Easy Ways to Brighten your Mood!!!

With winter quickly approaching here in the Sunny (Summer only) Okanagan … I see a lot of people who suffer from Seasonal Depression.  Who can blame them, it is depressing here in the Winter with all the cloud.  But here is a quick fix to brighten your mood…

    

     

1.    Have a Happy Meal (no not McDonald’s … well okay, if you really want to and it makes you happy, go for it).

2.       Soak Away Your Blues

3.       Be good to yourself and Take an Extra Break

4.       Make a date with a friend

5.       Lift Your spirits by going out dancing.  Very therapeutic!

6.       Sniff a nostalgic scent

Cold water fish, such as salmon, trout, tuna, herring, mackerel & sardines are loaded with mood lifting omega 3 fatty acids.  Aim for 9 oz of those fish a week or 2,000 mg of a fish oil supplement daily.

Chronic stress has long been shown to fuel depression, so it’s no surprise. Harvard discovered that when negative emotions, such as sadness or anxiety strike, just taking a nice long hot bubble bath can help.

Women who drink 3 cups of coffee daily are 42% less likely to feel blue.  Caffeine ups your brain’s production of mood lifting dopamine.  (I was soooo happy when I read that one!!!)

Although you probably don’t really feel like getting up, getting dressed and getting out … as many as 72% of melancholy women feel less sad within 1 month if they simply spend an hour or two each week with a supportive friend or better yet, call on the craziest friend you know.  Laughter is always the best medicine!

Just 2 weeks of Tango or 2 Stepping Lessons significantly improves the mood of some who feel depressed.  Physical activity ups the release of “happy” hormones for up to 5 hours.

Ever catch a whiff of a scent that triggers a pleasant memory of your childhood?  Such an aroma, like baking cookies,  playdoh or your mom’s perfume?  … according to a recent study, pleasant aromas are a proven way to lift your spirits instantly.  There all kinds of oils available out there that you can disfuse at home to keep the blues at bay!