Need a Mood Lift? Try These Easy Ways To Make It Happen
Sometimes a mood lift can be as helpful as a facial or a wardrobe change. Just as we need to get some highlights going in our hair, or slip into a new jacket for fall, finding a way to lift our mood can be crucial when it is needed. Your family may think so too.
If everybody seems to be staring back at you, there may be good reason. You may be yawning, frowning, or glaring without even realizing it. My kids always tell me my face is very readable. And of course stares or glares are hard to miss. So they always tell me when my mood is slipping.
As we head through fall do a checkup to see if you need a mood lift too. If you do Health.com has some good ideas on how to make it happen.
Call In Your Friends
This works for me every time. When I can’t stand my gray thoughts a minute more I call all of my funniest most upbeat friends and announce that I am cooking. I am not that great of a cook, but they know there will be plenty of backup foods on hand, and lots of laughs to go along with it.
Surround Yourself with Blooms
If you have a garden bring some of the roses in. Or pick up a bunch at the market. Harvard researchers say people who kept freshly cut flowers in their home for a week reported feeling more energized and less anxious.
Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is
A 2014 San Francisco State University study showed people who spent money on life experiences like weekend getaways were happier than those who put the money into material items.
Up Your Vitamin D
A 2012 study of more than 12,000 people found that those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were the most likely to be depressed. If you feel depressed see your doctor for a blood test to determine deficiency.
Let Meditation Blow Away the Clouds
Johns Hopkins research in JAMA Internal Medicine published research last year that indicated daily meditation may help people relieve anxiety and depression. If you have ever tried an easy deep breathing exercise, or spent an hour in a soothing Tai Chi or yoga class you may agree.
Think Up a New Project
When everything looks the same this is a good way to break out of the mood. Visit your local paint store and pick up paint samples for a room you have just decided to paint. Or start sketching out some new plans for redoing your patio. Whatever makes you smile will work.
Start Working Out & Keep Working Out
Starting a fitness routine between the ages of 20 and 40 that includes three sweat sessions a week can reduce the risk of depression by about 16 percent, suggested British research published in JAMA Psychiatry, 2014.
Pour Some Iced Tea or Coffee
Recent research shows drinking four cups of coffee daily can reduce depression risk by 10 percent. In contrast drinking four cans of sweetened soda a day can raise a person’s depression risk by 30 percent.
As always if you find depressed moods persisting, see your doctor and a counselor first for assistance.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Mark Doliner
