“Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama.
The mind-body connection is well-documented in research from neuroscience, psychiatry, and medicine. Researchers at the University of Nottingham has recently found a link between energy and self-control.
The researchers found that self-control and energy are not only intricately linked but also finite, daily resources that tire much like a muscle. Even though we don’t always realise it, as the day goes on, we have increased difficulty exerting self-control and focusing on our daily task. As self-control wears out, we feel tired and find tasks to be more difficult and our mood sours.
You can
read more about this phenomena and overcoming it, in these related articles:
– How to Overcome Psychological Exhaustion.
https://www.adam-eason.com/how-to-overcome-psychological-exhaustion/
– Decision Fatigue: Scientific Ways To Reduce Decision Fatigue.
https://www.adam-eason.com/reduce-decision-fatigue/
Bad moods are an inevitable part of life. What can be particularly frustrating, however, is when we know we’re in a bad mood, but seem unable to snap ourselves out of it. Are you ready to get off your butt and start moving?
The first and most foremost step is you have to believe that you can do it. Frame your experience accordingly. If you find yourself feeling down, anxious, grumpy and low in energy, try a few of the suggestions below and find what works best for you.
“The thing with pretending you’re in a good mood is that sometimes you can.” – Charles de Lint.
First up, stop making excuses. We all have different body types. But, no one was meant to eat 4,000 calories a day without exercise. It’s excessive. And wasteful. Your body is not a rubbish bin (though we are hot on the tail of Easter, and I know I had more chocolate than I usually would). Treat it like a temple as much as is possible.
We are all busy. Everyone has a busy schedule. If you want to make a change and set habits that lead to success, that is a choice. All you really need to do is eat right, exercise, and listen to your body – then get your head in the game. I recognise that sometimes that can be really hard to do, so when you feel like it’s not quite working, here is a go-to list of tricks that will help feel good in minutes. These are things that I use with many of my clients to help them along while working on the deeper therapeutic solutions……
Drink:
Do you feel relaxed when you have a beer with your friends after work? Researchers from the Public Health Wales National Health System Trust and King’s College London found that drinking a glass of beer/ wine might boost your mood. This is not a green light for regular heavy drinking by the way!
You can mimic the effects of alcoholic drinks using self-hypnosis. You can study self-hypnosis here to learn more about this.
You can also drink two large glasses of cold water soon after you wake up. Add a little lemon if you’d like. Why? Often we feel hungry when we are dehydrated. After sleeping for 6-8 hours, our bodies need to be hydrated and drinking water wakes up our digestive system.
Before eating, get moving:
Try to perform at least 5 to 10 minutes of moderate activity before eating. It’s a great way to wake up your body and get your blood flowing. Bonus points if you break a sweat.
I actually do all my running training and gym sessions on an empty stomach first thing in the morning; this is not for everyone, but it certainly helps me greatly.
Take a cold shower:
Researchers from University of Osaka (Toda, Morimoto, Nagasawa & Kitamura, 2006) found that cold water bathing had a beneficial effect in reducing stress hormone. Taking a cold shower wakes up your body and helps you feel more alert. If you’ve had a hard workout, it’s also a great way to cool down your muscles.
There are a great many open water swimming groups around the world today who attend natural environments and swim all year round in very cold conditions – if you want to take things to the next level with this one, go find a group.
Eat well:
I’ve
already mentioned that your body is a temple. Treat it like one. Include a mix
of colourful fruits and vegetables – kale, blueberries, avocado, cabbage,
peppers, tomatoes, squash, carrots, grapefruit, cucumbers, apples. You can’t
make a bad choice. Richer colours usually mean more antioxidants.
Often, when we feel in a slump we opt for a short term (and short sighted)
solution that picks us up temporarily but is not good for our longer term
health – usually sugary snacks. Resist this and choose colourful fruits and
veggies in particular and it’ll help your mood greatly.
Spice it up:
Turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon, garlic, ginger are full of amazing health benefits. Spices that give heat will temporarily raise your metabolism. Cinnamon, turmeric, and oregano reduce inflammation so they are good for your joints. Add spices to your salad dressing, smoothies, oatmeal, salads, sauces, soups, etc. Work out ways of adding them to your diet, your moods will be pleased of it.
Eat what you enjoy:
Don’t make
yourself suffer. Research suggests that dietary changes bring about changes in
our brain structure, chemistry, and physiology, which lead to — changes in
behaviour! Enjoy your favourite foods. But be careful.
You can indulge if it brings you happiness, as long as it is not excessive or
problematic – and does not lead to guilt or being overly self-critical.
Move some more:
Movement
throughout the day keeps your metabolism engaged and makes your body more
effective at shedding toxins and burning fat. Go for a walk at lunch; take
walking meetings; take a 10-minute yoga break in the afternoon; take the
stairs, etc. Find a way to incorporate cardio, resistance training, or yoga for
example.
There is always time for some curls, and I have time slots in my day to do some
stretching in particular and help advance my running mobility.
Listen to Music:
“I feel like music can affect you in so many ways. When you hear a song with a happy melody, it can change your mood; it can change your day.” – Kygo.
When we listen to joyful, happy music, our brains usually produce chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, which make us feel happy. A 2013 study in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who listened to upbeat music could improve their moods and boost their happiness in minutes.
Meditate:
“Exercise, prayer, and meditation are examples of calming rituals. They have been shown to induce a happier mood and provide a positive pathway through life’s daily frustrations.” – Chuck Norris.
If Chuck Norris recommends it, you just do it, right? Exercise slows down aging and contributes to mental clarity. Meditation, focus, and reflection calms our bodies and our minds and allows us to be more effective with the time we have and more grateful for the choices we make. A daily meditation practice even as little as 10 minutes can counteract stress and bring you many powerful benefits. The evidence for daily mindfulness is pretty compelling and there have even been very recent studies showing how much good it is for your mood and brain health in general.
Visualise the outcome:
“Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the ‘right’ thing to do. It also improves your mood because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%.” – Travis Bradberry.
What do you want to change? Why is it important? If you feel stuck in your current routine and you want to see change, then visualise what you want, set your intentions for what you need to get there, and set habits to follow through on your outcomes.
Use Self-Hypnosis:
Here are a number of ways to do that….
– First Aid For A Bad Mood! Using Self-Hypnosis To Get Into A Great Mood.
– Come On In Here And Use Self-Hypnosis To Lift Your Mood!
– Lifting Mood By Combining NLP’s Classic Circle of Excellence With Self-Hypnosis.
Then get into the habit of taking action to lift and manage your mood…..
“After a hard day, choosing to do something to help you feel better – as opposed to staying in a bad mood – is a healthy skill.” – Amy Morin.
Write a list of inspiring quotes on a list on your phone, read them whilst playing inspiring music and listen to it, then examine your other list with a wide number of other strategies and instructions to help you lift your own mood. Have it handy and refer to it when you need it.
Your emotional health matters. Take your emotional health seriously. Need a day of rest from your routine. Don’t worry about it. Skip a day, but don’t skip two days. Keep on track and create winning habits.
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Have some of themes here resonated with you? Then have a read of these pages:
1. Do you need help or support in a particular area of your life?
Coaching with Adam Eason Or Hypnotherapy with Adam Eason
2. Would you like a satisfying and meaningful career as a hypnotherapist helping others? Are you a hypnotherapist looking for stimulating and career enhancing continued professional development and advanced studies?
Adam Eason’s Anglo European training college.
3. Are you a hypnotherapist looking to fulfil your ambitions or advance your career?
Hypnotherapist Mentoring with Adam Eason.
Likewise, if you’d like to learn more about self-hypnosis, understand the evidence based principles of it from a scientific perspective and learn how to apply it to many areas of your life while having fun and in a safe environment and have the opportunity to test everything you learn, then come and join me for my one day seminar which does all that and more, have a read here: The Science of Self-Hypnosis Seminar. Alternatively, go grab a copy of my Science of self-hypnosis book.
