5 Healthy Habits that will Change your Mood

When talking about happiness, some of us might think of eating delicious food, going out with friends at night, or drinking alcohol. These activities indeed give us pleasure and satisfaction, but only in the short term. Happy and healthy people know that the key to happiness lies in the choices they make including their daily habits. Building healthy routine changes not just your mood but you as a whole. Today we list 5 healthy habits that will change your mood for the better.

Tips to Form New and Healthy Habits

Humans are creatures of habit. But sometimes, we find it difficult to create and follow new healthy routines. It might be because we are doing it the wrong way. For example, every new year we make bold resolutions to lose weight. We do this without planning and taking the steps needed to set ourselves up for success. So we get easily distracted and less motivated.

Start in Simple Steps

Start with small routines that are easy to follow and do not require a high level of motivation. For instance, start with increasing your water intake every day.

Stack your Habits

Find a habit that you can tie to an existing one. While drinking your tea or coffee, you can start meditating or go outside to watch the sunrise.

Do it Every Day

Consistency is the key! You can write down that “new habit” on a sticky note and paste it somewhere visible… like the fridge or your bathroom mirror.

Give Yourself a Treat!

Don’t forget to reward yourself every now and then. This doesn’t mean you have to indulge in sweets when the habit you want to create is to eat healthily. Inviting a friend over to share the salad you made for dinner or a pizza if you feel like it. It’s all about balance and self-discipline.

5 Healthy Habits for your Mood

Get that Beauty Rest

Sleep is closely linked to mood and mental state in general. It’s necessary to support healthy brain function and help maintain physical health too. This applies to all ages, although young children and infants need more sleep than adults due to their constant brain and body development. 

Sleep deprivation causes negative moods such as anger, frustration, and irritability. It can also lead to stress, depression, and other mental and physical health issues. There are many reasons that explain why some people can’t get quality sleep. It can be external (having a baby, inadequate room temperature, outside noise, etc) or internal factors (anxiety, stress, depression, hormonal imbalance, illness, etc). Identifying the root of your occasional or chronic insomnia is the first step to finding ways to manage it.

Get more Active

We already know that exercise is good for both your body and mind. It doesn’t just make your body stronger and more resilient but also gives you a sense of wellbeing. The levels of chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, stress hormones, and endorphins, change when you exercise. It helps us sleep better, manage stress easily, and improve memory and concentration. As a result, our mood becomes more positive and we feel better about ourselves.

Finding the right exercise routine might not be as hard as most of us think. Start by choosing an activity that you enjoy like yoga, dancing, running, or biking. Next, try to set aside and prioritize exercise time each week. You can start from 15-20 minutes/ session until you can increase it as much as you want. There are also different apps and groups that you can join to help you stay motivated without the need to leave your home.

Eat your Five

Vegetables and fruits contain important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, carotenoids that can reduce oxidative stress. According to research, oxidative stress is responsible for negative moods and a variety of mental disorders such as depression, stress, and anxiety. Increased intake of fruits and vegetables together with other healthy habits can improve mood and mental well-being.

Make it a habit to incorporate fruit and vegetables into every meal. You can start by adding more veggies to your salad or omelet or making fruit smoothies for your snack. A “5 in a Day” diet which recommends eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day is also a great way to start your healthy eating plan.

Go Outside and Socialize

The environment we’re in greatly affects our mood. It can either increase or reduce stress and other mental issues. Surrounding yourself with nature or with the people that makes you feel like yourself and comfortable can greatly impact your happiness.

Nature helps you feel calm and relaxed. These emotions bring you into the present moment. As a result, you can de-stress easily and focus more on the positive things around you.

Interactions with other people, family, friends, and special someone keeps your mind alive. Building social connections exercise the mind. Therefore, it improves cognitive skills such as memory, attention, decision making, and, problem-solving.

Healthy Habits with CBD

According to studies, CBD can alter serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter involved in mood, emotion regulation, and other mental issues such as stress. Getting your daily dose of CBD can help you change your mood for the better. And this effect is not just temporary, making it a habit to incorporate taking CBD in your daily routine can have a long-lasting effect on your mental health.

There are a lot of easy and fun ways to get CBD. It comes in a form of oil, capsules, gummies, vaporizers, and even topical.

Conclusion

Making small changes with our daily routines can make a big impact when it comes to self-improvement. So we hope that with these 5 healthy habits, you can start your journey to be the best version of yourself.