💫☀️ Mood Boosting ☀️ 💫

Mood Boosting Tips

I’ve recently received a few messages from people saying they are feeling blue and asking what they can do to lift their mood and break out of their winter ‘depression’

So whether you’re suffering from FULL ON seasonal affective disorder, mild depression or just feel like your mood could do with a little boost - here are my TOP TIPS to refind your winter sparkle ✨

I’ve broken this article into 5 main sections with tips for each

Mood disorders can show up as a whole host different symptoms ranging from a loss in motivation and feeling ‘flat’ - TO increased appetite and cravings for sugar - TO a loss of libido and wanting to sleep more - TO severe anxiety and depression 🥺

Natural light (stop frying your body clock) ☀️

SAD disorder (also known as winter depression) is experienced by some people during certain seasons of the year, when there is a lack of full spectrum light

Exposure to natural light is a crucial part of our natural biological rhythms and the cascade of hormones and neurotransmitters that are released throughout the day. Light and dark cycles affect the release of melatonin (our ‘get a good nights sleep’ hormone), serotonin (our ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter) and cortisol (our ‘get up and go’ hormone). So when there is less daylight and less exposure to natural light these natural rhythms become skewed and resetting them is a key part of recovery. You can eat ALL the serotonin boosting foods around but if you still lack NATURAL bright light and are sat inside all day under artificial light - your body will still crave and need daylight to improve how you feel

Tips for reconnecting with the dark and light cycles of the sun

1️⃣ One of the easiest health hacks you can do is to grab yourself a 15 minute early morning dose of natural sun or daylight . This may take a bit of jiggling with your routine but it will pay dividends for your long term health

2️⃣ Delay checking your phone for the first hour of the day and ideally get outside - drink your hot drink on the patio, step outside and take 5 deep breaths, walk the dog, park further away from your work and walk the last part, avoid jumping straight onto a computer screen.

3️⃣ Changing the bulbs in your home so that they mimic the softer tones of sunrise and sunset. This can sound a bit much if this is the first time you’ve come across this concept BUT it can massively impact the health of the body and improve your sleep pattern.

Check out the following website to purchase softer toned bulbs that provide red and softer amber glows https://www.blockbluelight.co.uk/

4️⃣ Avoid kissing your phone good night. Come off your devices one hour (minimum before bed). In an ideal world this includes the TV. All of these devices emit a high level of blue light that disrupts melatonin secretion and confuses your natural circadian rhythms

Foods to increase your happiness 🥑

What you eat and drink can massively impact how you think and feel. Here are my top tips to eat your way to happiness

1️⃣ Eat foods that help to boost natural serotonin levels in the body - fish, turkey, chicken, beans, avocados, banana, wheat germ, oats and eggs

2️⃣ Fat is crucial for a healthy and happy brain - so eat plenty of natural fat

✅ Include omega-3 rich foods

✅ Oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, organic or wild caught salmon, herring or trout

✅ Seeds and raw nuts - hemp, flax and chia to top up omega 3 levels

✅ 1 Tbsp flax seed oil or hemp oil to your daily diet - use in dressing, add to smoothies or drizzle over cooked vegetables (don’t cook with these oils)

3️⃣ Eat real food (basically food without an ingredients list) and plenty of fibre rich vegetables for your gut bugs

4️⃣ and cut down on stimulants such as caffeine. sugar and alcohol which can send you on an emotional rollercoaster

Supplements 💊

You may also want to look at a brain friendly supplement containing essential fats and B vitamins, which are important for the production of the brains ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters. Patrick Holford does a great range of BRAIN and MOOD supplement combinations on his website www.holforddirect.com

Alternatively pop into your local health food store to discuss suitable supplements - Liz Sheehan at 100% Health in Jersey (Friday lunchtimes) will point you in the right direction

Move yourself happy 🤸‍♀️

Studies abound showing how exercise boosts mood, reduces stress and anxiety, improves sleep and helps alleviate depression. Exercise floods the body with a cocktail of feel good hormones and chemicals including endocannabinoids and endorphins. The good news is you don’t need to be dripping in sweat to reap the benefits

✅ The key is finding something you enjoy doing that you will stick at - consistency is key to reaping the mood boosting benefits

And remember you could hit a few of these in one go if you go for an uphill cliff path walk under a flood of natural daylight and finish with a happiness smoothie RICH in brain energising nutrients !

Gut health 💚

We now know that approx 90%+ of the serotonin made in your body is made IN YOUR GUT and so taking BETTER care of your gut bugs and eating in a way that promotes a greater balance of the ‘good’ guys CAN massively impact how you feel.

✅ The simplest way to start is to eat more plants! Plant fibre provides food and energy to fuel your gut bugs, so they can make more of the ‘health benefiting’ chemicals and compounds your body loves (including serotonin)

✅ If you want to take this a step further - add in some probiotic rich food to support your gut bug population - include foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso paste and the fermented tea drink kombucha to enrich your gut bug population

if you’d like to learn more about improving your digestive health and taking better care of your gut bug community, then pop over to my website to check out my 5 week Digestive Wellness program - running this May https://www.bonhealth.co.uk/digestive-wellness-course

Brain Happiness Smoothie (that your gut bugs will love)

✅ 1 Tbsp flaxseed oil

✅ 1 Tbsp chia seeds

✅ Green banana - why green ! prebiotic fibre for your gut bugs

✅ 1/2 avocado

✅ A handful of fresh or frozen blueberries

✅ 1/2 cup kefir or natural probiotic yogurt

✅ A handful of green leaves such as spinach or kale

✅ 1 cup water or ice

So If you are feeling depressed or ‘flat’ and are now feeling overwhelmed after reading ALL these tips - just choose one section and start there. Try a couple of these for 30 days and see if they make a difference to how you feel.

Love and light 💕

Mandy x