If you are looking to improve your mood, there are so many ways that you can do that, and it is always going to be possible to achieve. Even if you are prone to depression or low mood, these things are always going to help to some degree, so it’s good to have them under your belt to look to whenever you might need to. In this article, we are going to focus specifically on some natural mood-boosting activities and routines that you might like to try and follow. As long as you try these out, you should find that you are feeling happier in general and that if nothing else they help you get through the day.
High Intensity Exercise
Exercise is always a good idea if you want to improve your mood, of course. We all know this. But as well as that, did you know that there are specific kinds of exercise which are especially good for your mood? In particular, you might want to look into high-intensity exercise such as HIIT if you are looking for a quick burst of endorphins. It can be truly incredible how good you feel after a half-hour session of HIIT, and if you do it three times a week then you are going to find these changes stick with you.
Take a look at YouTube and see if you can find any good HIIT videos. There are a lot out there, and at first, you might need to start off easy. But over time, you can build up your ability, like with anything else, and hopefully, that will mean that you can do longer sessions with even higher intensity.
Acupuncture
The ancient Chinese art-science of acupuncture has been known to help with many ailments, and can even cure some problems for life. One of the more immediate effects it has is that it can help to lift your mood in no time at all. If you have never tried acupuncture before, you might well be wondering what’s involved – is it really all about having a hundred needles stuck in your face?
As it happens, that’s not usually what happens. Generally, you will have one or two needles at a time, and it is actually pretty easy – and while there can be a little discomfort at first, there is no actual pain. But what there is after a single session of acupuncture is great joy, and that joy can really sustain you for the rest of the day. If you then get acupuncture every other week or so, it is going to make a noticeable difference to your mood on the whole.
Meditation
The word meditation is used to refer to thousands of different activities that look quite similar, so the natural question is: which kind of meditation are we talking about here? If you are looking to improve your mood, you will probably want to try out a kind of meditation known as concentration meditation. This is where you focus on a single object – such as the breath – as calmly and diligently as you can. When your mind wonders or something appears to intrude, you simply note it and draw the attention back to the breath, or whatever object you may have chosen. Some people like to use a candle flame instead, or a mantra, or even an imagined colour.
Whatever you choose, here’s the thing: if you do this for half an hour every day for a fortnight, you are going to notice some significant improvements in your mood. Life will just seem to become easier, you will be able to control your emotions more easily and avoid letting yourself get stressed out or angry. You might even find a well of peace within you that you didn’t know was there.
Get Out In Nature
The natural world is your friend. If you live in the city or you just haven’t been out in nature much recently, you might not even be aware of how much it might be affecting your psychological wellbeing. That is, until you go back into nature and see just how good it feels. If you want to get back out into the natural world, there are many great ways that you can do so. One of the best ways is to simply go for a walk, or go hiking in the woods. You shouldn’t have to travel too far to find woods, but if you do have to it is still worth it.
Yet another way to get out into nature is to get on your cycling kit and go cycling around the woods. You will need to find a specific path that is suitable for that, or you can simply go off-roading and try to explore (but do take care). In any case, that is a great way to get the air into your lungs and really feel a part of the natural world, so it’s something that you might want to think about. Again, if you turn this into a routine and do it frequently, the benefits are only going to increase over time.
Get Plenty Of Sunshine
Related to that is the importance of getting plenty of sunshine on your skin. If you don’t get enough sunshine, that means you are not getting that all-important vitamin D, and with a deficiency of that vitamin, you might find yourself with any of a range of mood disorders. Even if it doesn’t become a full-on disorder, there’s no doubt that not getting enough sun is bad for your health, and especially bad for your mood.
It’s as simple as making a date with yourself to spend a few hours out in the sun each day. If your routine doesn’t allow for that, you might want to try and either change your routine, or simply ensure that you at least spend one day out in the sun. You could easily achieve that by going out in nature regularly, as above.
Sleep More
Most of us simply don’t sleep enough. There are so many things in our modern lives that are causing this sleeplessness: the overuse of screens, overworking, poor diets and lack of exercise, stress, no bedtime routine, and many other things besides. It might seem like a lot of work trying to overcome or change all of those habits, but you can simply do one thing at a time and you will probably notice that you sleep a lot more after each improvement.
For instance, you might start by looking at screens less often. Most of us are addicted to our screens, but the problem there is that the light that they emit inhibits the production of melanin in the brain, which is the chemical that the body clock uses to know when it’s time to sleep. And you can forget those night mode settings – the research shows that they don’t do anything at all. It’s much better to simply cut out using your screen in the evening. If you find that hard, simply try to replace it with something else – reading a book, perhaps, or some arts and crafts.
After that, you can try to reduce stress and eat well, and you should find yourself sleeping better. Once you are sleeping more, you are going to naturally have an improved mood, so it is absolutely worth doing.
Ground To The Earth
This one has to be up there on the list of things that sound like nonsense but are actually backed up by science. As the evidence shows, if you spend some time grounding your feet on the earth outside, it has a range of positive health benefits for both your mind and your body. In particular, grounding has been shown to increase the amount of vitamin D3 in the body, as the ground gets that from the sun and it then gets absorbed into your feet. Even if only for that reason, grounding tends to leave you feeling calmer and a little more energised to boot – as well as reducing pain, helping you sleep better, and boosting your immune system.
Create A Morning Routine
If you are finding yourself in a slump when it comes to your days and nights, you might want to think about creating some kind of morning routine. The fact is that lacking a routine, as many of us are during COVID19, can really cause you to feel listless and depressed. Having a simple routine in the morning will alleviate those bad thoughts and work to effectively lift your mood. Even if it’s as simple as having a coffee in the garden with an old copy of Harry Potter. Whatever you do, just try to stick to it and see what happens to your mood over time.
By following these natural means of boosting your mood, you are going to feel better in no time. The strength of these effects can be profound, and it’s worth trying if you are keen to try and enjoy life a little more.
Lifestyle Blogger based in Devon.
I like to write, drink tea and read great books.
PR – admin@diagonalstripes.co.uk
