What goes into our mouths and what comes out of it can greatly affect our mood, so take responsibility for your own happiness with these simple tips to staying upbeat!
TIP 1
Eat Happy Food!
Food can have a dramatic effect on how we feel emotionally, both because of our bodies’ reaction to the food itself and also due to our preconceptions of what food is naughty and what is permissible.
Here are 3 food components that will enhance your mood. I’ve chosen them because they release the chemicals necessary to cause a good mood slowly and sustainably. You want to avoid eating foods that give you a sudden high like refined sugars, as this sudden mood lift will be followed by a crash. The trick is to maintain a steady flow of feel good chemicals to your brain throughout the day.
1. Omega 3
Found in for example:
- Salmon
- Herring
- Mackerel
- Trout
- Sardines
- Walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Flaxseeds and Flaxseed oil
Enhances your mood by boosting serotonin levels which curb anxiety and make us feel relaxed.
2. Phenylalanine
Found in for example:
- Fresh beetroot
- Endamame beans
- Almonds
- Eggs
- Grains
- Meat, particularly Turkey so use turkey instead of chicken when you are cooking
Enhances your mood because your body needs slow-release phenylalanine in order to create dopamine which is a feel good chemical that sends positive mood-enhancing messages out our brain.
Eggs and meat also contain tryptophan which helps to create serotonin.
Although alcohol also boosts dopamine levels, it then creates a similar crash as a sugar high, resulting in hangover symptoms and feeling worse than before.
3. Anandamide
Found in:
Although chocolate only contains small amounts of anadamide, other components cause the anandamide to release slowly and stay in the body longer, boosting out mood. Obviously a lot of chocolate is not good for you, so buy a bar with a high cocoa content (over 70%) and just eat a couple of squares to improve your mood. Chocolate also helps the body to release endorphins which are the chemicals released that make us happy when we exercise. But of course chocolate is not a substitute for exercise!
Toxins
Toxins in the body can make us feel sluggish and miserable.
Shakeology smoothies and shakes help to gently eliminate toxins from the body
Making you feel both physically and mentally lighter and improving your mood.
Click here to see for yourself: http://bit.ly/iDBhVi
Fiber is also great for ridding the body of toxins, lowering cholesterol, speeding up your metabolism and keeping you regular. For high grade fiber that contains no color, additives or preservatives and instead contains the brilliant amino acid L-glutamine to prevent muscle loss and boost immunity, click here: http://bit.ly/l8BKF3
TIP 2
Talk Yourself Up!
Now that we’ve looked at how what we put in our mouth can affect our mood, let’s look at what comes out of our mouth and how that can affect us!
What is an Affirmation?
An affirmation is a positive statement designed to help you counteract negative beliefs. We tell ourselves negative things many times a day. Who hasn’t said to themselves or to a friend “I’m too fat”, “I never have any money” or “I’m not very good at public speaking” for example. These constant declarations of not being good enough all take their toll on our psyche and we start to believe them to be true. If we start to say the opposite to ourselves. “I love my body”, “I am grateful for the money I have and making money is easy”, or “I am good at speaking in public and I enjoy it” for example, this has a positive affect on our psyche and we start to believe we are capable of achieving what we want and that we deserve it.
Replace the Negative with a Positive
Many people find saying positive affirmations to themselves very difficult at first. It’s strange as we find it very easy to tell ourselves and our friends negative things about ourselves without any embarrassment. As with all things practice makes perfect and if you say positive affirmations to yourself every day when you get up and before you go to bed, then after a few weeks you will start to have more self-belief and your life will get noticeably better as you move towards your goals.
Make a list of the 3 main things you are unhappy about in your life and the negative things you say to yourself every day.
Write a short sentence affirming the opposite for each of the three negative statements. The sentence should be in the present tense, short and easily memorable.
Every morning as soon as you wake up repeat each of the positive affirmations 5 times each as a positive mantra. Some people like to look in the mirror, others prefer to stand in a clear space in a peaceful room. Repeat this exercise again before you go to bed.
Say the affirmations loudly and with conviction.
If you accompany each affirmation with a positive action then this will anchor each positive thought in your mind. So find a powerful movement to do for each affirmation. For example pumping the air while saying “I love my body” would work well for most people. You will eventually start to believe that you love your body and it stands to reason that if you start to love yourself you will take better care of yourself by eating well and exercising until you genuinely have a body that you are proud of.
Eat well, speak well of yourself and in a very short space of time you will start to see a happier, healthier more relaxed you with a wonderful positive mental attitude, so you can accomplish all your goals!
Let me know how you get on!
