We have all gone through periods in our lives in which we have found ourselves in a low mood, sad, discouraged, and this is absolutely normal... "Being down" is something that we cannot prevent from happening from time to time, because it is practically impossible for our state of mind to be 100% indefinitely.
What can we do if our spirits are down?
We offer you some guidelines that can help you if you are going through a period in which your mood is low:
Don't make too much of "having a comedown."
The downturns have the importance that we want to give them and we must learn to relativize them and manage them appropriately to get out of them as soon as possible and not let ourselves fall into the nets of sadness, victimhood or apathy... In most cases the " Downturns" have a short duration, so we should not be overwhelmed, since most likely everything will return to normal soon.
Do not fear negative emotions.
We should not be afraid of negative emotions, when we have a negative emotion like sadness, our mind is sending us the following message: stop and reflect, maybe there is something you should change in your life or that you should start doing to be happier! or find you better!
Don't anticipate the future.
We must try to keep our mind always in the PRESENT since many times we anticipate what is going to happen.
For this reason, it is important that we live day by day and not worry about what might happen tomorrow…if we fantasize about what might happen tomorrow, we are most likely going to be wrong.
Pay attention to the positive things in your life.
Many times in life things happen to us that are not pleasant but, at the same time, pleasant things also happen.
What happens is that sometimes we only pay attention to the bad things and that makes us feel sad. We must also pay attention to the good things we have in our lives!
Do not expect anything from the people around you.
As much as we strive to control what others do, we must accept and understand that each person has their way of interpreting and functioning in the world and if you learn not to expect anything from the people around you, frustration, impotence and disappointment will not be able to take over you because this is often the reason for our state of mind.
To bad weather, good face!
If we are down, we must avoid all those behaviors that detract from our quality of life and we must try to carry out behaviors that help us feel better…..try to smile, be kind to the people around you, do activities that you enjoy, fix yourself, look for plans in those that you can have a good time, etc.
If we pout and complain, assuming a victim attitude and addressing others with ugly words or in an inappropriate tone, it is possible that others do not want to be by our side and that our sadness lasts longer.
Various scientific experiments have shown that when we smile, even when we smile forcibly, our mood changes because the brain interprets that if you smile, you are happy and releases substances that also cause you pleasure.
If your mood has been low for too long or if you experience low moods frequently and you don't know how to handle them properly, consult a professional who will help you redirect this situation.
self knowledge
It is one of the tools that can help you the most, because it gives you the key to the state of mind you have at all times and, from there, you can work on your emotions when necessary. We all have worse days in which our mood drops and the worst option is to get carried away by the negative cycle and the best option, without a doubt, is to work to feel better.
These sensations also affect our bodily activity. And vice versa, the state of our body can be the cause of our state of mind, as demonstrated by numerous studies.
There are some simple recommendations that can help you lift your spirits:
rest properly
Sleep is one of the most underrated healthy routines because having a quality rest is essential for our physical and mental health. Healthline magazine recently published a study on the effects of sleep deprivation, such as tiredness, moodiness and lightheadedness, because getting less sleep than necessary can "negatively affect mental abilities and emotional state."
Eat in a balanced way
An orderly, healthy and balanced diet can help your mood improve significantly, because you will have more energy and that will translate into greater vitality. Choose natural, local, seasonal foods and avoid refined carbohydrates, trans fats, ultra-processed foods and sugar. There are foods rich in tryptophan, a precursor of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in regulating mood.
avoid alcohol
Alcohol is a drug that acts as a depressant on the nervous system.
If we drink to forget our problems or to inhibit depressive and anxiety symptoms, we will only make the situation worse and our discomfort increase, because after a slight relief due to the altered state of consciousness, alcohol, due to its depressant properties on the nervous system, aggravates depression and increases feelings of guilt and inadequacy.
Activate your body
Leading an active life brings many benefits and you don't have to be a high-performance athlete... just walk at a good pace every day or do some sport. It has been more than proven that exercising regularly increases levels of mood-regulating neurotransmitters, such as endorphins, and decreases cortisol levels, the stress hormone.
socializing will help you
It is very possible that, when the mood is not as high as you would like, you tend to let yourself be carried away by apathy, sadness or emptiness, but isolating yourself is not a good decision, because negative feelings will gain space.
Try to maintain some social activity; It will help you get out of the loop and stop thinking about what makes you feel down.
Music conveys positive feelings
Music is a very powerful tool, but only if you choose it well…avoid sad and melancholic melodies and choose upbeat songs that can arouse positive emotions.
Bibliography
- Friend, I. (2017). Handbook of Health Psychology . Pyramid.
- Belloch, A., Sandin, B. & Ramos F. (Eds.) (2020). Manual of Psychopathology, vol I (3rd Ed.) . McGraw Hill Interamericana.
- Vallejo Ruiloba, J. (2015). Introduction to psychopathology and psychiatry (8th ed.). Masson.
- Conner, T.S.; Brookie, KL; Richardson, AC & Polak, MA (2015-05-01). «On carrots and curiosity: eating fruit and vegetables is associated with greater flourishing in daily life». British Journal of Health Psychology,” 20(2): 413–427.
- Jacobson, N.S.; Martell, CR & Dimidjian, S. (2001). “Behavioral Activation for depression: Returning to contextual roots”. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8: 255–270
- Riemann, D. & Berger, M. (2001). «Sleep and depression – results from psychobiological studies: an overview». Biological Psychology, 57(1–3): 67–103.
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