There are times when, despite our best, the vagaries of life bring us down. It’s okay to be upset and moody from time to time, after all, you’re human. What is not okay is staying down and eventually allowing depression to become a constant companion. Depression does not appear immediately. It is a process of feeling bad about one’s life and situation. When we allow our happiness to be controlled by factors outside of us, we feel powerless and inadequate. Feelings of discouragement take hold of us and impede our growth and happiness. Therefore, it is imperative that we consciously remove ourselves from our fear and move from a negative cycle to a positive one.
There are some quick fixes we can do to instantly change our mood. These facts can consistently have a huge impact on our level of happiness.
1. When you feel down, contort the right side of your face. Vigorously contorting the right side of the face will release positive emotions by increasing activity in the left frontal hemisphere. The left frontal hemisphere has been linked to verbal skills, time orientation, rational, logical, analytical thinking, happiness, and positive emotions.
2. Take a piece of dark chocolate… Just a small square is enough! Try and opt for more than 60% cocoa. It releases serotonin in the brain, which produces a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction. Studies show that melting chocolate in your mouth increases brain activity and heart rate.
3. Smile! Fake it if you have to. It’s about tricking your brain into releasing endorphins.
4. Knead dough or clay, weave, paint, or make pottery, wash and rinse clothes (not washing machines), gardening, sewing, massaging, ironing… anything that uses the hands.
5. Go swimming or hiking, any form of exercise. Kissing is also considered exercise as it burns 26 cal per minute, releases endorphins and prevents facial wrinkles!
6. Get in the habit of keeping a gratitude (thank you) journal. This will encourage your brain to consciously seek out the things you are grateful for and the things that make you happy.
7. Light some incense or sprinkle some aromatherapy oils on your pillow or put some in your bath. According to research, the amygdala is affected by smell. The different aromatic rings are contained in essential oils. When we smell them, the scent is transferred to a nerve message. The message is sent to different parts of the brain where the process of stimulating different hormones takes place.
8. Play Mozart or any music you like. I listened to Barbara Strisand when she was really down, but I can’t do that anymore. Our taste in music changes with the change of our mood and we can also change our mood by listening to the appropriate music. Music has an amazing ability to lift our spirits, gives us new knowledge and stimulates our minds.
9. Another interesting exercise that works for me. Massage the tonsil point. An easy way to locate the amygdala gland is to place your thumbs in your ears and then place your middle fingers near the inner corners of your eyes. The amygdala gland is located approximately 1″ on the forehead where the index fingers land. The frontal lobe of the brain can be located by placing the palm of the hand on the forehead. The entire area covered by the palm is where the frontal lobes are located. this area stimulates the release of endorphins.
10. Watch a goofy comedy. Laugh out loud. It can be hard when you’re already down and depressed, so before you sit down to watch that sitcom, buy yourself a piece of dark chocolate…maybe a glass of red wine, spritz your surroundings with beautiful aromatic oils, and get ready to wake up. your spirits
There are no shortcuts to happiness; it is a lifelong effort. However, the above are some quick fixes to get you out of immediate despair and start the real journey to happiness.