting a call from a friend from long ago.
Writing handwritten letters, licking the envelopes, and mailing them.
When you climb to the top of the tree.
When you hike to the top of the hill.
When you wake up without hitting the snooze button.
The fog layering glasses when eating soup.
Seeing very old couples happy together.
Giving food to a patient at the hospital.
Giving a hug to someone who needs it.
Heavy cherry blossoms.
The first foggy fall day.
That fall chimney smell.
A sunny brunch.
Walking past a rosemary bush, touching a sprig, and smelling your fingers
A long walk on a summer evening.
Fancy butter.
When all of the popcorn pops.
When the sequel is somehow better than the original.
When there is someone to share the Kit Kat with.
The moment you slip into your lucky boxers.
The initial feeling of jumping into a puddle.
The sound of a leaf crackling while walking in the fall.
When they hit you up first.
The moment of silence after listening to a good song.
When you accomplish something someone told you that you could never do.
Clean counters, all the dishes put away, a kettle on the stove.
Waking up on a stormy or cloudy morning and realizing that you don't have to get up.
When you share a joke with a random stranger.
The sun's warmth rested on a cool breeze.
When a squirrel or rabbit doesn't run away from you right away.
When the bartender pours you an extra generous glass of scotch.
When plans fall through and you can relax at home, guilt-free.
How it smells outside after it rains.
Laying in bed and hearing a train in the distance.
The first hint of Autumn after a blazing hot summer.
A cool breeze and a cold beer on a hot summer's day.
Peeling the plastic off of a new phone screen/tablet/other screens.
Popping bubble wrap.
Heavy snow on the mountains.
Porch hammocks.
Cutting into a fresh piece of construction paper.
Nighttime thunderstorms.
Smelling the first lilac of the year before you see it.
Unexpected greetings from the aloof cat.
Room with a slightly cold temperature and ceiling fan running so that you can be under more covers.
When you've been inside a cold building for a while and then walk outside into the sun.
Walk outside and become aware of all the nature around you.
When the season changes and you walk outside and you can feel all those little changes in how the air feels and smells and it transports you right back to the last time that season was there.
A nice bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine
New episode of a good show.
Dumb conversations with friends.
Babies smiling at you.
Dogs pull on their leash to get their owner to come closer to you to smell you.
Cats rubbing themselves against your legs.
Christmas decorations.
A friend buying you coffee.
Managing to plan out enough time off to go home and enjoy yourself.
A perfectly cooked pudding.
Your favorite movie on a night when you have no work to do.
Starting and ending with the same amount of socks on laundry day.
People shower you with unconditional love no matter what.
The sound of laughter from a close group of friends that you know truly enjoy each other's company.
A queer couple holding hands in public.
That typical finish in a jazz repertoire is when each instrument is blowing it and you're hearing 5 different variations of a theme and your senses overflow.
When you open the fridge, close it, and then open it again, and actually find something tasty.
A soft night rain.
Taking your girlfriend out to eat and just hearing her talk.
Walking around in your place after you do a good cleaning job.
Driving through large puddles
The first wipe of a completely covered windshield.
When everyone at the theater laughs/applauds collectively
Going outside on clear nights and just looking up at the stars.
The smell of freshly photocopied paper!
That all-over body wiggle that dogs do when they're happy to see you.
Cooking—providing sustenance for the body of someone you love.

Here are a few things that I think have the potential to make your day better. You might not even realize the effect of these things when you are going about your day, but they make you see the world with a much more beautiful lens. Let me know in the comments which one of these day-to-day things helps uplift your mood.