Feeling low? Here’s how to boost your mood

By Miss Taurus

Dressing: Wear something soft because research has proved that the texture and weight of what touches your skin can have an immediate impact on your level of happiness and contentment. At the end of a bad day, slip into your most comfortable outfit and treat yourself to some rest outdoors.

Daydream: Studies have shown that human beings, especially women, can significantly improve their moods within 60 days just by spending a few minutes each day visualising bright ways of handling life’s stressors. You can, for example, recall a time when you and a loved one fought then visualise how you will explain your feelings the next time you fight again.

De-clutter: According to research, spending 20 minutes tidying a messy room reduces production of adrenaline and other mood-sabotaging stress hormones by 45 per cent. This helps people feel calmer and more relaxed for up to three hours afterwards.

Fruits: Research says people who eat fruits daily are more optimistic and upbeat compared to those who don’t. It is said that fruit carbs increase your brain’s production of the anti-depressant hormone, serotonin, by as much as 50 per cent. The more serotonin you produce, the steadier your moods and the more cheerful you feel. So an apple a day…

Massage: According to studies, a massage cuts your blood levels of the anxiety-triggering stress hormone by 25 per cent. Touch stimulates the brain’s endorphin-producing pituitary gland. It is recommended that one gets two half-hour massages per week as this can trigger 30 per cent increase in the production of feel-good hormones. Regular massages also shift brain wave activity from the right side, which churns out negative emotions, to the left side, which handles positive feelings. Book yourself a massage today.

Dance: Dancing combines exercise and rhythmic motions. The uplifting music you dance to prompts your brain to produce a larger, steadier supply of serotonin, the anti-depressant hormone. So, get up on your feet and hit the dance floor, even at home!

Charity: Have you ever donated a few packets of flour or sugar to help the needy? How did you feel after that? Making modest donations to charity can trigger production of the feel-good hormones, studies suggest. In fact, if you slip change into donation boxes in the supermarket (without anyone noticing), you’ll experience the biggest mood boost. Making anonymous donations reminds you that you are helping because you care, not because you want approval or recognition.

Earplugs: If you live in a neighbourhood that has so much outside noise at night, use earplugs to shut out the sounds. It will cut your risk of the blues by 67 per cent, according to studies.