The breakfast cereal that boosts all-day happiness!
Whether you want to boost joy, erase stress, raise optimism or usher in calm, here are the easy, study-proven ways to enjoy the positive mood you want!
1 Ease anger with a photo of a hug!
Put a photo of yourself being hugged by your husband, kids or kitty cat on your phone. Then, whenever you feel frustration start to rise, look at it for 30 seconds and your anger will melt away! ✤ It works! Seeing yourself hugged by a loved one reminds you that you’re cared for and safe, which helps you get past whatever is upsetting you faster, say researchers at Canada’s University of British Columbia.
More zinc = less anger!
Does your anger ever erupt over little things that don’t really matter? You could be low in zinc! Even mild shortfalls can shorten your fuse, the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports. The easy fix: Eat a daily bowl of fortified cereal (such as Total or Product 19)!
2 Turn up happiness by turning down the lights!
Often feel sad for no apparent reason? Make it a habit to turn off extra lamps and dim screens on electronics two hours before bedtime and see if your mood doesn’t soar! ✤ It works! Late-night exposure to light bulbs or the blue light cast by electronics throws off the internal clocks in brain cells that manage emotion, resulting in down moods, Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Ohio State University studies show. Synchronizing the light you’re exposed to with your natural sleep-wake cycle—more light by day, less light by night—resets those clocks, making you happier!
And feed the birds!
Hang a bird feeder outside your window or set up a birdbath in your yard! Watching robins, blue jays and other birds use them relaxes you and connects you to nature, lifting your mood!
3 Activate optimism with oatmeal!
Envious of folks who find it easy to focus on the positive? You, too, will see the glass as half-full (or more!) if you regularly snooze seven to eight hours nightly! Good sleep regulates brain chemicals that govern how optimistic you feel, shows new research in the journal Chronobiology International. Have trouble falling asleep or toss and turn at night? Eat more oatmeal, asparagus and legumes! ✤ It works! Research in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience reveals that the nondigestible fiber in these foods reduces the nighttime worrying that can keep you awake by altering messages sent from the gut to the brain, so you awaken with a rosier outlook!
And munch a rainbow!
Eat three or more daily servings of colorful fruits and vegetables—such as cantaloupe, blueberries, carrots, red bell peppers, spinach and tomatoes—and you’ll soon realize that you’re feeling more hopeful, reports the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Though researchers aren’t sure why, they suspect that the antioxidant pigments that give these foods their vibrant hues also repair a type of damage to neurons that triggers pessimistic thoughts!
4 Send stress packing with two supplements!
Is nonstop stress at work or at home stopping you from enjoying your day? Even if you can’t change the cause, you can slash the stress nearly 23% within a month by taking a multivitamin with magnesium (such as Centrum Multivitamin Multimineral for Adults, $9 at Amazon.com) and a probiotic that contains Lactobacillus gasseri, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium longum (such as Kyolic Kyo-dophilus 9, $15.80 per 90 capsules, Vitacost.com). ✤ It works! The B vitamins in the multi ramp up the release of the stress-busting brain chemicals serotonin and GABA, vitamin C curbs the output of cortisol, magnesium has a relaxing effect and probiotics reduce tension—all significant steps for keeping stress in check, the journal Panminerva Medica reports.
And get up and go!
Still worrying or on edge? Take walks, skip rope, hop on a bike or do any other type of exercise you enjoy. A new review of six studies proves that regular activity balances out-of-kilter brain chemicals that impact nervousness, reducing anxiety as much as 50%!
5 See the world as friendlier by smiling!
It’s a fact: You can “catch” a bad mood from others who are frowning around you! Blame the “mirror neurons” in our brains that automatically “mirror” other people’s emotions! Fortunately, you can catch a good mood from others just as easily—and it all starts by putting a smile on your own face! ✤ It works! Smiling activates muscles and nerves that tell your brain that the world is a friendly, inviting place, report neuroscientists. And that prompts you to zero in on the happy faces around you rather than the frowning ones!
And swing your arms!
Walking with a straighter posture, swinging your arms and speeding up your gait slightly makes the world seem like a better place. Turns out, this style of walking revs self-confidence, triggering an overall sunnier attitude!