5 habits to boost your mood

jump onto your mat

When you exercise, your body releases a chemical called endorphins. Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body making you feel good. It also helps distracting you from your worries and improve your confidence. 

So you can go for a run or HIIT workout. But what yoga brings you on top is so much more than what endorphins do: 

-       Stretches allow you to alleviate stiffness and tension to accumulate in your body which can lead to chronic pain or injury

-       Inversion posture (like a simple down dog) makes you tap into your parasympathetic nervous system 

-       Observing your breath makes you live less in your head so you can tune into your body and be in the present moment 

-       Chest openers give us that energy boost when we feel a bit down

-       Hip openers rebalance our hips area, stretch the pelvic floor 

Yoga makes your feel lighter physically and emotionally and this feels SO good.

Make sleep a priority (I know it sounds boring but...)

A growing body of research indicates that sleep deprivation is a strong predictor of mood disorders in general, including anxiety or depression.

To help you fall asleep you can practice legs up the wall 5 to 20 minutes before going to bed. 

A gentle yoga practice is also a good way to unwind, let go of the day residue, and prepare yourself for a restful night's sleep. Check this free yoga class on YT.

Journaling 

Honesty 100%, I started but could not keep is as a habit, it just does not work for me ! But we are all different and I am here to empower you with the tools which have been studied are working, and then you can test and see what works for you and what doesn’t. So try journaling everything that is on your mind. Studies have found that it decreases the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep by 50% and when you sleep you feel less moody for sure (see above! and also this Insta live I did on sleep and why it matters).

Include Magnesium in your diet

Magnesium deficiency is one of the most common and why magnesium matters? It helps with serotonin (happy mood) and melatonin (important for sleep) and also manages anxiety (reduces cortisol level) and makes gaba a very relaxing and calming neurotransmitter, when you try to switch off and relax before bed. It also relaxes our muscles and nervous system. It is basically so important for mood and happiness. 

You can find magnesium in: oats, brown rice, green leafy vegetables, banana, walnut, almonds, chickpeas, broccoli, cauliflower,…

Let your moody flow be and flow

When we feel moody, we can easily become angry too. Anger puts up your blood pressure so best is to sit in this discomfort, try one of the tools above, see what works and just wait for your day to end. Any emotion only last 90 seconds in your body unless you hold onto them. So let them flow !