Boost Your Mood, Increase Your Energy and Take Back Your Life!
Modern living is hard work. The rising cost of essentials means that we’re working harder than ever while the increasing cost of living means that we have very little to show for it.
While our job and career ambitions may cause us to spend 8-12 hours a day crammed under fluorescent lights in a busy office building, these are not the conditions that human bodies were meant for. The insular and sedentary lifestyle that often comes hand in hand with modern living is often at odds with the way in which our bodies and minds are built to function and thrive.
As such, low mood and fatigue are always lurking just around the corner, waiting to put the kibosh on our feelings and darken our days.
Of course this affects different people in different ways. Some people feel tired, sluggish and lacking in motivation, others become irritable and quick to outbursts of anger.
While we’re often too busy to notice the myriad and subtle effects that the modern lifestyle has on our energy levels and mood they can slowly and irrevocably make us into someone who we really don’t want to be.
The good news is that you can turn yourself around, boost your mood, increase your energy levels and take back your life without having to quit your job, move house or massively change your lifestyle. As is so often the case, making a few smaller changes can have a huge impact.
Find a way to express yourself every day
Whether you like to paint, write or sing in the shower, doing something creative is a great way to give yourself a boost and feel better about yourself. Creating gives us a sense of purpose so if you have the time, devote yourself to a project. Whether it’s building a model, painting a portrait, redecorating the house, or performing in an amateur play, nothing will improve your sense of self-worth faster.
Get up, get out, get busy, busy
If you’re spending too much time indoors it’s inevitable that your mood will suffer. Prolonged exposure to artificial light is proven to have a range of negative effects on your health from lack of sleep to heart trouble to increased risk of breast cancer. Getting outside, even for short stretches, can have immediate and long-term health benefits such as improved memory function and stress relief. So try and get out for a walk to be amongst nature, sunlight and other human beings when on your lunch break, or whenever you feel low.
Bring a furry friend into your home
If you don’t already have a pet, then you’re missing out on a great natural mood-booster. If you’re feeling lonely or bored a pet can be a wonderful companion who’s always on hand to brighten your mood. If you’re worried about whether you could look after a dog or a cat then you’d be amazed at how readily hamsters, guinea pigs and especially rats can form a bond with humans. As you pet your new friend, your body releases oxytocin which naturally relieves stress and suppresses anxiety while also decreasing blood pressure and cortisone levels.
For parents, a pet can be a great way of bonding together as a family and helping to build bridges of communication and affection that may be causing you anxiety.
Eat right and everything gets much easier
Even with the best of intentions when we’re busy, cooking, meal planning and healthy eating get ditched in favor of high carb, high fat, sweet and salty convenience foods that give us a short term serotonin boost at the expense of our long term mood, energy levels and health. We enjoy a fleeting high only to come crashing down later as our blood sugar comes crashing down taking our mood with it.
Fortunately, these convenient and healthy foods have the nutrients you need to keep your mood and energy levels high.
- Coconut- Filling and nourishing, their medium chain triglycerides help your body to create energy rather than storing it as fat.
- Goji berries- A staple of Chinese medicine for hundreds of years, these delicious berries help increase energy and regulate the body’s release of hormones.
- Bananas- High in potassium and b vitamins as well as complex carbohydrates that help to prevent cravings and stabilize your appetite.
- Kale- Kale has earned its reputation as a super food, rich as it is in energy boosting minerals like copper, iron, potassium and phosphorous.
Exercise… It’s non-negotiable
Our bodies are not meant to spend hours seated or inactive so when they are it can lead to all kind of mood issues. Regular exercise, even if it’s just 15-30 minutes of mild to moderate intensity activity a day, can have a profound effect on improving mental health and improving physical and mental wellbeing.
You’ll also find yourself burning fat, improving your muscle tone and feeling better about your body and when we look good, we feel good and have the confidence to attack every day.
Don’t let anything get in the way of a good night’s sleep
If you’re an entrepreneur, work from home or are just plain workaholic then chances are at some point you’ve spent so long working that you’ve only been able to snatch a couple of hour’s sleep here or there. There’s absolutely no substitute for a good night’s sleep and no amount of self-medicating with caffeine in the morning will change that.
You probably don’t need to be sold on the health benefits of getting enough sleep but there could be a variety of reasons why you’re not. Stress, anxiety, depression and excessive consumption of stimulants such as caffeine and taurine are the enemies of restful, good quality sleep. It’s important to create the right conditions for healthy sleep, and no this doesn’t mean downing a bottle of wine before bed (which will help you nod off, sure, but you won’t be getting the quality of sleep you need. Your bedroom needs to be a place of sleep so try to limit the range of activities you do in the bedroom (well, within reason). Avoid reading, watching TV or using your phone to excess in bed.
Your bedroom should be decorated in a serene, neutral color and your bedding should be adjusted seasonally to make sure that you’re just the right temperature to be relaxed enough to nod off. Check out Plumeria Bay for a range of bedding products to help ensure a good night’s sleep. You should also consider pot pourri or scented candles using lavender, patchouli and ylang ylang to help you drift into a blissful slumber.
Get chatty!
Whenever our mood flags we wonder if we should “talk to someone”. This is usually used as a euphemism for seeking professional help. While it’s true that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and counselling are great ways of managing and defusing problematic thoughts, they’re by no means the only way to talk through your problems. Try talking through your issues face to face with friends, family, colleagues, your partner or even your kids. In an age where most of our communication is done through digital channels, over the phone or on social media, it’s vitally important that we have meaningful social interactions with those closest to us.
Journalize your thoughts, worries, and day-to-day musings
Bridget Jones, Adrian Mole, Jessica darling, all of these fictional characters kept a diary as a way of working through their various issues and charting their progress and using as a tool for self-development and reflection. They turned out okay (more or less), and there’s evidence to suggest that it can help you!
Not only can journalizing be therapeutic and cathartic it can also improve your mood by formalizing your thought processes and turning them into a plan of action, giving you much needed perspective (and maybe even a few chuckles) when you return to your diary having overcome your obstacles.
