With summer here the days are longer and as soon as you step out of your home the sun is beaming. Summer might also look different depending on your life and your schedule. Personally, summer is my favorite time of the year because the sun is out and as someone who wakes up early I enjoy starting my days with sunlight.
Below are some tips on how to boost your mood naturally!
- Sunlight is one of the easiest and natural ways to boost your mood. Stepping out into the sun includes health benefits such as, generating the production of Vitamin D, supports bone health, improves mood, helps regulate sleep hormones, amongst other health benefits. Stepping outside for 15 mins can really create a difference in your mood!
- Prioritizing a good night’s rest. When we rest our bodies our immune systems are recharging. This helps reduce our stress and improves our mood. I encourage you to try and have a bedtime routine, romanticize it by adding relaxing music, set up a skincare routine, or listen to a podcast.
- Exercise. It can look different, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be lifting weights or going to the gym, it can be yoga, pilates, low impact aerobics or a walk around your neighborhood. It can range from 15 mins to 30 mins, anything that can get your blood flow going. Youtube is a good resource for yoga, pilates, or low and high intensity exercises. A small form of exercise can release endorphins which is the hormone that increases feelings of wellbeing.
- Eating healthy. Ingesting healthy food increases energy levels and productivity and sleep quality which is also another way to increase your mood naturally. Below are some food options that can boost your energy levels.
-Bananas
-Oranges
-Berries
-Nuts
-Seeds - Try incorporating a Do Not Disturb (DND) Day- we live in the time of social media, instant access to everything, the world at our fingertips. It is easy to scroll, hit likes, and saves for endless hours. A DND day from social media can be helpful for multiple reasons, it can allow us to be present and take in our surroundings instead of looking down at a screen. It can allow us to sit with our thoughts and socialize with our family and friends.
- Explore hiking trails near your area or away whichever is your preference. Being out in nature helps us be active, but also helps decrease our stress levels and improves our mood. Here are some applications that are available to find trails- AllTrails: Hike,Bike & Run, & Gaia GPS.
- Gratitude– practicing gratitude has shown to help with sleep, mood and immunity. Gratitude also decreases anxiety, and depression.
- Listening to music – increases blood flow, it can also activate the release of endorphins, and decrease cortisol, and can help decrease heart rate.
If you find yourself feeling in a funk, remember there are ways that you can naturally give yourself a boost! Try incorporating any of these into your daily routine and allow your mind and body to recharge.
