5 Ways to Instantly Improve Your Mood — Boost the Happy Hormone
A few years ago, my husband was sitting at his desk at work and felt gripped by what he described as a “sad, worried” feeling. He lost himself and didn’t know what to do. He waited until it was a reasonable hour in the afternoon, got up and left the building.
It was a bright, sunny day and it was great to get out of the crowded office, the bright fluorescent lights. He walked around the blocks for about forty minutes. When he returned to the office, he felt good. Surprisingly better.
This experience showed me how I would feel better if I needed a “mood adjustment.” Since then, I try to use exercise almost every day to relieve stress (and stress is a daily thing in everyone’s life). As is well known, my husband discovered many things during that walk that have been proven to improve serotonin, which is known as the feel-good chemical.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps reduce anxiety and depression and is a critical component of most modern antidepressants. Serotonin helps regulate sleep, mood and digestion. Of course, our bodies do this unless something bad happens. Serotonin deficiency is associated with anxiety, depression, memory problems, pain, sexual problems, and digestive problems, including fatigue and constipation.
Essentially, serotonin is the happy hormone.
Doctors should consider prescribing an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) if serotonin production levels are insufficient and causing deficiency-related symptoms.
So what are some ways you can boost those serotonin levels? Well I’ll give you 5!
Exercise
A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry analyzed several studies on the effects of depression on mood and found that even moderate exercise was associated with a reduction in depression symptoms.
Exercise is effective and the type of exercise you do makes a difference. My most positive experience with exercise to improve mood is yoga. Unlike going to the gym, which I find effective but boring, yoga gives me an instant sense of well-being after I finish my workout.
Yoga has the added benefit of easing your breathing and helping you get away from what’s in your head.
I find it’s the perfect form of exercise to get me in the mood. I have a friend who gets the same uplifting feeling from salsa dancing and knows people who have achieved this result from tennis. The key to success is finding an exercise you enjoy that fits your lifestyle so that you are motivated to exercise regularly.
Light (Well SUN-light)
Light can improve your mood and this is biologically true.
So when my husband went for a walk, he stepped out of the busy, dimly lit office into the bright sun. The experience of feeling warm sunlight would have most definitely contributed to his good mood.
In one study, 10,000 men and women in Norway showed high levels of depressive symptoms from November to March, despite the long hours of darkness. The seasonal affective disorder is a subcategory of depression in the DSM.
One of the reasons it’s so comfortable to lie outside with the sun on our faces is because sunlight can produce serotonin. Some doctors recommend light treatments designed to provide UV-free light that can be used when bathing in sunlight is impractical.
Human Touch
Physical touch produces feel-good hormones too.
Cuddling, massaging, and other forms of physical touch can create feelings of well-being. When you’re talking to someone and they shake your hand, you can feel more than a simple tactful impression. Touch can be a powerful way to connect with another person on a deeper level. It can cause your body to stimulate dopamine and serotonin, which can improve your mood and reduce feelings of anxiety.
Pets
Even pets offer a combination of touch and love — when your pet greets you with the uncontrollable excitement of a long-lost friend, you will feel your feelings improve. Look at someone who enjoys the loving feedback they get when they stroke their pet, and the pet’s response… you can see it in their body.
When comforted by a pet, you just need to see how the look on someone’s face changes, even if you decide not to hook their brain up to an MRI machine.
Studies on the relationship between pet ownership and reduced depression and anxiety are very convincing, that even in areas where dogs are banned, denying access to therapy dogs is illegal.
Selflessness and Giving
Make others feel good and you’ll feel better about yourself. It seems like a selfish fact but it drives humans to do more for each other. Use the fact it uplifts your mood and benefits another’s life as win-win situation, Whether it’s the person who sends you a text to see how you’re doing, or the pharmacist who goes the extra mile to help you understand your medication, recognize and thank the people around you if they make a difference in your life and pass this on to other.
Once you experience how good this effect feels, you want to do it every day.
