Boost Your Mood with Mindfulness

Boost Your Mood with Mindfulness

By Lori Lamb Functional Medicine Health Coach

Do you recognize that when you are in a good mood, everything seems to be going right? You don't get upset easily over small things, and you can deal with minor problems without making them a big deal. However, when negative vibes surround you, it feels like nothing is working out.

You get easily irritated over trivial matters, and the bad mood often snowballs throughout your day. Research has shown that being in a positive mood or being happy changes how one perceives the world. You look at the brighter side of things, and you don't let other stuff ruin your happiness. So how do you stay in a good mood? Mindfulness.

Being mindful can boost people's mood and happiness. Mindfulness is a natural human ability to be aware of what you are thinking, where you are, what you are doing, and what is happening around you at this moment without getting overwhelmed.

While mindfulness is innate, it's not easy for everyone to use this ability always. Most people often find themselves drifting away, losing focus, overthinking about something that just occurred or returning to worrying about the future. With proper practice and conscious efforts, mindfulness can help you boost your mood.

Here are some ways to exercise mindfulness:

Meditate

Meditating is perhaps the best method to start being mindful. It's a silent exercise that helps you become aware of your own body, pay attention to self, and achieve a calm and stable state of mind. One of the easiest ways to meditate is by sitting still and comfortably with your eyes closed. You first start to focus on your breathing, how the air flows through your nostrils, fills your lungs, how your abdomen rises and falls as you inhale and exhale naturally. Then you can expand your focus by being aware of other sounds and sensation around you.

You may find your thoughts wandering again, but you can snap back by focusing on your breathing again. Mindful breathing can help stop the mental discourse going on in your head, so you don't think about the past or the future anymore. You become calm, and when you are calm, it's much easier to be in a good mood.

Eat Healthy Foods

Physical health affects the way you feel, so eating a healthy diet can do wonders not only for your body but for your mind as well. Mindful eating entails paying attention to what you are consuming, being present in the entire experience, and engaging all your senses.

What are you ingesting? Is it healthy? How does it taste, feel and smell? Take small bites, chew thoroughly, eat slowly, and appreciate your food. Being mindful of what you are eating also helps your digestive process.

Additionally, most of the neurotransmitter chemical called serotonin that affects the mood is found in the digestive system. So when you eat healthy foods, it has positive effects on your wellbeing and happiness.

Do One Task At a Time

Multitasking is a myth. It gives you a false sense of being productive, but in reality, multitasking takes you longer to finish tasks than when you are focused on one thing at a time. Trying to do several things at once can often lead to errors and performance stress, and when you think you're not accomplishing anything, you feel bad about yourself. So give your full attention to one task for a given time, and then take a short break before continuing to another one. You'll find yourself feeling more accomplished, more productive, and less stressed.

Be Kind To Others