FEELING BLUE?

“Smell” the flowers

Next time you’re feeling down, imagine you’re holding flowers and take a big whiff of the sweet scent, suggests Cruise. He notes this visualization encourages you to deeply inhale through your nose using the full range of your lungs to increase your intake of feel-good oxygen. “Taking big, deep breaths also expands the chest, providing a physical release,” adds Patricia Gerbarg, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at New York Medical College in Valhalla. “Plus, incorporating the happy image takes your mind off of whatever had you down.”