The Small Mindset Shift That Lifted The Fog

Thought For The Week

This week my mood’s been low. It feels like the colour’s drained from everything and life’s just a little more black and white. Nothing circumstantial has changed, it's just a result of where my hormones are at right now, and they’re causing a drop in serotonin levels. So, I’ve been searching for ways to boost serotonin: Google says exercise, foods high in tryptophan, sunlight and stress management should do the trick. All tick! And yet it still feels like I’m just treading water. A few days later I revisited some work I’d done on gratitude. I was reminded that gratitude has two stages: First, gratitude is to acknowledge the goodness in one’s life. Second, and most importantly, gratitude is to recognise how this goodness came to us. One can be grateful to other people, animals, and the world, but not to oneself. In other words, gratitude is about recognising that sources of this goodness lie outside the self. It was precisely the humbling reminder that I needed. Now when I look around, I don’t feel low. Instead, I’m filled with awe and gratitude for every tiny thing, because there’s not a single one I could have achieved or acquired without someone or something else. And that single thought has been enough to shift the fog and lift my mood.

Exercise Tip

Sure, the mood-enhancing benefits of exercise are well known. But when you’re in a proper funk it can feel more like you’re working out to prevent a downward spiral than you’re doing anything to contribute to an upward one.

Try this: If you’re struggling with low mood, it might be wise to cut yourself a bit of slack in terms of goals and expectations and use your workout to practice gratitude instead. I promise you there are so many places you can find it: Not least, having time to dedicate to working out is a privilege that not everyone in this world shares. Being able to dress how we choose is another. In recognising things to be grateful for, remember to consider both stages: Who or what can you be grateful to for the goodness you’ve identified?

Nutrition Tip

Turning to junk food, alcohol and foods high in saturated fat and sugar can be a copping mechanism when we’re feeling low.

Try this: Instead of worrying too much about what you’re eating or drinking, try practicing gratitude. Regardless of what it is, it still took the work of others to get it onto your plate or into your glass. Practicing gratitude for the things we consume also helps us to slow down, meaning that what might have ended up in overindulgence or a binge could be avoided and replaced with the practice savouring and enjoying our favourite things.

Links & Resources

Resource: 13 gratitude exercises and activities to try.

Resource: A practical food gratitude meditation to try.

Recipe: Savour the cooking process as well as the eating process and try my recipe for smoked mackerel and tenderstem risotto.

Inspirational Quote

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others."

Cicero