LOSE THE RUDE AWAKENINGS
Download Sleep Cycle app on your smartphone (69p) for an gentler morning wake up call
Waking
up in the dark every morning is hard enough without an angry alarm
clock. For a gentler start, download the Sleep Cycle app on your
smartphone (69p). It sends you to sleep with soothing ocean sounds and,
if you pop it under your pillow, it will monitor your sleep by picking
up your movements, and rouse you in your lightest sleep phase, so you
wake more easily.
SEE THE LIGHT
Winter
blues affect around one in five people in the UK, according to the
Seasonal Affective Disorder Association. The lack of sunlight affects
our circadian rhythm, which regulates our internal body clock. When this
is out of sync we feel lethargic during the day, don’t sleep well at
night, feel anxious and overeat.
To
banish the blues, sit by windows and go outside on brighter days. Or
buy a light box and use it for 30 minutes a day. The boxes give out
10,000 lux of white light — equivalent to the light you’d get outside on
a clear day. Try the Lumie Bright Spark, £115.
LISTEN TO SAD SONGS
Forget
upbeat music — scientists say listening to sad songs is the best way to
boost our mood. Sad songs regulate low moods and loneliness, as they
help us to express emotions, according to Tokyo University scientists.
They also make us feel calmer.
TAKE A TEA BREAK
Scientists have found that the ritual of having a tea break can help boost your mood and creativity
Take
a break from your desk and put the kettle on. Dutch scientists found
that the ritual of having a tea break can boost your mood, increase
creativity and help with problem solving.
Caffeine
is a stimulant and tea contains theanine, an amino acid linked to
relaxation. An experiment with 150 people asked one group to make tea
during their breaks and the other group to drink water.
Participants
were then tested to assess their mood. Those who drank the tea had a
greater desire for success in the tests than those given water, and also
had a faster response time when faced with difficult problems. People
who drink tea four times a day also have lower cortisol, according to a
University College London study.
STAND ON YOUR HEAD
Yogis
are big fans of what are called ‘Inversions’ — basically putting your
body upside down. The rush of blood to the brain boosts energy and
improves concentration. It also reduces the production of cortisol,
which can destress you in the short term and help with depression over
the longer term.
If
you haven’t done a headstand since school, try it leaning against a
wall, or lie down and put your arms under your back while raising your
legs to the sky.
WEAR A RUBBER BAND ON YOUR WRIST
The Fitbit band (from £59.79) tracks your footsteps, distance travelled and calories burned
to
break a habit, try wearing a rubber band as a bracelet. When you catch
yourself engaging in the bad habit, snap the band hard enough to create
mild discomfort.
Like
Pavlov’s dog, Yale scientists argue you should begin to associate the
bad habit with a negative emotion, which makes you more likely to stop.
. . . OR TRY THE HIGH-TECH VERSION
Exercise
is said to be as effective in boosting mood as anti-depressants. If
you’re not a fan of the gym, trying to walk as much as you can, ideally
aiming for 10,000 steps a day.
The
Fitbit band (from £59.79) tracks the number of steps you take, the
distance you walk and calories burned, as well as showing how you’re
stacking up against your daily goals.
At night, it also tracks your sleep cycle and wakes you in the morning by a vibrating alarm.
STAND UP
Sitting for hours at a time can increase your chances of diabtes, heart disease and obesity
Sitting
is the new smoking, according to a growing body of research that shows
sitting for hours on end increases our chances of diabetes, heart
disease, obesity and early mortality, not to mention back pain.
Consider
investing in a stand-up desk. Posturite’s sit-stand desks are
height-adjustable, and the simplest option is £389. Or try the Go
Standing Desk, which you pop on top of your normal desk (£99, amazon.co.uk). Advocates report improved concentration, mood, energy levels and posture.
EAT RAW CHOCOLATE
We all reach for chocolate when we’re feeling low, but raw chocolate could actually help.
With
no dairy, sugar or additives, raw chocolate is cacao in its purest form
(the beans are not roasted and mixed with sugar and additives, as in a
normal chocolate bar).
Cacao
is rich in antioxidants, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, vitamin C and
more — which all boost the immune system — as well as being rich in
tryptophan, a mood-enhancer that has the same impact as love on our
brain.
EXERCISE FOR A MINUTE
Set yourself small goal that will be easy to achieve, the thrill of meeting your goal will encourage you
How
many join a gym, but never use it? Psychologists have a handy hint to
help you stick to a habit: just set ludicrously small goals, e.g., going
for a one-minute run.
They
say that once you hit your one minute, you’ll get the thrill of meeting
your goal, and this will encourage you to keep going.
Some
say just putting on your trainers is enough — once they’re on, nine out
of ten people say they automatically go to exercise.
JUST BREATHE
one
thing that has been found to make you happier, more creative, and less
anxious, as well as easing arthritis, slowing Alzheimer’s, improving
sleep and reducing cold symptoms, is mindfulness meditation. Sitting in
silence and taking long, slow breaths reduces stress by helping us to
slow down and end negative thoughts.
You
can do it on your own, or download the Headspace app (£4.99 a month),
which talks you through a different ten-minute guided meditation each
day. The first ten sessions are free.
WRITE A THANK-YOU LETTER TO SOMEONE
Not
just for auntie’s Christmas present, but thank people for the effect
they’ve had on your life. A paper in the Journal Of Clinical Psychology
found in a study that those who wrote letters of gratitude to others
reported a happiness boost lasting weeks.
Boost your mood in three minutes!
The mind-body connection is well-documented in research from neuroscience, psychiatry, and medicine.
Findings have consistently shown that our emotional experience (stress,
anxiety, anger, sadness, etc.) can have a negative impact on our
health. The good news is that, when harnessed correctly, we can use our
mind to help heal the ailments of the body. The reverse is also true.
When we are in emotional distress, we can use the body to shift our
feelings.
Take Back The Reins -- Harness The Power Of The Mind-Body Connection
When we are stressed, scared, or sad the brain sends cues to the body
that danger is present and the body assumes its natural fight or flight
response. This can result in muscle tension, increased heart rate,
increased body temperature, shortness of breath, etc. This fight or
flight response is very helpful when there is actual physical danger
present (i.e., help us run from a potential predator), but rest of the
time it just sounds a fire alarm in the body even though there is no
smoke. However, we can send a message back to the brain that things are
actually safe by making subtle, yet powerful shifts in the body. Through
adopting different postures, changing our facial expressions, or even
placing a hand on our heart we can slow the body's stress response and
start to sooth the emotional pain we may be experiencing.
Smile -- Especially When You Don't Feel Like It
When Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh
said "Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes
your smile can be the source of your joy," he was really on to
something. Turns out that there is evidence to validate his assertion.
Research by Tara Kraft and Sarah Pressman at the University of Kansas demonstrated
that smiling can alter our stress response in difficult situations.
Their study indicated that smiling, even if one is not feeling happy,
can slow heart rate and decrease perceived levels of stress. Smiling
sends a signal to the rest of our body that things are okay, it's safe
to let down our guard. So next time you are feeling overwhelmed, try
smiling, even if you don't feel like it. It might just make a
difference. (Tip: If you really can't get yourself to smile,
practice holding a pen or a chopstick in between your teeth. It mimics
the same expression as a smile and can produce the same effects.)
Posture -- Sit Up Straight And Take Up Space
Shifting our posture can also shift how we feel. A study by Brion, Petty, & Wagner in 2009
reported that sitting up straight positively influenced peoples
feelings of self-confidence, while slumping over had the opposite
effect. Additionally, research by Amy Cuddy and Dana Carney
at Harvard University has shown that holding "power postures" for 120
seconds can create a 20 percent increase in testosterone (helping to
boost confidence) and a 25 percent decrease in cortisol (reducing
stress). In order to reap these benefits try assuming an open and
expansive posture. Take up space, put your hands on your hips and spread
your feet (think wonder woman) or lean back in a chair and spread your
arms. Hold the posture for at least two minutes. For more info on
Cuddy's research you can watch her TED Talk "Body Language Shapes Who You Are."
A Hand On Your Heart Is Not Just For The Pledge Of Allegiance
Touch is also a very powerful healing tool. When we are sad we often
turn to others for a hug or to be held. We can actually provide
ourselves with some of the same benefits. During a particularly
distressing moment try placing a hand on your heart, rubbing your own
arms, or massaging your own head. May sound cheesy, but it actually can
be very helpful in slowing the body's stress response. Pairing this with
the self-compassionate thoughts such as, "This is really painful right
now, but this too shall pass" can help sooth the discomfort of the
present moment both physiologically and mentally.
So next time you
are feeling overwhelmed by whatever is arising for you emotionally, try
standing up straight, smiling, or putting a hand on your heart. For a
super boost, try all three.
Boost your mood in FIVE minutes
1. Make your bed
. This isn't about being
a clean freak. It's a small ritual that can help create a calm
environment for you in your bedroom -- and a soothing bedroom is part of
"sleep hygiene" -- little habits that can help you sleep better. Author
Gretchen Rubin recommends making your bed as a daily habit in her book,
The Happiness Project
. Do it first thing in the morning, and you've got one less thing to worry about for the rest of the day.
2. Pack a snack.
Before you head out the
door in the morning, prep a healthy snack to take with you. Ideas
include fruit, unsalted nuts, and low-fat cheese or yogurt. When you
get hungry later in the afternoon, you'll be ready!
3. Clear your desk.
From stray papers to
scattered coffee mugs, clutter can make you lose focus and curb
productivity. Declutter your outer environment and you may feel more
organized and better able to concentrate on the task at hand.
4. Pump up the music.
Several studies have
found that listening to music can help lower blood pressure, reduce
stress, and boost mood. The right music has the power to change your
attitude. So load up your MP3 player and create a playlist that will
make you smile -- whether you're working or working out. As long as you
don't blast it (bad for your hearing), this is a safe, healthy way to
make your day more enjoyable.
5. Sniff a lemon.
For a quick de-stressing
trick, turn to an underrated sense -- your sense of smell. Japanese
researchers found that linalool; a substance found in lemons, may turn
down the classic "flight-or-fight" stress response. Not into lemons? Try
basil, juniper, or lavender -- those scents have also been found to
lower stress.
6. Stretch.
No need to put on your
yoga pants or get all bendy. Just a few easy moves will do. Stretch your
arms overhead. Raise and lower your shoulders a couple of times.
Stretch your legs as you lean your torso against a wall. Be gentle, so
you don't overdo it. Stretching can help improve your circulation and
flexibility, and may help ease the tight muscles that come with stress.
7. Meditate
. It's easier than you
may think. Here's how: Settle into a comfortable position in a chair or
on the floor. Then follow your breath -- in, out -- for a few minutes.
Thoughts are bound to bubble up in your mind -- no problem. Just let
them float by and turn your attention back to your breath. Meditating
daily, even just for a few minutes, may help tame stress.
8. Keep a gratitude diary.
Take a minute every day to write down
what you're thankful for
-- big or small. It's easy to vent about weather, traffic, or job woes,
but complaining brings negative energy along with it. Being thankful
for what you have can make you appreciate all the positives in your
life.
9. Turn off your electronics.
Take a little break,
already, from all your gadgets. Staring at computer screens and
electronics all day long can zap your energy and encourage inactivity.
So log off -- of everything -- every now and then. This is especially
important to allow you to unwind and relax before bed. Just because the
world is on, 24-7, you don't have to be!
10. Prioritize.
Give yourself permission
to admit that you can't do everything, all at once. Instead, you can
nibble away at your to-do list, and feel more satisfied, by setting some
priorities. So make a list, figure out what really matters, what can
wait, and what you can skip. Work your way down the list, handling your
top priorities first. Bit by bit, you'll get there!
