Category Archives: Mental Health

Six Quick Ways to Stop a Bad Mood

Waking up in a bad mood and not wanting to face the day ahead is a feeling we have all experienced. Finding ways that help us escape the bad mood is important, so that we are able to successfully manage our happiness.

There are many ways to improve your mood from creating a better sleeping pattern, eating foods that improve your mood or taking quality time for yourself.

Here are six quick and easy ways to help improve your mood straight away…

Listen to music

Listening to different types of music can affect your mood positively in different ways. Some music will help you reminisce about good memories, happy uplifting music will make you want to sing and dance, and gentle, soothing music will help you relax out of your bad mood.

Try different music and see what works best for you.

Call a friend for a chat

Sometimes, the best way to get out of a bad mood is to speak to a loved one and have a little rant about your mood. Talking through your frustration often helps you to feel better, enabling you to move on and stop dwelling on your frustration.

Laughter

Laughter is one of the best cures for a bad mood. You can find happiness and laughter in a number of places. Find what works best for you, whether this is calling a close friend or family member, watching a comedy film or TV program, or watching funny videos on YouTube.

Find what works for you and don’t stop laughing!

Exercise

If you are in a bad mood, exercising can boost your mood and help you to relax.

Going for a brisk walk or a short jog can lift your mood and make you feel better. When you exercise your body releases the ‘happy’ hormone, endorphins, which lifts your mood, making you feel happier.
If you want to try a relaxing exercise, try yoga. You can either attend a local class or look up yoga workouts on YouTube. There is a range of yoga workouts that are focused on lifting your mood and relaxation.

Appreciate your surroundings

Quite often we wake up in a bad mood without knowing the reason why. This may be due to a bad dream that we are subconsciously still frustrated by.

Try using mindfulness and meditation to help you relax and appreciate the right here and now; take in your surroundings and focus on all the positives in your life.

Spend time with your pets

Spending time with our beloved pets is often one of the happiest times of our day. It has been proved that cuddling your cat or dog can help release your stress and bad mood.

Not only do animals relieve stress, but they also provide other health benefits. Stroking a cat that is purring significantly reduces your blood pressure due to the soothing sound of the purr.

If you have a dog, take them out for a relaxing walk, take in the fresh air and feel your bad mood disappear.

Overcoming and Managing Anxiety

Anxiety is a complex mental health illness that affects many of us during our lifetime; however some people live with severe anxiety for long periods of time.
Anxiety can affect you at any time, often when you least expect it. It’s a feeling of worry, unease, fear and often an erratic and negative thought process.

It’s natural to feel anxious in certain situations, such as a job interview, exam or going on a first date, however some of us find it extremely hard to control our feelings in normal everyday situations, such as leaving the house or answering the phone.

Despite the anxious thoughts you may feel will never end, it is possible to manage your anxiety and feel ‘you’ again.

Here are some ways for you to overcome and manage your anxiety…

Using mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practised technique, which is ‘being’ in the present moment. Being completely in the moment is often challenging when you have anxieties, however with practise and focus, this can help you feel calm and reduce the risk of having panic attacks.

We often don’t take in our surroundings, as our minds are so busy, for example; the colour of the leaves, the smell of the rain, or the people around us. Focus on what is there in front of you and avoid thinking dwelling on negative thoughts, such as what has just happened or what could potentially happen in the future.

Stay in the moment, focus on what is there in front of you, and how you feel at that very moment, letting your anxiety drift away.

Meditation is also used for relaxation, and as a part of training yourself to be mindful.

Why not try the 10 minute guided meditation?

 

Take a deep breath

The best thing to do when you are feeling anxious, or having a panic attack, is to breathe deeply. Breathing deeply and slowly is a proven anxiety reducing technique. This helps to start your body’s relaxation response.

How to deep breathe
Breathe in slowly and deeply from the belly to the chest, gently hold your breath, slowly count to four and gradually exhale.

Do this for several minutes until you feel yourself relax.

Speak positively to yourself

“I never thought of myself as a bully until I heard how I speak to myself”

Anxiety often causes us to speak negatively to ourselves, telling ourselves we “can’t do that” or that we are “stupid”. We need to stop being negative and start speaking positively to ourselves, telling ourselves “I can”.

Changing your thought process isn’t something that happens overnight. You need to consciously acknowledge how you speak to yourself, reminding yourself of something positive. This can take a while to become a natural thing; however it will make a positive difference to your outlook on life in the long run.

We have to remember anxiety is just a thought, and we can manage our thoughts and take control.

Maintaining a healthy diet

Many of us don’t consider that a variety of foods and drinks we eat have an effect on our mental health.  Alcohol and caffeine are commonly associated with anxiety.

Alcohol is a depressant, causing negative thoughts and feelings. If you drink a high quantity of alcohol for a long period of time, this can eventually lead to depression and other health complications.

Caffeine, whether consumed in small or large amounts, is shown to cause anxiety, restlessness, irritability, nervousness and panic attacks. Caffeine is found in a number of foods and drinks including; tea, coffee, chocolate, and fizzy drinks. If you are a big tea, coffee or fizzy drink lover, there are decaffeinated options for you to have, so that you can continue to enjoy the drinks.

Exercise

Exercise is a proven stress-reliever and also good for your physical health.

During exercise your body releases endorphins, which is the ‘happy’ hormone which helps to boost your mood and feel happier.

Exercise helps with a number of things including:

-Feeling less anxious and depressed
-Improving your mood
-Improving your sleep
-Provides you with more energy

See your GP

If you have tried a number of holistic methods to reduce your anxiety and you feel you need more support, see your GP. This isn’t something you should be ashamed of or upset by. Going to see your GP is a brave step to take, so see what they can do for you.

They may offer you medication, counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy to help you manage your anxiety.

Accept you have anxiety

Often, people do not realise they have anxiety, and sometimes just put it down to being a worrier or sometimes even paranoid. Anxiety is a very real thing and something not be ashamed of. As soon as you accept you have anxiety, you can learn to manage and control your anxiety and negative thoughts.

Try out different anxiety-reducing methods and see what works best for you.

For more information and support visit:

Mind
Anxiety UK
Be mindful

 

Mood Boosting Foods

Foods that boost your mood

Mood Boosting Foods for Depression

There are foods that help to maintain and stimulate the serotonin production in your brain.

Serotonin plays a large part in the regulation of your mood and sleep, and low levels of serotonin may lead to aggressive behaviour, anxiety and depression.

Try including some of the following foods in your diet…

Bananas

Bananas are a great mood booster, they have nutrients such as the amino acid tryptophan, vitamin B6 and carbohydrate work that together, boosting your mood and aid a good nights sleep.

It’s a great food to help with stress, sleep and depression.

Brazil Nuts

Four or five Brazil nuts daily, can act as a natural antidepressant, packed with the mineral selenium, they help our brains to function well.

Berries

Berries are packed with antioxidants which helps to reduce depression.

Berries are also a great stress buster; when you are stressed, you might crave sugary treats. Try replacing this for berries, this can also help to lower stress.

Green Tea

Green tea helps the digestive system and its rich in polyphenols which is linked to reducing depression.

Drinking green tea regularly can help to keep both body and brain healthy and happy.

Avocados

Avocados provide a source of tryptophan, B6 and carbohydrate, combined, these help to maintain the serotonin in the brain. Avocado also contains folate, and low levels of folate is also linked to depression.

Chocolate

Chocolate is a great way to boost your mood. It helps to stimulate production of endorphins, endorphins give us a feeling of pleasure. It also contains serotonin which is vital to our feelings of happiness. It’s also packed with flavonoids which is an antioxidant.

Eggs

Eggs are a versatile food and full of vitamin D. Vitamin D helps with mood as it stimulates production of serotonin in the brain. We usually lack vitamin D during the winter as we get our dose of this in the sunshine.