Find Your Happy Place…. 15 Natural Ways to Boost Your Mental Health

Humans are a little like flowers, we do well with lots of sunshine, healthy nutrients, plenty of clean water, fresh air and being among other flowers…. 

So it pains me to see that despite the leaps and bounds in research and launches of well-being products out there, the past 18months we have seen a HUGE peak in cases of anxiety and depression.

The reasons for this are multifaceted and not limited to: reduction in Vitamin D due to being indoors a lot more, isolation from family and friends, reduction in physical contact (hugs etc), living in a state of fear, stress, financial hardship, toxic home life, division among friends and family (vaxxed non vaxxed etc), reduction in daily movement. I mean the list goes on…. basically we need to get back to being flowers, outside, among other flowers…

Thats why it is so important to be weaving some of these things back into our daily priorities especially as we go into winter. Good news is, that it’s a lot more simple than we might think.

1. Hugs…. Possibly the most underrated physical activity!! Scientists of Carnegie Mellon Uni in 2015 did a study between touch and better immunity. They observed that those who received more hugs were less likely to get sick and also healed quicker. This may well be because when we hug our bodies release serotonin, while cortisol leaves, we feel connected and adds depth to our communication. Additionally it brings us into the present moment like meditation and our nervous system relaxes. Hugs = All round winning.
2. Heart Head Coherence. HeartMath Institute are the leading expert in this field and have done studies that show when our heads and hearts are aligned our immune system is boosted, stress and anxiety levels are lowered, anti aging hormones are released, our nervous system functions better, we have increased quality of sleep and we feel more energized. Heart and head coherence can be achieved by placing our hands on our hearts for 3 minutes, using focused breath to cultivate positive emotions focusing on something that brings us joy. Check the HeartMath site for more info or check out Greg Bradens site for a guided practical;https://www.greggbraden.com/meditation-inner-peace-and-calm/.
3. Nature / Trees hugging 🙂 So tree hugging has definitely been given a bad rap as ‘hippy’ or ‘weird’ but the thing is we forget that we are actually made of nature, and so wouldn’t it make sense that being in nature would benefit us? And spending too much time disconnected from nature would have a negative impact on us? Well its not just me that has come to that conclusion… A book called ‘Blinded by science’ has condensed some of the various scientific studies showing that being in nature and attuning to a tree via a hug, actually has a huge impact on our mental well being. We can intentionally raise our vibration by connecting to trees and spending more time in open green spaces…. Just another example of how wonderful hugs are 🙂
4. Alkaline. Which means eat Green vegetable, lots of lemon water and steering clear of too much coffee, alcohol and sugar. These whilst we may crave them actually sends our body into chaos… try replacing with a pint of lemon water or cinnamon stick, the energy boost you’ll get will be noticeable and you won’t crash. Also, British Journal of Psychiatry found a link between happiness levels of those who ate oily fish, low sugar fruits and veggies were less likely to become depressed than those who ate mostly meat and bread….
5. Community – Connect with your favorite people, hang out, shoot the breeze & laugh. We are human not robots and need others to feel a senses of belonging and connection. Serotonin will go up and stress will go down.
6. Work on something you love, giving yourself permission to just play, leaving your perfectionist at the door.
7. Palo Santo– An ancient practice of surging to clear the bad vibes in your home and your field. Its amazing. Try it.
8. Meditation or chant. Pick one you love or are drawn too. There are tonnes of youtube and also loads of apps. I personally like Slumber and Soulvana, which both have guided meditations that will support in your wellbeing.
9. Ask Questions to the universe. Universe, show me how to shift beyond this pattern? Universe what could I accomplish today that will bring me more joy? Universe what would it take to feel happier right away? It sounds silly but I’ll let you be the judge of it when you try… it’s literally magic.
10. Eat Fresh Food– Not only does the way your food is prepared have an impact on the vibration of it and how it makes you feel but fresh usually means its packed with more vitamins to support proper production of happy hormones. Additionally, in a study by Georgia State University they discovered the inflammatory impact of preservatives on gut health and the subsequent link to anxiety. Also bananas and blueberries are supposed to be great at relaxing the nervous system, so if you’re struggling with anxiety make sure your snacks are packing the right kind of punch to set you up to win!
11. Intention. Remember paper and pens? Well if you have some stashed away nows your chance to dig them out and use them in the evening before bed and write out your intentions for the next day, what emotions you would like to feel, things you’d like to do / create. Your brain and field will go to work for you while you sleep and when you wake up you will be aligned and ready to start your day focused with more energy.
12. Use an Uplifting essential Oil. I love ‘Cheer’ by Doterra. It’s da bomb. Citrus generally has an uplifting effect on the body and something like Lavender has a calming effect so helps if you’re feeling anxious. Doterra is therapeutic grade so a little goes a long way and it has zero nasties.
13. Movement / Song. Dance like no one is watching or everyone is.… depending on what floats your boat 😉 Our bodies crave to dance and move in a flow that feels natural to us. It will boost your mood, make you feel sexy and give you a confidence boost. In turn raise your vibration and you will quite literally be more attractive… as your magnetic field will have shifted! And it’s impossible to feel sexy and be miserable 😉
14. Sleep. Get your 7-8 hour quota. Practice sleep hygiene…. Stop scrolling an hour before bed. With decent sleep, your brain will work better and you will smile more. Simples.
15. Add more colour to your life. Yellow is said to literally be a happy colour and our brains associate it with sunshine. Experiment with bringing more colour into your home and wardrobe and see which colours work best you!

Let me know how you get on with finding your own happy place and do get in touch if you’d like to join our upcoming course kicking off at the start of November as we’ll be doing a deep dive into some of these and supporting each other to integrate some of these making our day to day lives brighter!

Blessings,

Rimini