Ok, so as usual I’ll start by explaining the title of my
blog: basically, now that I’ve started using song titles & lyrics as blog
post names, I’ve set myself an irresistible challenge of naming every post in
this fashion! For those of you who don’t
know, You Could Be Happy is a lovely
little Snow Patrol song, which I first heard when I watched the second series
of Gavin & Stacey. The couple were going through a rocky patch
in their relationship in which Stacey had moved back to Barry while Gavin
Stayed in Essex, leaving them miles apart and unsure of their future (ooh check
me out getting all dramatic!). The
episode in question ends with each of them on nights out in their respective locations,
wondering whether to call each other or not, to the backdrop of Snow Patrol
singing “You could be happy, and I won’t know…”
Anyway, I digress!
The purpose of this post is to sort of sequel my previous
post and put together some tips on how to improve your mental wellbeing and
become, hopefully, a happier person. In
a way I’m kind of cheating as there are lots of websites out there which list
ways to boost serotonin levels, etc., but I like to think I can bring together
some bits and bobs from different sources and put my own spin on them to create
what I think is the perfect 'recipe for happiness'.
I’ll start by doing the sciencey bit and explaining a little
bit about serotonin, for those who don’t know; not because I want to get all
scientific on you but because a lot of ways you can improve mood work by
boosting serotonin levels, and I think it makes sense to understand why you’re doing
things rather than doing them because somebody said it might help improve your
mood. So, serotonin is a neurotransmitter. A neurotransmitter is basically a cell that
transmits signals in the brain.
Serotonin is involved in various functions in the body, one of which is
mood regulation. Hence, boosting serotonin
levels in the brain can help improve mood.
With that in mind, here’s a list of some serotonin-boosting tips:
1) Do
stuff! No matter what it is, just make
sure you do things. Behavioural Activation
is a psychological therapy for depression with quite a good evidence base, and
it simply involves getting patients doing things. Typically, this will start with small tasks
like housework and build up to something like a dinner out with friends one
hasn’t seen in a long time. Now obviously
this post isn’t about treating depression, but if you’re feeling down and want
to improve your mental wellbeing then I hope this is a good example to
encourage you to get out and about, because it really will help.
2) Eat
a healthy, balanced diet. Firstly, this
definitely doesn’t mean calorie count and don’t ever eat treats! I don’t worry too much about calories and I
eat something unhealthy every single day, but it’s just about getting the right
balance. High levels of protein are
good, as protein contains tryptophan, which basically converts to serotonin in
the brain. This will work best if you
consume a small amount of carbohydrate together with the protein. The way I understand it is that protein
essentially helps to boost the levels of serotonin, whilst carbs help to
release it. I’ve also read that it is
good to eat a high protein meal followed by a carbohydrate snack two hours
later. Try to eat wholegrain carbs and
avoid white ones, as this is much better for digestion and helps prevent the
sluggish feeling you sometimes get after eating. Some good tryptophan-rich foods are oily
fish, eggs, poultry, nuts and cottage cheese.
Also, try not to consume too much caffeine. I limit myself to 2, or 3 at absolute tops,
cups a day, and I find I feel more anxious if I consume too much. Also, remember alcohol is a depressant!
3) EXERCISE!
I cannot emphasise this enough. Exercise
is great for releasing serotonin and another “happy hormone”, dopamine (also a
neurotransmitter). There has also been
research to suggest that it is as effective a treatment for depression as
antidepressant medication. I try to
exercise most days and I absolutely love it.
Once you get the bug, it really is addictive! I definitely think that people should see
exercise as a way of being healthy and happy rather than a way of losing
weight. Of course, if you get a good
balance between exercise and healthy diet you’re going to maintain a healthy
weight anyway. Once you find your sport and
learn to love exercise you won’t need to worry so much about your weight and
what you’re eating, which is great. I
rarely weigh myself as I know I have a fairly healthy lifestyle, I feel good
and I’m happy with how I look. Even if I’m
feeling really tired, sometimes I’ll really make an effort to get on the cross
trainer or something for a bit, and I’m always feeling better and more awake afterwards. It’s
amazing! And exercise doesn’t have to be
intense; you could just go for a walk or something. I also read somewhere that being around
nature can improve psychological wellbeing, so going for a walk in the country
or on the beach could be the perfect mood-boosting plan. Also, according to the brain-training website Lumosity, brain performance peaks at three workouts a week, so exercise has a multitude of benefits.
4) Be
with people. Just appreciate the people
around you and spend time with family and friends. I heard once that a hug a day decreases
stress levels! I also think there’s a
lot to be said for really being able to enjoy your own company sometimes, but
if you are feeling down then enjoying others’ company is a good place to
start! If I’m feeling down I find being
with other people inevitably helps.
5) Get
out in the sun! The old classic:
everyone’s happier when it’s sunny. That’s
because sunlight supresses the production of melatonin, and melatonin supresses
serotonin production. Therefore, we want to get as much sunlight as possible to
boost serotonin levels (but don’t forget your sunscreen!). One of the websites I’ve linked below suggests
getting out in the sun for at least half an hour in the morning and two hours
throughout the day, if possible.
6) Be 'mindful'. Mindfulness is a difficult art to master but it can
have amazing effects. Mindfulness is
used as a treatment to prevent depression relapse (it’s very new but has an
excellent evidence base so far!), but it’s also great for reducing stress and
generally improving mental wellbeing. It
involves focusing on the self and the present moment, in a non-judgemental way. Importantly, it also involves acknowledging (NOT
supressing!), but not elaborating on, thoughts.
Personally, I plan to start attending some mindfulness sessions to
improve my ability to manage stress. I’m
no expert on it at the moment but would definitely recommend to anyone looking
into it and possibly learning some mindfulness techniques.
So, if you’ve got this far, as always I’d like to thank you
for reading. I’ve said all this not just
for the sake of putting a list of things together that are supposedly good for
improving wellbeing, but because they’re all things I include (or endeavour to
include!) in my own lifestyle and feel really good for it. I would urge anyone to try and follow at
least one or two of these tips to help make you feel good, both physically and
mentally. I truly believe that if you
do, “you could be happy”!
Relevant Links:
Wikipedia - serotonin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin
Wikipedia - neurotransmitter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotransmitter
Serotonin-boosting tips: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/serotonin-boosters/#axzz1tpWPm6Di
http://www.ei-resource.org/articles/mental-and-emotional-problem-articles/easy-and-natural-ways-to-raise-low-serotonin-levels/
http://www.naturalnews.com/020611.html
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