How to feel good everyday

How we feel mentally is often tied with what condition our physical body is. For example if you had a sleepless night then chances are you will wake up with your mood affected, usually feeling tired and irritable. When we are in a negative mindset it is not uncommon for the rest of your day to be impacted, and all we want to do is get the day over and done with. Many of us have certain tools to slow or bring up our state of mind to a more positive one, usually the tools we use are quick dopamine spikes like, food, coffee and alcohol. These spikes come at a cost and you will have to pay it back by either feeling more sluggish and mentally depleted.

I am going to list a few tools that I personally use when I need to boost my mood in order to get on with my day.

Exercise - This comes with no surprise and it is at the top of my list to boost mood. Exercise has come up in research multiple times as one of the best mood enhancers. In 2023 a study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BMJ) Concluded that "Physical activity is highly beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress across a wide range of adult populations, including the general population, people with diagnosed mental health disorders and people with chronic disease. Physical activity should be a mainstay approach in the management of depression, anxiety and psychological distress."
My recommendation is to work up a mild sweat, this intensity is high enough for all the positive mental benefits of exercise. Exercise can be as simple as a brisk walk up a hill or a short bodyweight circuit. Think of a time where you have ever regretted a workout, usually it is never.

Sun exposure - There is a reason why we all look forward to a clear sunny day, it usually makes a us feel great. Sun exposure can have an impact on many of our hormones that make us feel good, one of them being serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy, it is the main ingredient in ecstasy, the love drug. My recommendation is to get 20 minutes of sun exposure, preferably in the morning. You don't have to strip off and sun bath, but just exposing your sight in the direction of the sun is all you need. Have your coffee by the window, even on an overcast day the benefits of sun exposure are still powerful.

Fasting - Besides potential fat-loss benefits of fasting, extending your first meal a few hours later can have positive feel good effects. Fasting acts on the sympathetic nervous system which leads to increased mental clarity. When you eat, your body will start digesting, digesting food acts on the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for everything else to slow down, this is why some people experience a food coma after they eat a big meal. The mental clarity you experience during a fast can only be experienced once you get used to pushing your meal back and a new routine is established. Initially you might feel brain fog and headaches, these symptoms are normal and it is your body transitioning from sugar burning to fat burning.

Spending time on your hobby or passion - This is an underrated activity that improves your mental wellbeing. Although we might not have the time everyday, it is important to allocate time in the week for what you really enjoy. Being immersed in an activity or hobby is sometimes known as flow state, where time does not exist and you are just fixated on the task. The flow state decreases stress and allows your body and mind to recover. A famous account of flow state working wonders was Steven Kotler's battle with Lyme disease, he struggled with the disease and it wasn't until he started surfing his symptoms of Lyme began to disappear. He soon discovered it was not surfing that cured 80% of his symptoms but it was the magic of flow state and it's ability to lower stress and heal.

There you have it, my top 4 ways to feel good everyday. If you apply just one of these actions each day you will no doubt feel better, but just know that happiness is not somewhere you have to be all the time. Feeling good and happiness is a state you achieve once you have gone through certain challenges and set backs and it is fine to feel the other side as well. However there are a few things you can do in your day to move that dial towards a smile.