Four Mood Changing Moves

There really is something to this mind-body-spirit connection and when all three are in alignment you’re going to feel better. This is then, where spirituality and personal development become physical.

Our posture and the way we move our bodies are a couple of the ways to connect the three dimensions of self. We forget to do it though. We forget how important it is, or we become just plain lazy and end up hunched over the computer keyboard for hours or lumped like a couch potato in front of the television.

If we change how we stand, sit, move during our days, we can change how we feel.

So, next time you’re feeling blue, stressed, anxious, angry, inadequate, shift your body, change your posture and your mood will follow along.

Here are four ways to do it.

Smile: Plenty of research, including one study from 1989 and another published in the journal Psychological Science last year proves that a smile – even a faky, contrived one – can actually induce happiness and reduce stress. So, even if you have to talk yourself into it, give yourself a grin or simply repeat the long “e” sound as psychologist Robert Zajonc had participants do in that early study to stretch a smile and you’ll feel better.

Self hug. Kristen Neff, renowned for her research into self-compassion suggests a hug as a way of coping with the stress of making a mistake. When we wrap our arms around, well, our arms or shoulders, our bodies release oxytocin which is causes us to feel more nurturing and less reactive. Hugging others can also leave you and the one receiving the embrace feeling uplifted.

Tilt your chin up. Look at the sky. Just look up. Lifting your chin up and letting your shoulders sit back improves mood and confidence in potentially difficult situations, according to Paula Niedenthal, a psychology professor, who has studied the link between posture and emotion. No surprise then, that people who keep their chins down and shoulders slumped generally don’t feel as positive.

Dance. Seriously. Just do it. Rock out by yourself in the living room, before the kids get home, or gently sway with your husband long after they are in bed. Scores of studies show that various dance forms decrease stress, improve focus and concentration, and yep, you guessed it, boost your mood. My own anecdotal evidence supports this research. From the time my daughter was a baby, we’ve used music to help ease her from a tantrum or to diffuse the negative energy once it’s over. After the emotion has eased a bit, we often turn on the tunes or have a family dance party and all of us end up feeling better.

 

 

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