When I’ve got a case of the blues, I sometimes cheer myself up by
buying a new book or two on Amazon. Perhaps you have some similar
habits: you know what cheers you up, whether it’s going shopping, eating
a giant bag of chips, opening a bottle of wine, lighting up…
The problem is, a lot of these little habits don’t really cheer us
up, and, over time, they can have a very negative effect on our health,
our wallet, or both.
These are some perennially popular ones – and reasons why they’re not a good idea:
1. Comfort Eating
Do you ever turn to food when you’re bored, stressed, or feeling
low? Many of us have a long-established pattern of eating for emotional
reasons – this may be something we learnt as small children, if parents
gave us candy as a comforter (or to keep us quiet!)
The problem with comfort eating is that, even if a king-sized candy bar dulls our misery temporarily, we usually feel worse afterwards. If you’re trying to take care of your health, or lose weight, you’ll probably feel guilty for using your bad mood as an excuse to succumb to temptation.
The problem with comfort eating is that, even if a king-sized candy bar dulls our misery temporarily, we usually feel worse afterwards. If you’re trying to take care of your health, or lose weight, you’ll probably feel guilty for using your bad mood as an excuse to succumb to temptation.
A short-term sugar crash won’t do much for your state of mind, and
your long-term health is likely to suffer if you regularly over-indulge
in sweet, salty or fatty snacks.
2. Alcohol or Cigarettes
When I realized in college that I often felt I “needed” a glass of
wine at the end of the day in order to unwind and relax, I knew it was
time to go teetotal for a while. You might be far from being an
alcoholic – but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a drinking problem.
Turning to the bottle when you’re feeling blue isn’t going to help. At best, you might forget about what’s troubling you for an evening – but your problems will still be there the next day (and they may well be accompanied by a hangover). If you’re starting to feel that you “need” a drink in order to de-stress, be careful.
Turning to the bottle when you’re feeling blue isn’t going to help. At best, you might forget about what’s troubling you for an evening – but your problems will still be there the next day (and they may well be accompanied by a hangover). If you’re starting to feel that you “need” a drink in order to de-stress, be careful.
I’ve never smoked, but a few of my friends are smokers, and from what
they’ve said, I know that cigarettes do provide some stress-relief.
This comes, however, with a hefty price tag, both in monetary and health
terms. If you’re putting off quitting because you can’t relax
without a cigarette, start exploring some better stress-busting
techniques.
3. Shopping
There’s nothing wrong with using your money to buy things that bring
you enjoyment. If you regularly go shopping to lift your mood, however,
there’s a good chance that you’re buying a lot of stuff that you don’t
really need and don’t really want.
If you get into the habit of shopping when you’re down, you’ll be more susceptible to succumbing to cunning marketing ploys. As
with comfort eating, alcohol and cigarettes, excessive and unnecessary
shopping won’t make you feel good about yourself the next day.
Plus, if your financial situation is a bit rocky, shopping will add to your worries.
So, if these popular mood-boosters don’t really work, what does?
There are a whole host of things you might try, but three that are
pretty much guaranteed to lift your mood are:
1. Exercising
Don’t groan! Getting your body moving is a great way to boost your mood
(and, of course, it’s good for your health). Have you ever had that
satisfied, completely de-stressed feeling after a workout? Or have you
ever gone outside to “walk off” some excess nervous energy, or to get
some space and recover from a bad mood?
If you’ve tried exercising in the past, you’ll know how effective it
is. Over here in the UK, doctors are increasingly encouraging patients
with mild to moderate depression to exercise regularly – it can help
people to manage their depression without the need for drugs.
2. Doing Something for Others
Many volunteers find that giving their time and energy to a good
cause helps them to feel fulfilled and satisfied, and that it can be a
great way of meeting new friends with similar interests and values. Knowing
that you’ve used one of your skills to help someone in need can give
your confidence and your sense of self-worth a massive boost.
You don’t necessarily need to join a formal scheme as a volunteer.
How about dropping in on a lonely neighbor, doing a favor for a friend,
or taking the time to phone someone who you know will appreciate a chat?
3. Get On With Something Absorbing
When you’re feeling down, it can be hard to feel motivated to start
on anything. Perhaps you’ve got a stack of emails to reply to, but you
just can’t face them. (Indeed, a backlog of work might even be the cause
of your bad mood.) Maybe you’ve got a particular hobby or interest that
you never seem to get time for any more.
Getting on with something – anything – can sometimes be enough to lift your mood. It might mean throwing yourself into work, or enjoying a chapter or two of an engrossing novel. Sometimes, all that’s needed for your mood to lift is to simply find an activity that occupies your brain.
Getting on with something – anything – can sometimes be enough to lift your mood. It might mean throwing yourself into work, or enjoying a chapter or two of an engrossing novel. Sometimes, all that’s needed for your mood to lift is to simply find an activity that occupies your brain.
How do you lift your mood when you’re feeling down? Do any of the above tips work for you, or do you have some of your own to add to the list?
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