Depression, stress, anxiety, and bipolar disorder are among the major mood disorders. More than 20 million U.S. adults experience mood disorders, with 40 million having anxiety disorders. These numbers do not include persons who worry once in a while about their day-to-day life events. Depression is expensive to treat, plus depression patients lose a lot in life before their recovery. Due to these challenges, many people are in a quest to determine what can be used as mood boosters instead of using drugs.

Why Do You Need Mood Boosters?

In most cases, antidepressants either cease working or have lots of side effects. Though most doctors prescribe medication for depression, they also recommend regular exercise, good nutrition, and supplements to improve mood disorder symptoms. So, how do you know the best vitamins, supplements, herbs, and lifestyle changes to boost your mood? Read along.

Mood Boosters to Try if You Have Mood Disorder

Whether you are feeling down due to the loss of a loved one, whether or for any other reason, here are some of the greatest scientifically proven mood boosters that you try.

Lavender

Most aromatherapy, teas, and essential oils use lavender due to its ability to enhance relaxation that may relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in certain fish, vegetable oils, and supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids can be used to improve symptoms of depression and other mood disorders. It is recommended that you take a dose of 2,000 – 4,000 milligrams or more to enhance your mood disorder.

Mood Boosters – Reduce Alcohol Intake

Alcohol is one of the drugs known to cause depression and other mood-related challenges. Though alcohol can be used to enhance mood temporarily, it eventually messes with the chemical in your brain. Most people use alcohol as a coping mechanism (either to ease their pain or forget) what’s going on in their lives.

However, alcohol reduces your energy levels, causing a crush on your mood. Ironically, instead of alcohol making you feel better, it only increases your problems and leads to addiction. If you want to be in a better mood, ensure that you do away with alcohol.

Meditation

You can boost your mood instantly with meditation. When done correctly, meditation can work wonders in ensuring that your mood is stable. It’s normal to feel stressed or agitated over a small thing, and sometimes you might even not understand why. However, meditation helps understand why you are in a bad mood and know how to be better. Mindfulness meditation is a mood booster technique that can be used to release stress from your body, relax your mind, improve anxiety symptoms, and reduce blood cortisol levels. Try these steps to boost your mood through mindfulness meditation.

• Lie or sit down on the floor
• Close your eyes
• Breathe in and out naturally
• Focus your mind on your breathing
• As your mind try to go elsewhere, focus more on your breathing
• Do this for 3-4 minutes
• As you get familiar with the process, you can extend the time

Vitamin D

Though there is a need for more evidence to prove the effectiveness of vitamin D as a mood booster, it’s believed that it has some benefits for people with seasonal affective disorder- a type of depression common during the winter season.

Acts of Kindness

The act of kindness is a two-way thing. You make someone happy, and you feel happy too. Whether big or small, kind acts can make you feel happier. By being kind, you choose to concentrate on the positive side of life, setting the negative ones aside. Your brain releases chemicals such as opioids and dopamine whenever you are compassionate, making you feel good. Try things like:

• Volunteering
• Helping someone carry their belonging to the car
• Let someone through in a traffic jam
• Ask someone how their day has been
• Buy some breakfast for someone living in the street

Mood Boosters – Smile and Laugh More

Smiling and laughing regularly is a great mood booster for people with depression. Of course, it might sound funny, but it’s actually true. Though the happy face might be fake, laughter can decrease stress-triggering hormones by releasing endorphins, stabilizing your mood. Try watching funny comedy shows, read a funny book, or listen to a funny podcast. Just find something funny that can make you happy, and happiness will eventually come naturally.

Boost Your Mood with Daily Affirmation

You can boost your mood by concentrating more on what you’ve achieved than your shortcomings. People tend to concentrate on what’s lost instead of being happy for what they have achieved. Ensure that you write your achievements down so that they can remind you of what you are capable of. Be happy for people who surround you and avoid comparing yourself with other people.

Mood Boosters – Positive Playlist

We all understand the magic that music possesses. It makes one feel happy, and sometimes you may find yourself dancing to the rhythm. At this moment, it’s easier to forget about your stressors and your fears. Music can carry you away. However, we tend to neglect the power of music from time to time, but the fact is that music can combat depression and anxiety.

That being the case, not all music has the ability to take away your sadness. There is emotional music that can waiver you down even more. For you to benefit from music as your mood booster, listen to faster-paced music. Music can also be used as therapy for people with mood disorders caused by neurological conditions such as dementia, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease.

Sometimes it’s difficult to get back to our happy selves. However, it’s not healthy to stay sad for longer periods since it can harm your physical and mental health. If your mood stays unstable for some time and you’re getting worried, talk to your doctor so that they can look deeper into what could be the cause. Fortunately, some medication may help boost your mood disorders.