Lift Your Mood

In Today's Email:

• Daily Habits For all-day happiness: What if a small daily routine can make you happy all day long…

• Food that makes us smile: Boost your mood today with these foods…

• Lift Your Mood: Lighten your heart and build self-awareness and self-confidence with this back-bending sequence…

Saying Of The Day

Daily Habits for All Day Happiness

Happiness looks different for everyone. For you, maybe it’s being at peace with who you are. Or having a secure network of friends who accept you unconditionally. Or the freedom to pursue your deepest dreams.

Regardless of your version of true happiness, living a happier, more satisfying life is within reach. A few tweaks to your regular habits can help you get there.

Habits matter. If you’ve ever tried breaking a bad habit, you know all too well how ingrained they are.

Well, good habits are deeply engrained, too. Why not work on making positive habits part of your routine?

Here’s a look at some daily habits to help kick start your quest. Just remember that everyone’s version of happiness is a little different, and so is their path to achieving it.

1. Get plenty of sleep

No matter how much modern society steers us toward less sleep, we know that adequate sleep is a vital Trusted Source of good health, brain function, and emotional well-being.

Most adults need about 7 or 8 hours of sleep every night. If you find yourself fighting the urge to nap during the day or just generally feel like you’re in a fog, your body may be telling you it needs more rest.

2. Exercise & Yoga

Exercise isn’t just for your body. Regular exercise can help to reduce stress, feelings of anxiety, and symptoms of depression while boosting self-esteem and happiness.

Even a small amount of physical activity can make a difference. You don’t have to train for a triathlon or scale a cliff — unless that’s what makes you happy, of course.

The trick is not to overexert. If you suddenly throw yourself into a strenuous routine, you’ll probably just end up frustrated (and sore).

3. Be grateful

Simply being grateful can give your mood a big boost, among other benefits. For example, a recent two-part study found that practicing gratitude can have a significant impact on feelings of hope and happiness.

Start each day by acknowledging one thing you’re grateful for. You can do this while you’re brushing your teeth or just waiting for that snoozed alarm to go off.

As you go about your day, try to keep an eye out for pleasant things in your life. They can be big things, such as knowing that someone loves you or getting a well-deserved promotion.

4. Give a compliment

Research shows that performing acts of kindness can help you feel more satisfied.

Giving a sincere compliment is a quick, easy way to brighten someone’s day while giving your own happiness a boost.

Catch the person’s eye and say it with a smile so they know you mean it. You might be surprised by how good it makes you feel.

Food That Makes Us Smile:

Your brain and your body can often feel like they're operating on two different wavelengths: sometimes, your body tells you to take a nap when your brain knows you've still got work to do, or your belly just screams for a candy bar when your brain definitely knows better. However, when it comes to your mood, your food choices and your feelings go hand-in-hand more often than you might think.

While a greasy plate of fries or sugary snack may temporarily alleviate a bad mood, long-term happiness is rarely doled out at a drive-thru. Fortunately, there are plenty of foods with proven mood-boosting benefits that can help you get happier and healthier with every bite. So, before you dive headfirst into another value meal, add these foods that make you happy to your menu.

 Bananas

Everyone knows bananas are full of potassium, but what you may not know is that they also contain tryptophan, a brain chemical that helps to regulate mood, according to Ara DerMarderosian, University of the Sciences. Bananas are also a good source of B vitamin folate, and having low levels of the vitamin has been linked to depression.

 Berries

Certain flavors in berries have a chemical similarity to valproic acid, which is a prescription mood-stabilizing drug, according to research conducted by Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies. The flavonoid anthocyanidin found in berries also reduces inflammation, which has been associated with increased rates of depression.

 Oysters

Low levels of zinc have been linked to anxiety, according to a study in Nutrition and Metabolic Insights. To keep yourself cool and calm, get your fill of foods rich in zinc, like oysters.

Salmon Salmon is chock full of omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve mood and fight depression, according to a study in the journal of Pharmacological Research. (Bonus: Healthy fats keep your hair shiny. And good hair is enough to induce happiness in our book).

Walnuts

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that eating walnuts can improve brain function. Contributing factors include walnuts' high antioxidant content, vitamins, and minerals, and they contain a large amount of alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based omega-3.

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🧘 Lift Your Mood

Lighten your heart and build self-awareness and self-confidence with this back-bending sequence.

AS YOU PRACTICE First, establish the basic form of your backbend: Widen the inner thighs and pelvic bones as you root your tailbone down to keep your lower back spacious and prevent compression as you arch up and back. As you move through the sequence, pause at the beginning of each pose to feel your breath and to settle into the foundation of the pose. Hold each pose for five breaths, moving your breath into the back of your body.

Reflection: Make your practice playful and childlike. See what it feels like to practice with no expectations.

Additional benefits: Extends the front of the spine; opens the chest and hips; stimulates the thyroid.

1. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) After several rounds of Cat-Cow Pose, come onto all fours, with your wrist creases parallel to the front of the mat. Claw the ground with your fingers so that the muscles on the underside of the forearms tone and lift. Breathe into your back, feeling it broaden with every inhalation. On an exhalation, release your heart toward the ground, softening between your shoulder blades without collapsing in your lower back or armpits. With strong arms and a soft heart, lift your hips and straighten your legs for five breaths.

2. Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana (One-Legged DownwardFacing Dog), variation On an inhalation, lift your left leg toward the sky. Bend your left knee and turn your hips so your kneecap points to the left. Stay here for five breaths. Then straighten your leg and rotate the thigh so that the kneecap faces the ground. On an exhalation, lower the foot to the floor and do the other side before returning to Downward-Facing Dog.

3. Parsvakonasana (Side Angle Pose) From Downward Dog, step or hop-forward into Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend), and inhale as you come up to Tadasana (Mountain Pose). From there stand sideways on your mat in a wide stance with your feet parallel. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in. Bend your right knee and place your right arm on your thigh or bring the fingertips to the floor or a block outside your right foot. Press the top of your left thighbone back and scoop the right buttock under, as you open your torso to the left. Extend your left arm alongside your ear and stay for five breaths. On an inhalation come up to standing, and then repeat on the other side.

4. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), variation Return to your wide stance. Turn your right foot out and your left foot in until your pelvis squares toward the front foot. On an exhalation, slide the left hand down your back leg as you curl your torso into a backbend. Rest your left hand on your hamstring or upper calf as you continue to bend back, extending the right arm alongside your ear. After five breaths, inhale and bring your torso upright. Exhale as you switch sides.

Meme

NAMASTE ❤️

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