1. Feature Article: "10 Easy and (Mostly) Free Things you Can do to Boost Mood
and Energy"
Today's article comes from the Renewed Man Boot Camp. Renewed Man is a systematic teaching and coaching series designed to help men grow emotionally, relationally, and spiritually ... developing the essential character quality of "self-mastery." Even though this community is created for men, the principles
are universal -- women will benefit from these insights as well.
We build this teaching around 12 Keys, and this week, we're focusing on Key 8:
MANAGING ANXIETY AND STRESS. Here's how we put it:
8. MANAGING ANXIETY AND STRESS - We pay attention to our
needs and limits as human beings. We work to create a life that is amazing and exciting, but also sustainable … a life we don't feel the need to escape from.
Here's one of the daily messages from this week's teaching series. It focuses more narrowly on a particular
habit that I recommend people add to their environment. I hope this will help you:
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We tend to think that the only way to reduce our stress and anxiety is to get rid of our problems, and/or reduce our responsibilities. We think: If we weren't so busy, if we didn't have all these problems … then we'd be calm and happy.
But we never seem to get there.
Maybe we should try a
different approach. What if, instead of trying to eliminate all our challenges, we instead focus on building our strength and ability to deal with them? Or to put it another way, What if we instead focused on doing things that built our positive energy?
How can we do that? Here are 10 ways, from the Food Matters Institute. (Spoiler alert: they aren't about food.) This is a great list of things we can all do to make our lives better, by increasing our health and
energy levels.
1. Meditation
The average human being has over 50,000 thoughts every day! Your thoughts directly impact your mood, mindset, and the way you handle stress triggers. Let too many negative thoughts in, and you’re bound to have a bad day. For this reason, it’s essential to our health that we regularly take time to quiet the mind, slow
the flow of thoughts, and reset.
Research has shown that meditating for at least 10 minutes per day can reduce stress by 60% - that’s just 0.7% of your day!
Meditation reduces stress by actually changing the brain’s structure. It increases melatonin levels to help us sleep, and serotonin levels to boost our mood. Regular meditation can lower anxiety and depression. Meditation has also been found to slow aging on a cellular level, and significantly reduce blood pressure for improved heart health.
2. Breathwork (focused time where we intentionally slow down our breathing)
There is a difference between taking a breath and mindfully breathing. In fact, breathwork and meditation are closely linked. When you’re scared or having a panic attack, your breath becomes short and
shallow. The opposite is a mindful (or intentional) flow of oxygen, where breaths are long and deep. Like meditation, focused breathwork allows you to pause, and restore your body.
How to Practice Breathwork: Even something as simple as taking five deep breaths in and out through the nostrils while being intentional (thinking about the breath) can be beneficial. You might also try box breathing, where you breathe in through the nostrils for four counts, hold breath for four counts, breathe out through the nostrils for four counts, hold breath again for four counts ... and then repeat 5-10 times.
3. Cold Water Immersion
Cold water therapy supports the body’s innate healing power by activating the immune, lymphatic, circulatory, and digestive systems. It's such a simple yet profound way to boost your health and vitality! Best of all, you don’t have to jump into the Arctic ocean, sit in an ice bath, or even give up hot
showers!
Simply switch up the last 30 seconds of your shower with cold water. The temperature shock you feel from cold water prompts the body to increase its heart rate, which in turn releases and stimulates the rush of blood throughout the body and oxygenates your cells, which increases your alertness. As well as waking you up for the day (and doing the world of good for your hair), cold water therapy helps support your body’s natural processes - including the
stress response.
4. Morning Sunlight Exposure
It may feel good to take it slow and get ready in a dark, cozy room,
but we may be delaying our body’s natural ability to energize itself with the solar cycle. If we open the curtains, let the light in, and maybe even put some energizing music on, we too will become energized and motivated, ready to start the day.
But don't leave it at that: GET OUTSIDE! Research specifies that in order to make morning sun exposure valuable, we need to go outside and get it directly. Windows filter out much of the spectrum of red light. Don't believe me, listen to Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman on the importance of getting morning sunlight OUTSIDE.)
Morning sun exposure helps stimulate cortisol, epinephrine, and dopamine hormones which will initially wake you up, and then help you sleep better that night. Try getting your sunlight exposure during a morning activity, such as a walk or visit to the beach, and your body will thank you for it!
5. Morning Exercise
Exercise is a powerful tool to help you sleep better, boost your mood,
and shift your mindset. While exercise is great to fit in across your day, to help promote good sleep, it's best to exercise in the morning. Exercise increases your heart rate, increases your core temperature, and causes the body to release endorphins. You want to do this before it gets too late in the day, because typically at night your heart rate slows down and your core body temperature drops to help facilitate sleep.
One of the best benefits of regular exercise is the endorphins it releases. Endorphins are the feel-good neurotransmitters that your body produces and releases. Have you ever noticed that you feel upbeat
or happy after a workout? That's due to increased oxygen flow to your brain and endorphins!
6. Rethink Caffeine
You slept through your alarm, missed breakfast, and are now late to work. There may not be time to stop for breakfast, but the day doesn’t start without caffeine, right? Sure, that jolt of coffee will
stimulate the body first thing when you don’t feel like you have energy to spare. In the long run though, it isn’t always the best thing for our health.
Oftentimes, you’re left
with a mid-day energy crash and the need to refuel, only leading to a cycle. Not only does caffeine have an acidic, dehydrating effect on the body first thing in the morning and on an empty stomach, it can also affect your adrenals over time. You don’t have to give up your morning coffee, but try to limit the amount, and don’t drink it on an empty stomach. Try to hydrate yourself and eat breakfast before having your coffee. If you’re ready to give up coffee but not the caffeine quite yet, try
having a matcha latte or green tea instead.
7. Grounding
Exposure to a high level of EMFs is having a huge impact on our health. (Electric and magnetic fields -- EMFs -- are invisible areas of energy, often referred to as
radiation, that are associated with the use of electrical power and various forms of natural and man-made lighting.) EMFs are thought to be a significant factor in the increased level of chronic disease in our modern society.
Grounding, or earthing, is an ancient practice that is thought to lower the impact of these environmental EMFs. Grounding simply means connecting to the earth, which is something we can’t do when we walk
around in rubber or plastic soled shoes all day.
The surface of planet earth is negatively charged and when this negative charge is connected to human skin, it reduces inflammation and
contributes to other positive health effects. Since the earth has a greater negative charge than your body, you end up absorbing electrons from it. It’s thought that the influx of free electrons from the earth’s surface helps to neutralize free radicals and reduce both acute and chronic inflammation, which is at the root of many health conditions and accelerated
aging.
Grounding is believed to be one of the most potent antioxidants we know of, and may have an anti-inflammatory effect on your body. It might seem crazy or "out there" at first, but be aware that grounding has been the topic of significant research in the past few years. A simple google search will lead to an array of research articles. Take time in your day to kick your shoes off.
8. Mindfulness/Gratitude
When your body is in a state of chronic stress, the stress response becomes the body’s new balance, but it doesn’t have to be that way! You can learn to take responsibility for your thoughts and regulate your internal state, independent of the conditions in your external environment. You don’t need to wait until a time of crisis or disease to teach yourself these habits. In fact, if you
start practicing while times are good, it will make moments of distress much easier.
Gratitude is the feeling and/or expression of thankfulness and appreciation. Expressing
gratitude regularly improves mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational wellbeing. Research shows that people who regularly practice gratitude have lower blood pressure, exercise more often, and even have fewer aches and pains.
The best part? With the practice of gratitude comes increased serotonin levels - the happiness hormone - which leads to positive relationships with those around you, including yourself. This results in a decrease in thoughts of depression. From that state, it gets even easier to continue to be grateful!
9. Monitoring Screen Time - and limiting night-time use
Screens - think phones, laptops, and TVs - have a direct impact on our
health. Staring at them for too long throughout the day -- especially first thing in the morning and right before you go to bed -- will only make it harder for you to have a restful night’s sleep. Many of us sleep with our phones on our bedside table, doubling as our midnight flashlight, clock, or alarm clock. Instead, as you turn off your alarm, allow yourself to lay still for a couple of minutes. Ease your eyes open, and take in the energy of the new day.
This one is one of the simplest changes you can make to restore your daily health and energy and avoid unnecessary EMFs. Throughout your day, take frequent breaks by looking away from screens for 2 to 3
minutes every 15 to 20 minutes.
Blue light blocker glasses are now widely available that can help filter the blue light coming from digital devices. You can also install
blue light filters on most smartphones. Experts recommend that we spend some time off our screens at night, especially 2-3 hours before bed. This may involve significant changes in our evening habits, as many peoples' evenings are devoted to computer, phone, or TV use. At least wear blue blocking glasses! Change the way you look at screens throughout your day and enjoy better sleep!
10.
Drink a Glass of Herbal Tea Before Bed
You’ve followed all the other natural remedies for sleep throughout your day, and now you’re preparing to go to bed. What’s the last thing you should do?
Drink a cup of hot herbal tea. Having a hot herbal tea before bed produces a calming effect on the body. It can help relax your muscles and soothe your mind. Over time, it can start to signal to the brain that it is time to wind down.
NEXT ACTION
Today's action step is to do two things: First, sort through this list, and find one or two things that you want to build into your life this week. Try them, and see if they work!
The second is to keep this list available, and come back to it. These are easy and (almost) free ways to build positive energy, and make your life better. These are the practices that will help us in the journey of becoming Renewed Men (and Women)!
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Would you like to go "all in" and join the Renewed Man Boot Camp? It's a 12 Week Immersion in these principles. You'll get these daily teachings, a weekly video on one of the 12 Keys of Being a Renewed Man, and access to a support group and/or a coaching group that I lead.
Find out more about the Renewed Man Program here.
