3 Ways to Shift to a Better Mood
Aug 04, by Tanya Alvarez
Instant happiness: star jumps in scenic places
There are natural flows in business, but as a business owner, it can get hard to deal with those peaks and valleys that come along. Knowing they will is not much help. At times you even get into a funk, or a real bad mood, and that hinders every aspect of your life.
3 Ways to shift to a better mood:
- Exercise
- Helping others
- Creating a gratitude list
There is now science behind those answers, or at least scientific studies that show other people have gotten really good results by getting exercise, helping others and being grateful.
Exercise
Medical science has shown that our moods are affected in huge ways by chemicals in our body. Endorphins are chemicals that lift our spirits and make us feel good. Endorphins make you feel good and can even lessen pain. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins and they go to work. It is just a plain chemical reaction. The endorphins produced by exercise fend off anxiety and lessen the level of depression. It is also known to reduce stress and improve sleep.
Helping Others
Another chemical that makes us feel good, is a hormone called Oxytocin. It is released in may ways. Sex is one of them, but also helping others does so well. Helping others can take many forms as well. Often we think of giving money to a poor person, and that is a good thing, but there are many ways.
Giving cash to worthy causes is of some value, but the actual giving only takes a few seconds and may not cause a lot of chemicals to be released. A longer period should result in a longer dose. So actually being involved in physically helping others should do even more. So you could mow your elderly neighbor’s yard, or something else physical that will benefit someone. In doing that you are also exercising, so you may get a double dose of good chemicals.
Gratitude
And then there is being grateful. This is more a mindset than anything else, or being optimistic as opposed to pessimistic. Being grateful reminds you that it is not all about you, and that there are some things you receive that are the result of what others have done for you.
Being grateful may release some levels of chemicals, but the greater thing that being grateful does is change your attitude for the better. It has been proven that optimistic people are happier, and healthier than pessimistic people. Looking for the good in any situation is going to improve your mood, and that is what being grateful does.
So there is solid science then, to getting out of a funk. Realize there are chemicals involved, and that what you do can seriously alter your levels of feel good chemicals. If you can be grateful, while being physically active at helping someone else, you will hit the trifecta.