Mood Boosters That Really Work!
C22C Mental Health Series with Stephanie Rese
To keep ourselves well, we need to put into practice actions that benefit our mental health. We have to make the time for ourselves. These are just a few things we can add to help us shift our focus to the positive.
Mindfulness training:
Backed by science, learning to be aware of the present moment through mindfulness practices (yoga, meditation) is proven to improve mental health and fight depression. It’s one good thing you can do for yourself every day. Here is an example to get you started. There is a ton of information you can look up. We love the app CALM. Try it – more than once. Start to see a difference.
Daily Calm | 10 Minute Mindfulness Meditation | Letting Go
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy):
An evidence-based talk-based therapy, CBT helps you learn to identify negative thought patterns and in essence, how to be your own therapist by catching your thoughts, checking them for evidence, and changing them to be more reasonable. We are what we think! It’s not always the situations we are in, but the meaning we give to them, that impacts how we feel and act. You can find a therapist to help you or buy CBT self-help books to learn on your own. There is a lot of free material on the Internet. Anxiety Canada has a great app that they offer for free called Mindshift. One good place to start is with the book Mind over Mood.
Behavioural Activation:
Start adding activities to your life that add meaning and pleasure, but don’t wait until you feel better to do it. Engaging in things like reading, volunteering, and being with friends, can lift your mood. Here is are 365 suggestions so you can start planning something for every day of the year. This really works to lift depression. Read this article from Psychology Tools on how behavioural activation helps with depression.
Exercise:
Believe it – exercise is one of the most effective ways to beat depression. Regular physical activity acts to increase certain neurotransmitters. If you are struggling with low mood it may feel like the last thing you want to do, but if you can get moving and keep moving, the benefits are incredible. Don’t just take our word for it – read this article from Harvard University. Even small changes can make a difference!
Breathing:
When we are stressed or anxious, our breathing changes. Focusing on breathing exercises can reduce anxiety and help us feel calm. It’s something we do 22,000 times a day, but we do it intentionally with control when needed, it can be an effective tool. There are many different types of breathing exercises, but here is one simple way:
Box or Square Breathing (watch a Youtube link demo):
- Take a breath for four seconds;
- Hold your breath for four seconds.;
- Exhale for four seconds;
- Hold your breath for four seconds.
- Repeat 3 to 4 times to see a benefit.
Sun and the outdoors:
We need the sun, really. The sun helps us regulate sleep cycles, and increases levels of serotonin (a feel-good brain chemical). Find a way to get outside when it’s shining. It can help boost your mood. Read this article from the Mayo Clinic about the benefits of the sun.
Journaling and Creative Writing for Relaxation:
When we are able to describe what we are feeling, it tells us something. When we write these feelings down, we are able to gain perspective and get some distance from our thoughts and feelings. It gives us information. It can help us make decisions on how to help ourselves. This article discusses 8 journaling techniques for better mental health.
Identify your strengths:
Often we forget that we are absolutely amazing. When we identify and understand what our strengths are, we can have a strong self os self and remember that we have unique abilities to carry on. Not knowing our strengths, forgetting them, can sometimes make us feel down. Read this article from the Black Dog Insitute to understand the benfits of knowing and living by our strengths.
Healthy Eating:
When are tired, down, the last thing we want to do is cook a balanced meal. We eat quickly, we crave sugar, fat, other things that are not helpful. It can leave us feeling low, unwell, and there is even more to it than that. Serotonin, a natural mood booster, is mainly produced in our gut. Read this article from Harvard Health on the importance of food and mental health- and understand nutritional psychiatry!
The benefits of social connection:
This cannot be underestimated. It is proven that connections we make with others, fostering relationships and sharing experiences, can improve our mood and prevent loneliness. Even something as simple as a quick hello with a passerby or chat with a store clerk can help, believe it or not. One of the pitfalls parents can make is to isolate themselves. One of the very reasons C22C began was to encourage parents to stay connected and not feel so alone. There are a lot of ways to make social connections. Make it a priority as one of the ways to protect and strengthen your mental health. Read this article from Stanford University to understand why social connection is so valuable.
Practice Gratitude:
When we are facing challenges, it’s easy to stay in a negative mindset about our circumstances. Shifting our focus to gratitude can actually help. Read this article from Forbes Magazine on the benefits of practicing gratitude. Also check out:
The Healing Power of Gratitude | Psychology Today
The Gratitude Journal: Prompts, PDFs and Worksheets (positivepsychology.com)
Counselling and Therapy:
Going to talk to someone when we are struggling shouldn’t make us feel bad. We should normalize counselling and therapy. Talking to a professional about our challenges can help us see things in new ways. They can help us address negative thinkking styles, help us problem solve, practice how to have difficult conversations, manage relationship issues, and learn to manage stress and develop skills to keep us well. There may be both free or paid services depending where you live, or through work benefits. For example, in Ontario, you can access the Ontario Structured Psychotherapy program for free. Some offices of the Canadian Mental Health Association have walk-in offices for free support. Ask your family doctor or look up local services in your area to see what may be available. Friends are great listeners, but professionals can teach you skills to help you get through difficult times in your life.
Medication:
Sometimes, self-care practices and counselling may not be enough. Taking medication to help you manage depression and/or anxiety can help you when things are really difficult, and get you to a better place so you can actually do some of the above things. So many parents have benefited from talking to their health care providers about options that can help them. Don’t wait to ask.
There are so many things we can do to boost our mood. What works for you? Drop us your go-to mood booster in the comments so we can all benefit!
