Did you know there is a connection between your mood and your health? Instinctively, we know that when we’re in a good mood, we tend to feel better physically. And when our mood isn’t the best, we physically feel worse. However, it turns out it’s not just our instincts. Science actually confirms that our mood, or mental health, affects our entire body.
Your body responds to how you feel, think, and act, which is how the mind/body connection ultimately works. For example, when you’re upset, your body may kick off a physical response, such as increased blood pressure or fatigue.
On the other hand, when you’re happy, you’re much more likely to experience a lower heart rate and decreased blood pressure. In other words, you can say that happiness protects your health.
Overall, we must take steps toward managing our moods to maintain our physical health. Therefore, here you’ll not only learn how the mind/body connection works but also how to improve your mood and identify what’s dragging your mood down.
The Consequences of a Poor Mood
Now that you know your mind and body have a connection, you might be curious about what a poor mood can do to your health. While it’s normal to experience a bad mood sometimes, constantly experiencing negative emotions can take a toll on you mentally and physically. Consider the examples below.
Poor Mood and Your Mental Health
Over time, negative attitudes and poorly managed negative emotions can lead to chronic stress. Those dealing with chronic stress are in a constant state of heightened alertness, which can be incredibly debilitating. It can also make the brain more vulnerable to developing a mental illness.
Often, when you’re experiencing a bad mood, you release cortisol, a stress hormone with several responsibilities. Some of those responsibilities include preparing the body to deal with danger, controlling your blood pressure, and even helping the brain form memories. Unfortunately, when your fight or flight response is activated too long or too often due to the constant release of cortisol, you’re at risk of developing anxiety or depression.
Poor Mood and Your Physical Health
If your poor mood turns into chronic stress, it could cause physical issues with your heart and blood vessels. For example, constantly dealing with an increased heart rate, spiking blood pressure, and elevated stress hormones ups your risk of hypertension, heart attack, and stroke.
Chronic stress can also impair the communication between your gut and brain, which could lead to bloating, pain, and gut discomfort. In addition, the increased stress may change how your gut bacteria functions. When there’s an imbalance in your gut microbiome, you’re at risk of increased inflammation and poor immune health.
8 Ways to Improve Your Mood
Whether you have a positive or negative mood, it’s somehow impacting your overall health and daily functioning. Can you guess which one is best for your health? If you guessed having a positive mood, you’re right! Above, you learned about the mental and physical impact of having a poor mood. Therefore, you now understand that it’s best to strive to improve your mood to maintain your health. So below, we’re going to share eight tips you can implement as soon as possible to boost your mood.
1. Wake Up Early
At first glance, waking up earlier might seem like an unappealing option, but there are some perks to doing so. For instance, if you have kids or a significant other, waking up a bit earlier will give you much-needed time to yourself. In addition, you can sip your chamomile tea or read a few pages of a book before starting your busy day, which can make you feel better. Another reason to wake up earlier is to get a quick workout in or beat traffic. After all, road rage is definitely not a good-mood booster.
2. Listen to Music
If you’re looking to boost your brain’s dopamine production, go ahead and put on your favorite tune. Dopamine can help you relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression and decrease stress. When you listen to music, it’s being processed by the amygdala, which is the part of the brain involved in emotion and mood regulation. So, you’ll feel a boost of happiness in no time if you put on an album you enjoy.
3. Start a Hobby
Trying something new is not only fun and exciting, but it’s also great for your mental health. Research shows that people with hobbies are much less likely to suffer from depression, a bad mood, or stress. In addition, doing a new activity can help you feel more relaxed and joyful. For some, it even brings purpose and meaning to their life. Plus, starting a hobby is one way to meet people with similar interests if you're looking to make new friends.
4. Exercise
According to one study, exercise or any physical activity may be able to protect against depression. So if running a marathon isn’t your thing, simply getting off the couch and taking a 15-minute walk could make a big difference. In addition, although exercise may initially create a stress response in the body, you should have lower levels of cortisol and epinephrine (AKA adrenaline) afterward. You’ll also benefit from a boost of serotonin and dopamine, which are known to improve your mood.
5. Add More Healthy Meals to Your Diet
Although unhealthy snacks like candies, cakes, and cookies are appealing, they’re not so great for your mind and body. These foods don’t have much nutritional value, but they can lower your mood later in the day. So instead, it’s best to eat fruits and vegetables, like cherries and kale, that have the potential to boost your happiness.
6. Wear an Outfit You Love
Did you know that putting on some clothes you love could almost instantly lift your mood and make you feel ready to take on the day? Whether you’re staying home or heading to the office, it’s best to wear clothes that have the power to change your mood in a good way. In addition, certain outfits can make you feel powerful and confident and even make you feel smarter.
7. Get Enough Sleep
Are you on the fence about whether or not you need 8 hours of sleep each night? Well, it turns out that we need approximately 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night to help repair and renew our bodies. If you get less than the recommended amount of sleep, you’ll feel grumpy and irritated and find it difficult to concentrate on anything.
Studies show that sleep-deprived individuals report increases in negative moods, like frustration and sadness. Sleeplessness could also increase one's risk of developing a mood disorder.
In addition, those who continuously operate on less than ideal amounts of sleep are at risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. Overall, poor sleep can worsen stress and cause many physical ailments, so get your rest so you can wake up refreshed!
8. Write, Write, Write
One of the worst things you can do is keep your feelings bottled up. It’s much better to get them out so you can begin to manage. Your first instinct may be to talk to someone you trust, which is helpful, but you should also try just writing down your emotions and feelings on paper.
We suggest you make time each day to write down your thoughts and then pay attention to how much better you’ll feel. Journaling is a healthy way to express yourself and offers several benefits to those who do it. Some of those benefits include helping you prioritize your concerns and fears, recognizing your triggers, and offering an opportunity to provide positive self-talk.
What Can Be Affecting My Mood Negatively?
Now that you have an idea of what you can do to improve your mood, it’s time to assess what factors could be dragging your mood down in the first place. Many physical conditions and lifestyle choices we make each day could negatively impact our mood. Let’s explore a few of them!
Hormonal Changes
For women specifically, hormonal fluctuations that occur during their menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause could hurt their moods. For instance, one's body will produce less estrogen as menopause nears, increasing one's risk of depression.
If you’re a woman that’s feeling more irritable or cranky during certain times of the month, it may be due to these hormonal fluctuations. In men, increases in testosterone could make them more irritable or impatient. Overall, your hormones matter, and it’s best to pay attention to them for the sake of your health.
Drugs and Alcohol
Many people turn to drugs and alcohol to “feel better,” but both negatively affect your brain chemistry. Initially, people may report feeling relaxed while using alcohol or drugs, but it’s not uncommon for individuals to eventually feel aggressive, anxious, or depressed.
Both substances can make stress much harder to deal with, ultimately taking a toll on your mental and physical health. Because of this, Dr. Sebi’s nutritional guidelines do not permit any alcohol use.
Poor Nutrition
If your eating habits aren’t so great, you’re at risk of developing severe mood swings. This risk is largely due to blood sugar fluctuations and nutritional imbalances. Food is our fuel, so if we’re eating junk, our minds and bodies simply won’t function well.
We need to ensure we’re consuming a diet that includes fruits and vegetables, grains like quinoa, and nuts and seeds. You need healthy foods so your brain can get the necessary nutrients to create chemicals that positively affect your mood.
Dr. Sebi’s Herbal Energy Tea
Knowing how to improve your mood and identify what’s negatively impacting your mood are big steps to take in owning your health. We must do all we can to boost our moods to thrive mentally and physically. One product that has helped numerous people boost their energy levels and enhance their emotional health is Dr. Sebi’s Herbal Energy Tea.
Dr. Sebi’s Herbal Energy Tea is completely natural and caffeine-free. It includes ingredients like Muicle, also known as Justicia spicigera, an evergreen shrub native to Mexico and Central America. This herb's phytochemical make-up includes essential oils and minerals like potassium sulfate and calcium. We also can’t forget to acknowledge its inclusion of phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidants, which are all helpful in potentially preventing damage to your DNA.
Improve Your Mood to Better Your Health
You’ll encounter various daily situations that may negatively affect your mood, but it’s essential to find coping mechanisms to improve your feelings. Learning how to manage your emotions can do wonders for your health.
The mind/body connection is very real, and we must ensure that those channels have more positive interactions than negative ones. The good news is that the strategies suggested above and the supplementation of Dr. Sebi’s Herbal Energy Tea may help you improve your mood and overall health.
Start boosting your mood today so that you can improve your health tomorrow!
1 comment
Do you of any herbs that can help with strong depression I was told by my doctor and health anxiety
Many thanks
Fabio