One-Minute Mood Shifters – Part 1

Try these three one-minute suggestions to experience a positive shift in your mood. You can practice them anytime, anywhere.

Feel Your Feet

You’re feeling wound up. Something has triggered you. You want to scream or cry or slump down in defeat. Pause and feel your feet. Literally. Physically feel your feet on the floor. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

With mouth closed, take a breath in and imagine you are breathing in through the crown of your head and say to yourself “I am” and then imagine exhaling out through your feet and say silently “Here. Grounded”. Inhale through your feet and say, “I am” and exhale through the crown of your head “Present”. Repeat this sequence a couple more times.

• Inhale through the crown of your head “I am”
• Exhale through your feet “Here. Grounded”
• Inhale through your feet “I am”
• Exhale through the crown of your head “Present”.

Taking time to connect to your physical body with a few conscious breaths activates your parasympathetic nervous system which is calming. You become present in the moment, aware of what has triggered you and able to choose the actions that will serve you best.

Smile breath

Smile breath is a simple breathing practice to centre you and can be done anywhere. In traffic (when stopped of course!) In a store line-up. Before or after a difficult conversation. If you’re feeling tired or a little down. You can do this breath with eyes closed or open.

• Sit or stand with your back straight (and both feet on the floor when sitting in a chair)
• Inhale fully into your belly
• Retain your breath as you lower chin to chest
• Exhale all your breath slowly while chin still lowered
• Inhale again fully
• Raise corners of the mouth and lift your chin
• Exhale

Simple and yet effective. Taking in a breath and pausing gives you a break for a moment from the thoughts rolling around your mind. Deep breathing brings more oxygen to your brain which can shift your mood and a slow exhale is calming. As well, a number of studies have shown that laughing or smiling for no reason can have a positive effect on mood. Your body doesn’t know if it’s real or fake so bring a smile to your face more often.

Express Gratitude

Sometimes we get so caught up in the fast pace of our lives and the challenges we face that we don’t see options or a way out. Our energy is depleted and we end up in a negative spiral. Slowing down to acknowledge the good things and expressing gratitude activates positivity and generates a sense of well-being.

• Take a minute and make a mental or written note of at least three things for which you are grateful. Big or small – doesn’t matter. It might be the clear blue sky above or the rain that is watering your garden. It might be the yummy lunch you are about to eat or the almonds you put in your bag the other day when you don’t have time for lunch. It might be the friendly greeting from the person who served you coffee this morning or those that helped you clean up your coffee when you dropped it.
• Make sure you have at least three things on your list. More is even better. Once you have your list, take a moment to really savour the feeling of appreciation.

Gratitude is about appreciating something that has come our way as a gift to be treasured. It is a powerful positive emotion and science research shows that positivity changes the scope and boundaries of our minds, opening the span of possibilities that we see. Positivity helps us live longer, healthier lives. Positive emotions depend on how we interpret the events of our lives, moment by moment. It really is mind over matter – changing our habits to notice what’s good versus focusing on what’s wrong.

Note: I am grateful for the pioneering efforts of Amy Weintraub, MFA, E-RYT 500, creator and founder of LifeForce Yoga to Manage Mood and Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., distinguished professor and principal investigator in the field of Positivity. Their work has had a tremendous influence on how I live my life and is an important aspect of my work with clients.

You'll find more ideas in this blog post  One-Minute Mood Shifters, Part 2

For a more in depth lesson on mood, energy and breath, check out my course Simple Practices to Shift Your Mood And Improve Your Energy. 

What are your favourite ways to shift your mood? Please let me know and we can add to the list.