As the weather turns cooler and the hours of daylight shorten, people start looking for ways to combat the psychic gloom that mirrors the lengthening nights. Take heart -- various well-documented strategies can help elevate your spirits:
- The next time you feel down, remind yourself that you are resilient. A recent Harvard University study of people 100 years of age and older found that the primary trait shared by most centenarians happened to be resilience, or the ability to adapt, stay flexible and bounce back in the face of adversity.
- Bolster your mental buoyancy with herbs such as Siberian ginseng that are medically proven to promote strong adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands "help you respond to stressful change in a positive way, thus making you more resilient" according to California acupuncturist John Holmstrom III.
- Another strategy to boost your mood is through exercise. Exercise heightens good feelings in three ways. One is by raising the brain chemicals that regulate mood and emotions. Another is by ridding the body of hormones created by stress. Exercise may also improve feelings of self-worth because active people know they're doing something good for themselves.
- According to Nateshvar Ken Scott, yoga master at the British Columbia resort Mountain Trek, "Doing sustained deep pranayama breathing increases oxygen flow throughout the body and brain and elevates your spirit." Scott, whose students include actors Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore, says, "Pranayama involves breathing deeply from the bottom of your diaphragm and using the glottis muscle." Scott adds, "When you inhale using that muscle at the back of your throat, you make an audible breathy sound."
Scott recommends practicing this type of breathing throughout the day. "Do it on line at the grocery store; do it in your hotel room; do it at work," he says. "It brings positive results fast."
