Feeling Cheerful: A Guide to Your Emotions

PUBLISHED Dec 23rd, 2020 & UPDATED ON Jan 26th, 2023

When you’re feeling cheerful, it feels like you’re radiating sunshine. Maybe you even feel like you’re walking on sunshine and have a bounce in your step! There’s a permanent smile on your face and you’re cracking jokes left and right so that you can get a smile out of the people around you. Feeling cheerful can turn you into the life of the party! You just wanna pass along all of your good energy to everyone else so that they can get on your level. And it feels like no matter how much shit is thrown your way, it’s not so bad. ‘Cause there’s so much to be cheerful about, nothing and nobody can take that away from you!

The world can be such a negative place so when we do feel cheerful, it’s nice to appreciate the feeling to its fullest. Let’s talk about feeling cheerful and how it improves your wellbeing, ‘cause even if it’s obviously a positive emotion, there’s always more to learn! That’s why we’re here, friend: to talk about allll the feels, all the time.

A Deeper Look at Feeling Cheerful

Being cheerful is obviously rooted in the core emotion ‘happy,’ but what does it really mean to feel cheerful? Great question! Dictionary.com defines cheerful as: “adj. full of cheer; in good spirits.” Pretty straight forward, right?

You could be feeling cheerful for so many different reasons, because life is full of things to be happy about! You could be having a really good day thanks to the weather being great, so you’re enjoying fresh air and getting some exercise at the park. Or your boss gave you props for all the hard work you put into a project that took a lot of your time and effort to make it so great. It could even be something as small as getting a nice ‘good morning’ text from a special someone. Maybe you’ve made some positive changes to your life that have caused you to feel super cheerful. That’s pretty amazing of you to look after your mental wellbeing, btw! Proud of you!

You could be feeling cheerful for no particular reason at all, and that’s totally cool, too. Whatever the reason is, it’s got those happy neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin firing in your brain, causing your mood to be 10/10 amazing.

Fun fact: did you know that there are ways you can actually trick yourself into feeling more cheerful? No, we’re not messing with you. It’s backed by science! When you smile, even if it’s not based on real emotion, it can trick your brain by boosting your mood and lowering your heart rate. Plus, smiling reduces your stress levels! So go on and fake it til you make it. Maybe even tell yourself a corny joke to make yourself laugh. Sure, you might feel weird at first. But we all could use a pick-me-up now and then, so why not give it a shot?!

How Feeling Cheerful Shows Up Mentally

It’s safe to say that feeling cheerful does wonders for your mental wellbeing. It’s like a giant ray of sunlight is shining RIGHT on your brain. Ok, weird image, we know. But being cheerful really does benefit your mental health. It impacts so many other areas of your mind, and you probably didn’t even realize it was doing that for you! But let’s look at the specifics, ‘cause they’re awesome and we want you to know that:

Lifts your mood
Reduces stress and anxiety
Increases attentiveness and focus
Boosts productivity
Sparks creativity
Improves analytical skills
Promotes good thoughts
Increases motivation

See? We told you! There are so many awesome reasons why being cheerful is such an amazing emotion to feel. Your brain is basically lighting up with happiness and we couldn’t be happier for you! Wow, this is making us cheerful just thinking about how great you feel right now.

How Feeling Cheerful Shows Up Physically

Feeling cheerful has some great physical benefits, too. Yup! If you’ve read some of our other emotions articles, you’ll know that the body is super aware and tuned into our emotions. If you want your body to be feeling a certain kind of emotion, you’d probably want it to be this one! Here’s a few physical symptoms you might experience when you’re in good spirits! Spoiler alert: we think they’re pretty worthwhile.

Reduces cortisol levels
Lowers blood pressure
Strengthens immune system
Provides better sleep
Improves digestion
Reduces pain
Lengthens lifespan

So, basically our heart is happy when we’re happy! Isn’t that kind of cute and sweet? We think so. But we hope that these give you some more reasons to be even more cheerful than you were before! The reduction of cortisol levels makes everyone happier, right? Right?

5 Ways to Embrace Feeling Cheerful

Feeling cheerful is simply the best. So what are some ways you can embrace this emotion and enjoy it while it lasts?! Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Try out some of these simple but effective ways to embrace your cheer to the fullest:

1. Do something creative

Use your favourite creative outlet to channel those cheerful feelings. Get artsy by drawing, sketching, doing calligraphy or painting. Write poems or try blog writing. Practice an instrument, sing, dance! Feeling cheerful can really put you in the right headspace to get creative, and the possibilities are endless. Try it out!

2. Journal

Try writing out exactly how you’re feeling and what made you feel this way. Can’t stop smiling because you received a nice compliment? Feel on top of the world thanks to your amazing test score? Expressing your feelings can give you clarity and feels really great, so jot it all down in detail! Your hand might start to cramp, but so what? Totally worth it.

3. Connect with a friend

Our true friends are there for us when we need them most by making our day a little brighter. So why not connect with a friend and pass on the good vibes you’re feeling?! Ask to go out for a coffee, a nice stroll in the park, or even FaceTime just to catch up. Spending time with our friends is a great way to maintain our good spirits!

4. Practice gratitude

Ya know what feels really good? Showing gratitude for the things that bring joy to our lives! Gratitude can look like acts of kindness, including giving your coworker their favourite drink to thank them for all of their hard work.

5. Practice meditation

Meditation is a method that’s been used to relieve stress and improve mental clarity since, like… forever. This practice allows us to slowww down and shift our mindset. If you’re not sure how to meditate, start out with a guided practice. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere!

That’s it! That’s all for now, friend. We hope you keep on feeling cheerful and spread some of that positivity to the people around you. ‘Cause we could all use a boost now and then, right?