Mood or an even mental state is very important for every aspect of our life. As philosophers, spiritualists or people who lead a hectic work routine will bear out that ‘mental equilibrium’ is the most essential quality to go through the journey of life and come out in one piece. Physical health too comes a close second to an even temperament. Naturally one’s basic disposition has a lot to determine whether we are able to face everyday challenges boldly without letting life get the better of your tranquility or Sang Froid.The bottomline is that mood determines how successful we are going to be whether at work or socially or in relationships. The mood graph obviously registers changes and oscillates according to what we have to deal with, however if the graph points have these sudden peaks and troughs, it means the person has an imbalanced temperament and is sensitive to external stimuli.
Here are 5 things which you can depend on blindly for the maintenance of your mental hygiene.
Light exercise
Whenever you feel the darkness closing in, go for a run and watch your mood change. If you don’t exercise regularly then you will notice an appreciable change in your patterns. For those who exercise regularly and have a gap in between notice how irritable on days where there is no exercise. Exercise gets the blood circulating freely and releases feel good endorphins which maintain mood. Exercising everyday is not a bad idea at all. However do mind you don’t fall in the trap of heavy exercise-poor diet and no sleep as that can make you irritable and heavy in the head. Some people are naturally energetic and try to squeeze in as much in a day. So heavy exercise requires adequate rest for the body to repair and relax and if that condition is not satisfied a sore body has an impact on the mind causing depression and black moods. Aerobic exercise 3 times a week for 20 minutes can get rid of mild depression and keep you on an even ground.
Vitamin B: The mood pill
Sometimes mental problems like depression, fear and bad moods can have a very simple cause – Vitamin deficiencies, especially Vitamin B Complex. Depletion of Vitamin B stores in our body can lead to a spate of problems. Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine supplements are given to people recovering from alcoholism and cures mental fatigue as it processes amino acids in the body. Deficiency in B3 or Niacin can cause anxiety and agitation while deficiency in B12 can cause dementia, weak memory, intestinal disorders especially in aged people. Folic acid which is another is important for DNA synthesis. Refined sugars, alcohol, poor diet and lack of exercise cause the body to go weak in the B department. So, you have to take supplements to keep up the stores loaded.
Beauty sleep for a beautiful mind
As everyone who stays awake at night knows how irritable they feel the next morning. Humans need a regular quota of 8 hours for the brain to function optimally. What’s more important is this 8-hour sleep must be had only at night. People who work night shifts generally sleep during the day but that is not quite the same as sleeping at night. Moreover lack of sleep causes poor concentration levels, irritability & anxiety. At worse it can kill you! Sleep deprivation can be absolutely fatal so make no mistake about it. People who are in dangerous occupations should ensure that they get their full quota of sleep. Some people are nocturnal by habit so they should try and slowly curb down and try and sleep on time. Having a hot bath and listening to relaxing music can aid beauty sleep and refresh the mind.
Eat well and on time
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Some people are in a tearing hurry in the morning and hence skip breakfast or meals, and that is extremely dangerous. The body struggles to keep pace with the body’s energy needs and falls back on the energy reserves which are being consumed rapidly by the day-to-day activities. Never ever skip meals and go on crash diets as they can cause moods to swing wildly out of control. Some people maintain rigorous fasts as penance and religious observance. They may end up pleasing God but that’s surely not going to help their mood. Seafood like oysters and crab are rich in zinc, protein and selenium which are so very vital for our mental well being. Eat greens, sprouts, soups, chicken, organic food, vegetarian, non-vegetarian or eggetarian if you must, but for mood’s sake EAT ON TIME!
Be in the mood for sex
Sex helps improve mood. Like food, sexual gratification is also very important element that affects us deeply at the mental level. Physiologically having sex releases endorphins which are feel good factors which no pill can get you. People in loving, intimate relationships have fewer spats at work and have better concentration levels.
