5 Healthy Ways to Boost Your Mood

1. Take a walk

While fresh air is most certainly not a cure-all – it’s definitely a cure! Oxygen has been linked to the levels of serotonin, which helps you feel happy and relaxed. Beyond plain oxygen, breathing in specific scents has shown to be beneficial for relieving anxiety and stress (Lavender), and boosting mood (Jasmine). Go and walk through a field of flowers and see how you feel!

2. Get rest

We can’t talk about sleep enough. And it has very real effects on your mood. Apparently, some studies have shown that even partial sleep deprivation can lead to people feeling more angry, sad, stressed out, and mentally exhausted (Harvard Health). Do what you can to make sleep a priority

3. Eat more Omega 3

You know omega 3 fatty acids? You know, the ones you find in fish? Well, apparently they can help with improving some symptoms of depression. Due to their anti-inflammatory actions, (Harvard Health)they help relieve depression, although exactly how is still needing more research.

4. Have a little coffee with friends

Social interaction is a key mood booster. If you’re isolated, lonely, or just too busy for regular social interaction, it’s going to have serious affects on your health. Spending time with friends and loved ones can reduce risk of depression, improve mood, and even helps with other things such as brain performance, and memory (Science Daily)

5. Exercise

Whenever I think about exercise and mood I always think about that scene in Legally Blonde where Elle says that endorphins make people happy and happy people don’t kill people. While I can’t vouch for the validity of the second part of her argument, the first is definitely true. Exercise helps by ‘Releasing feel-good endorphins…that can enhance your sense of well-being’ and by ‘Taking your mind off worries so you can get away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression and anxiety’, (Mayo Clinic)

Are you in need of a mood boost this fall?