FEELING BETTER THE EASY WAY

What do you do when you feel blah, don’t feel like exercising, and just want to pig out. You know that if you pig out, you will feel worse. Well, here are some techniques that have been verified to work for the BLAHS and for minor cases of depression and anxiety:

GET UP AND DO SOMETHING. Even if it’s just 10 minutes, do something energetic. Force yourself. Have your friend, mate, kid, get you up to walk for 10 minutes. It is amazing the change in your brain that occurs and the consequent change in your mood and feelings. You may have to force yourself and be dragged, but you will be glad you did it.

DO NOT EAT SWEETS. Most of us have this urge to eat chocolate or something fattening as a so called ‘pick me upper’ when we are feeling a little low, especially in the middle of the day. (I’m guilty of this too.) But, it is actually the worst thing to do and makes you feel more sluggish and tired – even irritable. Instead, grab for some nuts or vegetables. No coffee, not even fruit. A hard boiled egg works better. (I’m sure most people will not take this suggestion to heart – but I had to give it anyway.) (Oh, and need I even add, don't do any drugs or alcohol to feel better.)

DO SOMETHING TO ACTIVATE BOTH SIDES OF YOUR BRAIN. When you feel anxious, nervous, upset, typically only one side of your brain is firing – and it’s not the calming part. In order to calm down your nerves, try this fun little exercise: put out your arms and close and open your right hand, then close and open your left hand. Do this in a moderate tempo and make sure one hand is open before closing the other. Do this about 20 times and you will feel less anxious – guaranteed. You can do it with your feet to – if putting your arms out would interfere with the person in front of you. Put one foot up and down and then the other foot up and down. Easy enough to do.

TAKE B VITAMIN COMPLEX AND OMEGA 3 DAILY. Since your brain is about 60% fat, you need to make sure it gets the right nutrients to feed that fat. Omega 3 will do it for you. Take a daily dose of Omega 3 and a good Vitamin B complex – considered the stress vitamin. Take them with meals or you might get sick to your stomach. You might even notice the effect of the B complex (Vit B12; B6, folate), immediately.

PRACTICE FORGIVENESS. Hard as it might be, forgiving yourself and others who may have hurt you is the best way to remove anxiety and feelings of remorse. It may not be easy, but it is definitely worth the effort. Try this one: “I FORGIVE MYSELF FOR JUDGING MYSELF.” Now you can just say that a few hundred times or you can add, “I FORGIVE MYSELF FOR JUDGING MYSELF AS…..(ex. a bad person, a lousy wife, mother, husband, etc.).” Whatever your issue is. It can be quite astonishing the change you feel and the positive energy you send to the world when you forgive yourself and others.

I have other techniques, but these are just a few to get you started. Try them, they’re easy and effective.