Back to nature
Yes, I know everyone is always telling us to connect with nature, but it really does help. So if you cannot take that much-needed vacation to go on the beach or mountains, try to include nature in your day-to-day activity either by going for a walk or playing an outdoor sport. Else try to incorporate at least two outdoor meals a week. Seriously alfresco dining is great mood enhancer, so why don’t you make a small setting in your balcony/terrace or garden. Most guys find pasta and soup comforting and women find off the rack food like chips and chocolate comforting. So why not plan your alfresco meal combining both options with pasta and chocolate cake and serve it with a beautiful bottle of wine.
Use your senses
I mean that literally! Smell has a very strong impact on our mood, so while certain perfumes make us feel warm by reminding us of our parents or grandparents, similarly certain food items, like freshly baked bread or pickle which are associated with happy childhood memories make us feel instantly relaxed. So keeping these associations in mind, light incense that smells like rose, lavender and ylang ylang in your home or work space. Another suggestion is to spray a bit of these smells on your pillow before sleeping, they are supposed to be great stress relievers. Touch therapy is supposed to be another great mood enhancer. So go in for a nice massage, it is supposed to have a great impact on your mood. Check out the ones I tried out here and here.
Colour, Colour, Colour
I cannot emphasis enough on the impact of colour on our moods. Even though I am a bright colour kind of person but too much brightness could be overpowering and can turn out to be a mood dampener, so use colour smartly in your home. For instance red is great for dining rooms as it promotes social and lively feelings but a no-no for children’s bedrooms as it can be too overpowering. It is best instead to use it in moderation, with either doing up one wall or having red accessories. Pink especially fuchsia can be great to induce passion into your lives, but can seem too girly so is best to mix with charcoal. Orange is again great for living and dining areas, especially a warm hue as it adds stability. Green is a very calming and restful colour and adds to the feeling of stability and balance. But one has to be careful that too much of green can make a person very laid back. Blue is another colour which has a calming and soothing effect. It promotes intellectual thoughts. Sunshine yellow is another colour that is great for kitchens and living rooms as it stimulates energy and intellect. If you cannot go in for a complete change of colour you can always add accessories in these colours depending on what area in your life you want to emphasize.
Besides the above, constantly challenge your body and mind. We tend to get stuck in a rut and don’t bother with new things, for instance take up a new hobby. Activities that give us an adrenaline rush are supposed to be great mood enhancers. Same can be said for mental exercises in form of crossword puzzles and Sudoku challenges.
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Written by Aparna Kaistha on 5th Jun 2014
Twitter Handle: @aparnakaistha
Blog Link: www.stylecity.com