6 simple ways to boost your mood

In a world where stress and anxiety seem to be on the rise, finding effective ways to boost your mood has never been more crucial. On average, a typical UK adult feels stressed approximately 8.27 days a month. That’s more than twice a week!¹

In aid of World Mental Health Day, here are simple ways you can boost your mood to help you feel brighter and more positive!

Walk

The simplest solution is often the best! Walking has been shown to boost mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. It releases endorphins, which are natural mood enhancers and provide an opportunity for relaxation and stress relief, especially when walking outdoors.²

Check out Saskia’s 10 ways walking is good for your health and your sanity!

Music

When you’re experiencing low mood, music can provide a lift similar to exercise. It has the ability to enhance the brain’s dopamine production, which in turn can alleviate feelings of anxiety and depression.³

Enjoy this feel-good music mix to help give you the mood boost you’re looking for!

Eat tryptophan-rich foods

Serotonin, known as the ‘happy hormone’, is a natural mood stabiliser that can help reduce depression and regulate anxiety.⁴

If you don’t have the right amount of serotonin in your system, it’s biochemically impossible for you to feel happy!

In order to make serotonin, your body needs an essential amino acid called tryptophan.⁵ The body cannot synthesise its own tryptophan – you have to get it from what you eat. More information here!

Tryptophan-rich foods include:

Kefir
Free-range eggs (especially the whites!)
Leafy greens
Spirulina
Sweet potatoes
Walnuts
100% wholegrain oats
Bananas
Pasture-raised poultry
Wild-caught fish, such as cod and salmon

Opt for wholesome foods that have been shown to boost your mood and overall health.⁶

Straighten up

Mood and posture affect each other profoundly.⁷ A study by Harvard University found that sitting up straight improved certain symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression.⁸

Good posture can increase energy levels, better concentration, improve mood, and boost confidence.

While it may seem like a simple change, it can do wonders for your mind and body alike!

Smile

Smiling can trick the brain into feeling happy. It’s called “facial feedback” – and it’s infectious, boosting the moods of those around you.

Laughing out loud, much like smiling, can also create an emotional state that relieves stress and lifts your mood!⁹

If you’re feeling low, try putting on a smile. There’s a good chance your mood will change for the better.

Essential oils

Inhaling the aromas from essential oils can stimulate areas of your limbic system, which is a part of your brain that plays a role in emotions, behaviours, and long-term memory.¹⁰ Each essential oil is thought to interact with the limbic system in a different way, initiating various possible mood-boosting outcomes.

Natural Clean Essential Oil is a combination of three delicious essential oils: grapefruit, lemon, and bergamot.

Grapefruit oil reduces feelings of stress¹¹, and boosts mood.¹² Lemon oil vapour has been found to have a marked anti-stress and “antidepressant-like effect.”¹³ Studies, as well as clinically applied experience, have indicated that lemon essential oil can help to relieve stress, anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders.¹⁴ Bergamont oil reduces feelings of anxiety and fatigue.¹⁵

Wondering how you can use essential oils in your day-to-day life? Check out El’s What’s so great about essential oils?

Ignoring the cause of your bad mood won’t make it vanish, but it’s perfectly fine to set it aside momentarily to focus on something that brings you joy 😊💛

Looking for more mood-boosting tips? Check out Feeling low? Mood-boosting tips here!

Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm.

6 simple ways to boost your mood

References

Questions? Talk to a Nutritional Therapist on live chat!

More from The Gut Health Express

As Featured In