It’s the middle of winter. Summer seems like a lifetime ago, the world outside your window is dark and cold, and you’re probably feeling the effects of that in terms of your mood. While not everybody has Seasonal Affective Disorder, many of us find ourselves becoming a little more maudlin during the dying months of the year. There are celebrations to be had and parties to attend if we’re lucky, but the world often seems a little less friendly than it did when the sun was high in the sky. Because of that, we as a society have an increasing tendency to turn to artificial mood boosters to keep ourselves out of the doldrums.
We don’t have anything against the supplement and mood-booster industry per se, so long as the products they sell are safe and effective. We just believe that it’s kinder to your body to look to natural remedies for sadness and that lifting your mood without synthetics is better for you in the long run. After all, your brain is not an online slots game. You can’t just keep pumping things into it and waiting for a jackpot of serotonin from a website like UKslotgames.com. As complex and sophisticated as some of the features at online slots websites are these days, they’re not a patch on your brain. It’s far more complicated and sensitive than most of us realize, and it needs to be treated with respect and caution. If you treat it like online slots, you’ll get the same random results as you’d get with online slots. Try natural, time-tested remedies instead, and you’re likely to get a more predictable and welcome response.
If you’re feeling the winter blues, try one (or more!) of these five natural mood-boosters to see if they can help you turn the tide.
Go For A Walk In The Park
In the old days, we’d have suggested spending some time in your garden, but we appreciate that most people don’t have gardens anymore. Get yourself to your local park instead, and spend thirty minutes to an hour taking a walk around it and enjoying the scenery. Scientists have confirmed that spending a while in green spaces boosts your mood and also gives you more energy. Some studies have even said it’s as big a mood-lifter as waking up on Christmas Day – although we have no idea how you’d study or quantify such a thing! Getting outdoors gives you a break from your routine and puts you back in touch with nature. Go and try it.
Introduce Fish To Your Diet
Fish is not only good for your body but good for your mind. You can take your choice of almost any kind of fish – mackerel, sardines, haddock, salmon, and more – and you’ll get the same effect because they all contain Omega-3. This is a fatty acid, but don’t let the ‘fatty’ part of the description put you off. There are such things as good fats, and as it happens, we need Omega-3 in our bodies for our brains to function properly! If you’ve ever wondered why people living in the Mediterranean appear to be so happy and stress-free, it’s not just because of the weather (although we’re sure that helps). It’s also their fish-rich diet. If you really can’t stand fish, you can still get Omega-3 from other sources (walnuts, for example), but there are so many different kinds of fish that almost everybody can find one that’s palatable to them.
Take A Social Media Break
Be honest with yourself; how much time do you lose each day endlessly scrolling through social media feeds, and how much enjoyment do you truly get out of doing so? Social media has, in some ways, become a damaging habit, and one that we need to take regular breaks from if we’re to stay happy and healthy. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, our mental state is affected by the things we see on there. Viewpoints that don’t match our own can make us angry, people who appear to be living happier lives than us can make us feel frustrated and envious, and the entire format is almost designed to give us a fear of missing out on things. Unplug for a while. If you want to know what your friends are up to, get in touch with them directly. We know it can be a struggle to do this if you’re a social media addict, but here are a few handy tips to help you cut down a little each day until you’re ready to step away.
Smell Something Lemon-Scented
This might sound ridiculous, but hear us out. Cutting a lemon in half and smelling it can lift your mood instantly. You probably wouldn’t want to drink pure lemon juice or bite into a lemon, but the smell can work wonders. The most sensitive and powerful of your five senses isn’t your hearing or your eyesight; it’s your sense of smell. Lemons are full of linalool, which has been shown in studies to stimulate your brain’s adrenaline production, pumping you full of energy. Anything that contains linalool will prompt the same response, but lemons are particularly effective. If the idea of sniffing fruit weirds you out, try getting lemon-scented candles or something similar like some stylish wax burners instead.
Try Brainwave Audio
YouTube has given the world many things, and not all of them are good, but we’re thankful for whoever created the first brainwave audio channel on the platform. We’re so used to listening to brainwave audio now that we wonder how we ever got by without it. Once you’ve started incorporating it into your daily routine, you’ll feel the same. For those unfamiliar with the concept, ‘brainwave audio’ is the use of specially-targeted sound to help you reach a state of tranquil meditation. Think of it as being similar to listening to whalesong, but far more effective because of the precise way that frequencies are calculated. It’s difficult to describe unless you’ve tried it, so take five minutes to try it for yourself. That will do more to convince you than our words ever could!
Winter doesn’t last forever. Before you know it, the sun will be out again, flowers will begin to bloom, and spring will be upon us. Until then, use these natural mood-lifting methods to help you feel a bit better about the world as it is now. You’ve got this!
Infographic created by More Fit Everyday (MFIT) – makers of energizing pre workout
