Foster hope by sending a card

Popping a “thinking of you” card in the mail to your sister or sending an encouraging text to your friend not only brightens her day, it makes you feel sunnier too. Psychologist Dacher Keltner, PH.D., of the University of California, Berkeley, says that when we send positive thoughts to others, it activates the parts of our mind that produce feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine and oxytocin. The payoff: You feel as uplifted as if you’d received well wishes yourself!

OR REMEMBER A WIN! Recalling a time something went exactly the way you wished it would increases feelings of joy and hope, according to researchers reporting in The Journal of Positive Psychology.