Simple + Effective Ways To Boost Your Mood

In a world where the cases of depression and anxiety are increasingly on the rise, many are looking deeper into the importance of their mental health and ways to naturally support their mood. Taking care of your mental health is so important for a variety of reasons, and in hopes of helping anyone with their mental health in any way we can, we have listed below some easy, yet highly effective ways to naturally support your mood.

Naturally support your mood:

1.) MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS.

First and foremost, we recommend to get connected with medical professionals who you feel safe and supported with. Keeping your primary care doctor in the loop with any mental health struggles is so crucial to create a game plan. Additionally, finding a therapist that you feel really hears you, understands you and supports your needs is paramount. A list of our favorite practitioners and mental health resources are all on our resource page here.

 
2.) BLOOD SUGAR REGULATION.

Our blood sugar levels directly impact our hormones, gut health and mood. When our blood sugar levels repeatedly dip or rise above the daily recommended amounts, a cascade of events happen: our energy is thrown off, cravings increase, patience decreases, inflammation rises and mood boosting hormones such as dopamine and serotonin can easily plummet. 

Here are some simple and effective ways to keep your blood sugar stable throughout the day (bonus: balanced blood sugar levels throughout the day, greatly improves our sleep at night!):

-Eat one portion of quality protein AND healthy fats at each meal for a total of 3 main meals a day.
-Choose foods that are organic whenever possible. Consuming food and beverages that contain chemicals throws off hormone levels and our hormones are a big indicator of how we feel mentally and emotionally.
-Limit caffeine intake to 1 cup a day maximum. Caffeine can greatly increase anxiety levels and it is important to not only limit caffeine intake when dealing with anxiety, but also ensure healthy hydration levels. Aim on drinking half your body weight in fluid ounces of (un-carbonated) water daily and for every ounce of caffeine, add another ounce of water to maintain hydration levels.
-Limit sugar intake as sugar strips major minerals out of our body. Stress alone depletes our mineral stores and healthy mineral levels are essential for healthy hormone production, especially with the “happy hormones” serotonin and dopamine.
-Aim on eating 3 main meals a day and 1 to 2 snacks. This will help to support healthy blood sugar levels throughout the day as well as cognitive function.
-As a general rule of thumb, aim on consuming your body weight in grams of protein per day. Example, if you are 150 pounds, aim on consuming 150 grams of protein per day. Consuming adequate daily protein, can dramatically help to balance blood sugar levels, decrease cravings and improve mood.

3.) GET OUTSIDE.

As human beings, we are meant to be “one with nature” and outside on a daily basis. Most Americans today, are inside most hours of the day, limiting the endless benefits that being outside offers as well as taking in natural sunlight which is crucial for our mood and well-being. No matter what the weather, make a point to step outside on a daily basis for at least 20-30 minutes. Rain or shine! Stepping outside literally and figuratively offers a “fresh perspective” and can turn your day and mood around for the better.

 
4.) KEY SUPPLEMENTATION.

Supplementation is so supportive for our overall health and well-being, especially our mental health. Nutritional deficiencies are directly related to depression AND anxiety, so ensuring healthy nutrient levels is absolutely essential when supporting our moods naturally and also preventatively.

Key nutritional supplementation to help support depression and or anxiety are:

-Fish Oil (helps to lower inflammation and improve symptoms of depression)
-Vitamin D (helps to increase energy and mood naturally, levels should ideally be 50-90)
-Probiotics (supports healthy gut flora, digestion as well as anxiety and depression)
-Magnesium (calms the central nervous system and supportive for all forms of anxiety)
-Adaptogenic herbs like ashwaganda (helps to maintain healthy cortisol levels, thyroid and adrenal function, supporting both anxiety and depression)

5.) HEALING MODALITIES.

Some of our absolute favorite natural healing modalities are listed below and you can find practitioners we love on our resource page here.

-Emotional Freedom Technique “Tapping” or “EFT”
-Emotion Code
-EMDR
-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy “CBT”
-Hypnosis

6.) UPLIFTING PODCASTS.

Favorite Uplifting Podcasts: Jay Shetty On Purpose, Lacy Philips Expanded, Gabrielle Berstein Dear Gabby, Dr. Joe Dispenza Transform Your Mind.

 
7.) MOOD BOOSTING MOVIES + DOCUMENTARIES.

My favorites: The Secret, E-Motion, The Shack, and E- Motion which can be found On Demand, Netflix and Hulu.

 
8.) TAKING A SOCIAL MEDIA BREAK.

Pausing on all forms of social media is one of the quickest ways to restore your energy inward and use that energy to help yourself more deeply heal and focus on what really matters. Social media can be amazing for so many wonderful things and then, as we all know, it can be extremely detrimental to our health in many ways. Constant comparing, stimulation, not living in true reality, etc. can cause any one’s mood to plummet.

Delete social media apps, silence notifications and get back to you. Social media is also a great way to numb out and avoid/not confront areas in our life that need more love, attention and healing. Create the space for more healing by taking a pause on all social media platforms to help revitalize your mind and body.

We hope these tips help you or someone you love!

We also have a free guide, Natural Anxiety Relief Tips that may be of benefit if you are searching for natural ways to help with your anxiety.