If you want to keep a good mood, what should you do?

As soon as the alarm rings –

Spend your first 15 seconds awake planning something nice to do for yourself today. “This can really set you up in a good mood – even if it’s just going by the farmers’ market and getting fresh strawberries,” says Alice Domar.

Get up.

The longer you lie there, the more you think, and the darker your outlook is likely to become. So make a cup of coffee, take a shower, feed the cat, drink--- Make sure to drink two glasses of water upon awakening, the time when our bodies are dehydrated. Dehydration causes tiredness, which affects your mood.

Move it.

You already know the number one way of chasing away a bad mood: exercise. A workout at the gym sure helps. But even just a few minutes of movement – a fast walk, for example, -- raises energy and reduces tension, says mood expert Robert Thayer.

Be kind and thankful.

This isn’t exactly news, but generosity and gratitude are both big contributors to happiness, according to Todd B. Kashdan, PhD, who directs the Laboratory for the Study of Social Anxiety, Character Strengths, and Related Phenomena at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Do something nice for a stranger or friend and see whether you can feel better about yourself. Also, jot down three things that you are grateful for. It seems so simple, but counting your blessings just has a way of making you remember the sun is shining.