I have made you a cool list of five mood boosters you can use regularly to ensure your mind is at its peak most of the time. Here they are…
1. A Gratitude Journal
Expressing gratitude on a regular basis will help you keep a consistent dose of positivity in your life. I remember watching Tim Ferris that day, and he said that 90 percent of the successful people he had interviewed either meditate or express gratitude daily.
According to two recent studies by the University of Montana and the University of California, people who are consistently thankful are more inclined to take better care of themselves, be more alert and have stronger immune systems.
In fact, even if you`re neutral about the things you write, putting your thoughts on paper —according to this study— will make you feel better and more equipped for finding a solution to your problems.
2. A Gym Mat
A gym mat is for the benefits of exercising to your mood (study 1 & 2). Exercising regularly boosts the production of endorphins in your system which improves your mood and increases your pain tolerance.
The reason why very few people exercise regularly is that we tie it to the way we look. It`s hard to convince yourself to do some pushups when you just ate a large bag of fries and two Big Macs. But working out is a great mood booster.
In fact, exercising regularly can help you adjust the way you eat for the better without much resistance. But all you need is a way to get yourself to exercise, especially when you don`t feel like doing it or when you`re down.
Personally, I`ve tried many ways and the one that produced the most benefits was the Zeigarnik effect. It simply says, whenever you feel lazy, taking an easy first step will make you more inclined to complete the unfinished.
So if you feel lazy to shake that booty and do some pushups, why don`t you aim for just one rep and consider it a go. It`s what I`ve been doing every morning for five years, and I haven`t missed a single session. Every morning —and sometimes night— I go down for a single pushup I end up doing 70, 80 or +100 ones, and I use the mat as a trigger to remind me of what I should do.
3. A Yoga Mat
First off, if you think there`s no difference between yoga and gym mats, think again.
Yoga can improve your life in an unimaginable way. I recently watched a short interview with the tennis superstar, Novak Djokovic who mentioned how much yoga has helped him overcome his breathing difficulties and improve his mental strength.
A 2007-study by Boston University School of Medicine has found that yoga is superior to other forms of exercise in its positive effect on mood and anxiety.
The study compared two groups of people over a 12-week period and found that those who practiced three weekly yoga sessions had higher brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels compared to those who did brisk walking for the same amount of time. Low GABA levels are usually associated with anxiety and depression.
4. A Frog to Eat (ASAP)
“If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first.” This is another way of saying that if you have two important tasks before you, start with the biggest, hardest, and most important task first.” ― Brian Tracy
Duke University Professor and New York Times bestselling author Dan Ariely believes each of us has 2-2.5 hours of peak productivity every day and they normally come in the morning.
“It turns out that most people are productive in the first two hours of the morning. Not immediately after waking, but if you get up at 7 you’ll be most productive from around from 8-10:30.” Ariely wrote.
The best thing about this idea is that you can use those hours to eat your frog, i.e., tackle your most important tasks of the day. The worst? If you don`t produce during those hours, you will feel terrible.
Speaking about myself, I`d say that I feel terrible when it`s three or four hours past my wake-up time and I have finished nothing. I`m also over the moon when things go smoothly before midday. To make this a habit, I decided to start my workday 60 minutes, or less, after I wake up. I meditate, exercise, fix some coffee, revise my daily plan and I do my VIT right away – which is usually a thousand words to write.
5. A cup of coffee
I tell you what, I was never a coffee fan, but I forced myself into loving it after I learned about the many benefits it has.
Till now I remember my first ever cup of coffee, a black, unsweetened McDonald`s coffee that tasted like piss – a piss that I now like and look forward to every single morning. Coffee has many outstanding benefits; it`s an energy booster that can also make you lose weight faster, protect you from Alzheimer`s and reduce your risk of picking up type-2 diabetes.
Coffee can also put you in a good mood. According to a Harvard study that included 50,739 female participants, women can avoid the risk of depression by 20 percent if they drink four or more cups of coffee each day.
Originally published at goodmenproject.com