When life's got you down, it's all about how quickly you can get back up. A quick video, an inspirational short story, just capturing your thoughts and how you'll conquer them—anything can make a difference if you know what to do.

The Internet isn't short of sites and apps that make you happy. But the trick lies in knowing about a variety of tools, and using the right one at the right time. The video that will kick you into action when you need a dose of motivation may not work to get you out of your doldrums when you're depressed.

So here are five different resources, each offering something the others don't. Hopefully, by using the right one at the right time, you'll be happier and inspired.

Get Inspired 365 (Web): For When the Going Gets Tough

MakeUseOf's Managing Editor Ryan conducted an experiment recently. He started watching three motivational videos every day, and catalogued his thoughts, emotions, and productivity. Surprisingly, he found that he was a better overall person ever since he started watching those videos.

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Get Inspired 365 scours the Internet for inspirational videos, and presents at least a new one every day. A short description provides the context you need to understand why that video made the cut, and what makes it so motivational. There are also a few picture quotes, but the videos are the main attraction here. Since none of them are too long, it's the perfect little nugget when you're faced with a seemingly insurmountable task.

Infinite Good (Web, iOS): For Cataloguing Your Emotions, and Reading Others'

Often, you'll read stories of great leaders and achievers, but you can't really empathize with their struggles and goals. It's the everyday stories of everyday people like us that really strike a chord. Infinite Good is a treasure trove of people's experiences and emotions, and it encourages you to journal your emotions.

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A collage of colors greets you, each corresponding to a type of emotion. You can browse the site or app by color, by words, or by date. Click any to read the submitter's little experience. It can be something as small as choosing to stay in and cook dinner for the wife, instead of going out with friends.

It can even be a negative emotion, like the guilt of not helping a beggar in the rain. Even those negative emotions can spark positive change, spurring you into action the next time you come across a panhandler. The philosophy is to catalogue emotions of regular humans, to inspire other humans.

Download: Infinite Good for iOS (Free)

Zidilife (Web): For a Weekly Mantra

We know that not everyone reading this is going to actively go to a site or check out an app to get out of a funky mood. But everyone can manage to watch one video a week and live by its code. Subscribe to Zidilife's newsletter to get a motivational video delivered to your inbox every week.

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The videos are never too long, and usually have a simple message. Make that message your mantra for the week. Of course, you might need to adapt the message to suit yourself at times. For example, a video about the bond of brothers may not apply to you, but you can use it for a sibling or best friend, and make it a mantra to appreciate that person for one week.

r/UpliftingNews (Web): For Real Stories of Samaritans Across the World

There is no better example of using Reddit productively than the community at r/UpliftingNews, which seeks to break the constant negativity that the media throws in our faces. Instead, the members of this forum share good news from across the world, usually finding these links from the same media, but buried deep within their pages.

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When you read their simple rule, the entire mission becomes clear: "This subreddit is meant to be a place free of excessive cynicism, negativity and bitterness. Healthy skepticism is fine under certain circumstances, but toxic attitudes are not welcome here." It's a happy place, meant to promote a happy attitude.

It's perfect for a morning routine. Keep calm and cheer on.

24 Hours of Happy [Broken URL Removed] (Web): For That Ultimate Pick-Me-Up Song

Pop star Pharrell Williams might have written the ultimate cheerful song with Happy, but he didn't stop there. Williams and his team filmed people from different walks of life, dancing to his song, for a full 24 hours of a day. You can read more about the Happy experiment here, but the end result is all you need to know about.

If you're ever having a bad time, just go to 24 Hours of Happy. It will instantly pick up your local time and play the dance video from that time. It's an incredible feeling to visit a site to be greeted by a joyous person (or persons) dancing freely, with that happy-go-lucky song playing in the background. It's the ultimate pick-me-up.

Inspire Us!

Have you got a story or a video that always inspires you into action? What gets you going like Eye of the Tiger did for Rocky?