Find a scent

This information comes from InStyle magazine (April 2007, ‘5 ways to improve your mood’, by Robin Powell, pp.184–186)

Smells go directly into the emotional centre of the brain, bypassing rational interpretation and producing an instant emotional response. That’s why smelling the aftershave worn by your first boss might make you uncomfortable around your new date, or why the scent of the roses your grandmother grew can make you feel automatically cocooned in warmth.

It’s worth experimenting to find a few fragrances that can instantly lift your mood. These are often associated with positive memories from childhood – memories of being loved and cared for. For many people, it’s the smell of baking cakes. For others, it’s the scent of ripe mangoes, conjuring summer holidays, or the aroma of fresh coffee creating an expectation of enjoyment.

Use your knowledge to create mood lifters that help you feel content.

You can also train yourself to respond positively to a particular, easily-come-by scent.

For example, put some lavender essence in an oil burner and concentrate on creating a relaxed and positive mood. Soon the smell itself will create the mood, and you can use it to lift a cloud.

Try organic essential oils & perfumes 

See related topics:

Improve your mood with exercise

Keep smiling

Count your blessing

Be daring

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Lucie

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Be daring 

This information comes from InStyle magazine (April 2007, ‘5 ways to improve your mood’, by Robin Powell, pp.184–186)

We like novelty – something new, something different. We hate to be bored, and when our brain’s not engaged in something that takes up our attention it can fill instead with old fears and anxieties, negative feelings and thoughts.

So when you’re feeling down, a change really can be as good as a holiday.

Shake up your routine, try a new gym class, go somewhere else for lunch, sign up to do a course.

It’s also important to protect the value of the things you like to do, by not doing them all the time.

Pleasures repeated too often lose their lustre, in the same way that we kill off our favourite pieces of music by playing them over and over.

Find a range of things you like to do, and do them all, but not so often as to take any of them for granted.

See related topics:

Improve your mood with exercise

Keep smiling

Count your blessing

Find a scent

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Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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Keep smiling

This information comes from InStyle magazine (April 2007, ‘5 ways to improve your mood’, by Robin Powell, pp.184–186)

We often think our physical body and our emotions are two separate, yet they are entwined and constantly interacting. We know we clench our teeth when we’re angry, hunch our shoulders when we’re stress and smile when we’re happy, but these emotions go both ways.

Grit your teeth and frown and you’ll start to feel crabby; tense up your shoulders and neck, and feel anxiety start to flow. In the same way, smiling, even when you don’t feel like it, can trigger positive emotions. Blink- John Gotman explains power of face expressions.

The trick is to smile not just with your mouth, but also with your eyes. A real smile involves all those tiny muscles around the eyes. You may need to practise, but once you are a good smile-faker, researchers have found that the electrical impulses set off in the brain are the same from a faked smile, as those resulting from a genuine laugh.

Pretending to feel good has another impact – on other people. Emotional states are contagious: when you confront people with aggression, they give it right back, and when you smile and greet people with a pleasant manner, they tend to respond in kind.

This flow-on effect means that even if you start your day feeling crabby, pretending to be sunny can create enough warmth around you that you can end up experiencing positive emotions.

Silvan Tompkins practically invented the field of ‘nonverbal behaviour’ through close observation of emotional expressions in people. See his book

See related topic

Improve your mood with exercise

Count your blessing

Be daring

Find a scent

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Have a lovely day

Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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Count your blessings

This information comes from InStyle magazine  (April 2007, ‘5 ways to improve your mood’, by Robin Powell, pp.184–186)

It’s important to acknowledge the privileged life you lead. Not just when it comes to basic physical needs such as food, shelter and water – although we know that’s not the situation for everyone in the world – but also in being loved by friends and family.

We’re often temped to compare ourselves to others, who seem to have more of everything (more money, love, power or status and less behind, belly or baggy bits), and covet their good fortune.

To help address envy, one of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s many recommendations is to stop looking at those who appear to have more, and start to looking at those who have less.

Then instead of focusing constantly on what you don’t have, focus on what you do have.

Try this to create a positive mood. Find five ways of completing this sentence:

• ‘I wish I were a …’
• ‘I’m really glad I’m not a …’

Note the different emotions created by either having a whinge, or reflecting on your good fortune!

Dr John Demartini’s book Count your blessings reveals the connection between your health and your state of mind.

See related topic

Improve your mood with exercise

Keep smiling

Be daring

Find a scent

What did you think of this article? I welcome your feedback

Have a lovely day

Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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Just few up lifting wisdoms

Little by Little

Any large scale accomplishment is achieved only when tackled little by little. Be patient and tackle only one thing at a time. The watch the big picture unfold

Enjoy Life

When we push ourselves to enjoy life, our food metabolises better, our blood circulates more freely and we have a greater drive to feel and look great

A word on long life

Li Chung Yun lived to be 156 years old and when asked to what he attributed his long life he answered: ‘inward calm, unprocessed foods, moderate eating and plenty of exercise. Think about it

It’s your responsibility

Remember: You aren’t responsible for the misfortunes in your life, but you are responsible for doing something about them

The sound of silence

For a few minutes every day, close your eyes and listen to the sound of silence. It’s so often the most beautiful ‘music’ of all

The law of karma

Always be aware of the choices you make and of their consequences. The law of karma states that the consequences of our decisions return to us in some way. Generate happiness and success and they will return you as the fruits of karma

Take care of yourself

Taking care of yourself is not self-indulgence; its survival. Spend just ten minutes a day utterly, shamelessly and joyfully on yourself

‘Danger’ and “opportunity’

The Chinese character for ‘crisis’ is a combination of the two words ‘danger’ and ‘opportunity’, so while too much stress can lead to disease, it can also be a great challenge. Try to see the positive potential of your next stressful situation.

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See  more ‘Health topics’ 

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Have a lovely day

Lucie

www.familyhealthbeautyinfo.com

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