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No strength, unimportant mood — all these are signs of spring blues. However, do not despair. We list simple tricks against the blues that will help you not to give up and achieve good health.
Use both hemispheres
We are in a good mood when our two hemispheres of the brain communicate well and we equally use one and the other. If you are used to referring primarily to your left hemisphere (responsible for logic, analysis, auditory memory, language), pay more attention to art, creativity, social interactions, adventure, humor, intuition and other abilities of the right hemisphere — and vice versa.
Limit the use of paracetamol
Of course, unless you feel really bad, because pain is not what we need to feel good. In all other cases, remember that this very useful analgesic is also an anti-euphoric agent.
In other words, anesthesia of the body and mind causes a feeling of indifference and makes us less receptive to negative emotions…but positive ones too!
Eat gherkins
Psychology is born in the gut, so take care of it. Modern research on eating behavior suggests that this «second brain» to some extent directs our emotions and influences mood.
For example, a recent study showed that out of 700 American students, those who regularly ate sauerkraut, gherkins (or pickles) and yogurt were less timid and less prone to phobias and stress than everyone else.
Learn to play the bell
In the center of the brain there is a small ball that oscillates in all directions: the tongue of the bell, the amygdala of the brain. The zone of emotions is surrounded by the cortex — the zone of reason. The ratio between the amygdala and the cortex changes with age: teenagers with their hyperactive amygdala are more impulsive than wise old people with a developed cortex, whose rational zones work more.
Studies have shown that when the amygdala works, the cortex shuts down.
We cannot be emotional and contemplative at the same time. When things go wrong, stop and take back control of your brain. Conversely, when experiencing a pleasant moment, stop thinking and surrender to pleasure.
Refuse infantile notions
Psychologist Jean Piaget believed that we become adults when we give up infantile ideas of «all or nothing» that plunge us into depression. To increase flexibility and freedom, you should:
Avoid global thinking («I’m a loser»).
Learn to think multidimensionally («I’m a loser in one area and a winner in others»).
Move from invariant (“I never succeeded”) to flexible reasoning (“I am able to change depending on circumstances and over time”), from character diagnostics (“I am naturally sad”) to behavioral diagnostics (“In certain situations, I feel sad”), from irreversibility (“I can’t get out of this with my weaknesses”) to the possibility of change (“At any age you can learn something, and at me too”).
Reward the emotions that fight the blues
American psychologist Leslie Kirby identified eight emotions that help to avoid blues:
curiosity,
pride,
hope,
happiness,
thanks,
surprise,
motivation,
satisfaction.
Learn to recognize them, experience and remember them. You can even arrange appropriate situations for yourself in order to fully experience these feelings. Experiencing a pleasant moment, finally stop thinking and surrender to pleasure!
Activate mirror neurons
These neurons, discovered by neurophysiologist Giacomo Rizzolatti, are responsible for imitation and empathy and make us feel influenced by others. If we are surrounded by smiling people saying nice things to us, we willy-nilly activate good mood mirror neurons.
The opposite effect will be if we start listening to depressive music surrounded by people with gloomy faces.
In moments of low spirits, viewing photos of those we love guarantees a charge of good mood. In doing so, you stimulate the attachment force and mirror neurons at the same time.
Listen to Mozart
Music, used as «additional therapy», reduces postoperative pain, helps to recover faster and, of course, improves mood. One of the most joyful composers is Mozart, and the most antidepressant work is Sonata for Two Pianos K 448. Mozart is especially indicated for premature babies, as his works protect neurons from stress and enhance their growth.
Other options: Concerto Italiano by Johann Sebastian Bach and Concerto Grosso by Arcangelo Corelli (listen for 50 minutes every evening for at least a month). Heavy metal also has a good effect on the mood of teenagers, although it is more stimulating than fun.
Make a list of accomplishments
Alone with ourselves, we first of all think about failures, mistakes, failures, and not about what we succeeded. Reverse this trend: take a notepad, divide your life into 10-year segments, and for each find the achievement of the decade. Then identify your strengths in different areas (love, work, friendships, hobbies, family).
Think of the little pleasures that brighten your day and write them down.
If nothing comes to your mind, make it a habit to carry a notebook with you to write down such things. Over time, you will learn to identify them.
Be crazy!
Get out of your chair. Don’t miss the chance to express yourself, laugh, resent, change your mind. Surprise yourself and loved ones. Do not hide your addictions, hobbies that others laugh at. You will be slightly explosive and unpredictable, but so much the better: it is uplifting!
About the author: Michel Lejoieau is a professor of psychiatry, addiction psychologist, and author of Information Overdose.