10 Easy Ways To Boost Your Mood

Want to feel better fast? Try our easy tips.

Unfortunately we live in an epidemic of mood disorders. Stress, anxiety and depression are more prevalent now than ever before. Far too many people wake up feeling emotionally drained and not knowing how they’ll find the strength to get through the day. Feeling low and dreading the day ahead is a terrible way to live but is a sad reality for many.

Others live with constant anxiety; they wake with a sick feeling in their stomach and feel overwhelmed and teary at the slightest hurdles occurring throughout the day.

Some people require medication to see them through a difficult time and it can be immensely helpful. For others, a few diet and lifestyle changes can make a big difference to their coping mechanisms and enjoyment of life.

Here are 10 tips to include in your life, for improved mood and better health:

1. Don’t go overboard with caffeine. A small amount of caffeine can give you some energy and make your mental processes sharper, but overdoing it can leave you feeling like an anxious mess. If you drink coffee and tea, limit them to 2 cups of coffee and 4 cups of tea a day. Green tea and some herbal tea have calming properties, so they may be a better choice. There is no place for caffeinated soda in a healthy diet, whether it is sugar free or not.
2. Eat magnesium rich foods. Stressed and anxious people need more magnesium because it has a calming and relaxing effect on the nervous system, and may help encourage deeper sleep. Nuts, seeds and green leafy vegetables are all good sources of magnesium. If you need a more powerful relaxing effect, try taking one teaspoon of Magnesium Ultrapotent Powder with dinner.
3. Cut down on sugar or get rid of it from your diet altogether. Sugar and high carbohydrate foods can promote mood swings, anxiety or energy crashes. Basing your diet on vegetables, protein and natural fats will have the opposite effect. Unless you have ever removed all sugar from your diet, you will not know the relief from anxiety and tension it can bring.
4. If you suffer with depression, try avoiding all alcohol. Many depressed people turn to alcohol in an attempt to feel better. Unfortunately alcohol worsens depression. It can make you feel better then and there, but a lot worse the next morning.
   
5. Drink more water. If you are dehydrated you will feel more tired and this can worsen a poor mood. If you drink a lot of water throughout the day you will probably end up eating less and experience fewer sugar cravings.
6. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and consider doing a raw juice fast for a few days. Fresh juices have a strong cleansing effect on the body. If your liver and bowels are cleansed of toxins, you should feel more energetic and optimistic. There are many juice recipes in my book Raw Juices Can Save Your Life. If your bowels are sluggish, you would benefit from the cleansing effects of a natural laxative.
7. Eat foods rich in tryptophan. They include eggs, turkey, salmon, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds. Tryptophan can have a calming effect and improve sleep quality because it is necessary for the production of serotonin. Alternatively try a 5 hydroxytryptophan supplement.
8. Go outside and get some movement. Regular exercise helps to ward off depression and anxiety, but sometimes it’s difficult to fit it into a busy day. Even a five minute walk down the street can lift your mood. Getting into the garden and pulling some weeds can also help. Doing something physical outdoors is a quick way to lift your mood and calm anxiety. Spending some time in the sun is a way to top up your vitamin D level. Vitamin D deficiency can worsen depression.
9. Try to get 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night. Good sleep is very necessary for a healthy and happy life. If you find it difficult to sleep well, a warm Epsom salt bath, a massage, meditation or yoga before bed may help.
10. Ensure you have plenty of vitamin B6 in your diet. Vitamin B6 is a critical co-factor in the production of many neurotransmitters; this is why you typically see it in supplements designed to improve mood. This vitamin is also particularly good for premenstrual mood disorders. Vitamin B6 is found in bananas, salmon, turkey, chicken and nuts.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.