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found that positive self-talk can dramatically improve mood, boost confidence, increase productivity, and more. Much more. In fact, as evidenced by Professor Hart and his studies, it can be one of the key components to a happy, successful life. The bad news is, the reverse is also true: Negative self-talk can not only put us in a bad mood, it can leave us feeling helpless. It can make small problems seem bigger – and even create problems where none existed before. Here’s the breaking news, your self-talk is fucking you over and in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. With
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Gary John Bishop (Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life)
“
Before you let your doctor give you testosterone shots or pills, try to boost it naturally by dramatically decreasing or even eliminating sugar, wheat, and processed foods from your diet. A sugar burst has been found to lower testosterone levels by up to 25 percent. If you and your sweetheart share the cheesecake at the restaurant, no one is likely to get “dessert” when you get home! Another way to naturally boost your testosterone level is to start a weight-training program. Building muscle helps your body increase its testosterone levels. The supplements DHEA and zinc can also help. Zinc is necessary to maintain
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Daniel G. Amen (Unleash the Power of the Female Brain: Supercharging Yours for Better Health, Energy, Mood, Focus, and Sex)
“
Journaling is the perfect way to shift your emotions immediately and process your feelings without judgment, so you don't get stuck in unpleasant experiences.
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Kristen Butler (3 Minute Positivity Journal: Boost your Mood. Train Your Mind. Change Your Life.)
“
So remember three crucial steps when you are upset: Zero in on those automatic negative thoughts and write them down. Don't let them buzz around in your head; snare them on paper! Read over the list of ten cognitive distortions. Learn precisely how you are twisting things and blowing them out of proportion. Substitute a more objective thought that puts the lie to the one which made you look down on yourself. As you do this, you'll begin to feel better. You'll be boosting your self-esteem, and your
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David D. Burns (Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy)
“
As well as strengthening bones, exercise boosts your immune system, nurtures hormones, lessens the risk of getting diabetes and a number of cancers (including breast and colorectal), improves mood, and even staves off senility.
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Bill Bryson (The Body: A Guide for Occupants)
“
Rock bottom is somewhere none of us ever want to be, but sometimes it happens. It's a place that, if we allow it, can destroy us. On the other hand, it can teach us about the deepest, darkest parts of ourselves for our ultimate growth.
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Kristen Butler (3 Minute Positivity Journal: Boost your Mood. Train Your Mind. Change Your Life.)
“
You’ve seen for yourself that when a sad person enters a room, the mood in the room drops. And when you talk to a cheerful person who is full of energy, you automatically feel a boost. I’m suggesting that by becoming a person with good energy, you lift the people around you. That positive change will improve your social life, your love life, your family life, and your career. When I talk about increasing your personal energy, I don’t mean the frenetic, caffeine-fueled, bounce-off-the-walls type of energy. I’m talking about a calm, focused energy. To others it will simply appear that you are in a good mood. And you will be.
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Scott Adams (How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life)
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Big or small, ruminating on the powers of crystals can boost courage and fight against misplaced fears.
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Amy Leigh Mercree (The Mood Book: Crystals, Oils, and Rituals to Elevate Your Spirit)
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As everyone knows, fame, especially sudden fame, is a hollow, shallow and dangerous thing, its dark, seductive powers no substitute for true love or real friendship. On the other hand, if you’re a terribly shy person, desperately in need of a confidence boost – someone who spent a lot of their childhood trying to be as invisible as possible so you didn’t provoke one of your mum’s moods or your dad’s rage – I can tell you for a fact that being hailed as the future of rock and roll in the LA Times and feted by a succession of your musical heroes will definitely do the trick.
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Elton John (Me)
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Together, estrogen and progesterone are the perfect yin and yang for mood. Estradiol lifts you up by boosting serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine. Progesterone calms you down by acting like GABA in your brain.
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Lara Briden (Period Repair Manual: Natural Treatment for Better Hormones and Better Periods)
“
A recent study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience demonstrated that while most forms of exercise slow down age-related decline, dancing has even more profound benefits. Considered a psychosocial intervention, dancing combines the mood-elevating effects of increased social interaction with improvements in brain function, cardiac fitness, and overall quality of life. Mastering new rhythms, steps, and formations, in combination with increased social engagement, provides a boost to brain activity that creates additional cognitive benefits.
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Sayer Ji (Regenerate: Unlocking Your Body's Radical Resilience through the New Biology)
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So, if you suddenly experienced a financial windfall, you would ultimately be much happier if you spent the money on numerous pleasant, mood-boosting things occurring on a day-to-day or weekly basis—a daily lunch of expensive sushi, a weekly massage, a regular delivery of fresh flowers, or Sunday-morning calls to your best friend in Europe—rather than spend it all on a single big-ticket item that you believe you would really love, like a new top-of-the-line Jaguar or the remodeling of a bathroom with hand-painted tile.
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Sonja Lyubomirsky (The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want)
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Social: Alizé grew up in an environment that was contributing to lower blood flow in the brain. When she came to live with me and my wife, however, we surrounded her with people who live brain-healthy lives. It has inspired her to start adopting healthier habits that are boosting blood flow to her brain. Spiritual: For many people, like my grandfather, taking care of others takes precedence over taking care of themselves. Making your own health a priority may feel selfish, but making sure you are happy, healthy, and energetic is the key to being there for your family and friends.
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Daniel G. Amen (The End of Mental Illness: How Neuroscience Is Transforming Psychiatry and Helping Prevent or Reverse Mood and Anxiety Disorders, ADHD, Addictions, PTSD, Psychosis, Personality Disorders, and More)
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In human studies, black cohosh has been found to decrease hot flashes associated with menopause. Unlike conventional estrogen effects on individuals predisposed to breast cancer, black cohosh has been shown in laboratory studies to inhibit cancer cells. Most studies used doses of 20–80 mg twice daily, providing 4–8 mg triterpene glycosides for up to six months. Melatonin—This hormone is produced in the pineal gland that, among other functions, helps sleep. Melatonin levels decline with age and may lead to the sleep disturbances common during menopause. Melatonin has been shown in laboratory studies to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells. Melatonin acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant in the brain and other tissues like the intestine. Studies show that low melatonin levels increase breast cancer risk in women. So if you are having trouble sleeping consider 3–6 mg of melatonin before bed. It may boost your immune system and help you sleep.
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Daniel G. Amen (Unleash the Power of the Female Brain: Supercharging Yours for Better Health, Energy, Mood, Focus, and Sex)
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NOTE: Practice your most effective relaxation techniques before you begin these exercises (refer to Chapter 6 if necessary). People are better able to concentrate when they are relaxed.
Listening
-Pay attention to the sounds coming from outside: from the street, from above in the air, from as far away as possible. Then focus on one sound only.
-Pay attention to the sounds coming from a nearby room—the kitchen, living room, etc. Identify each one, then focus on a single sound.
-Pay attention to the sounds coming from the room you are in: the windows, the electrical appliances. Then focus on one sound only.
-Listen to your breathing.
-Hear a short tune and attempt to re-create it.
-Listen to a sound, such as a ringing doorbell, a knock on the door, a telephone ringing, or a siren. How does it make you feel?
-Listen to a voice on the telephone. Really focus on it.
-Listen to the voices of family members, colleagues, or fellow students, paying close attention to their intonation, pacing, and accent. What mood are they conveying?
Looking
-Look around the room and differentiate colors or patterns, such as straight lines, circles, and squares.
-Look at the architecture of the room. Now close your eyes. Can you describe it? Could you draw it?
-Look at one object in the room: chair, desk, chest of drawers, whatever. Close your eyes and try to picture the shape, the material, and the colors.
-Notice any changes in your environment at home, at school, or in your workplace.
-Look at magazine photos and try to guess what emotions the subjects’ expressions show.
-Observe the effect of light around you. How does it change shapes? Expressions? Moods?
Touching
-When shaking a person’s hand, notice the temperature of the hand. Then notice the temperature of your own hand.
-Hold an object in your hands, such as a cup of coffee, a brick, a tennis ball, or anything else that is available. Then put it down. Close your eyes and remember the shape, size, and texture of the object.
-Feel different objects and then, with your eyes closed, touch them again. Be aware of how the sensations change.
-Explore different textures and surfaces with your eyes first open and then closed.
Smelling and Tasting
-Be aware of the smells around you; come up with words to describe them.
-Try to remember the taste of a special meal that you enjoyed in the past. Use words to describe the flavors—not just the names of the dishes.
-Search your memory for important smells or tastes.
-Think of places with a strong tie to smell.
These sensory exercises are an excellent way to boost your awareness and increase your ability to concentrate. What is learned in the fullest way—using all five senses—is unlikely to be forgotten. As you learn concentration, you will find that you are able to be more in tune with what is going on around you in a social situation, which in turn allows you to interact more fully.
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Jonathan Berent (Beyond Shyness: How to Conquer Social Anxieties)
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(Hint: Smiling will boost your mood no matter what. The act itself will trigger the release of pain-killing, brain-happy endorphins and serotonin. Besides, it’s easier to smile; it takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown.) Maybe laugh a little, too.
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David B. Agus (A Short Guide to a Long Life)
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29 Smile (Hint: Smiling will boost your mood no matter what. The act itself will trigger the release of pain-killing, brain-happy endorphins and serotonin. Besides, it’s easier to smile; it takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown.) Maybe laugh a little, too.
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David B. Agus (A Short Guide to a Long Life)
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A lack of dopamine makes your emotions harder to control or regulate. There are more feelings of sadness and even depression. Other symptoms can be procrastination, less motivation, lack of interest in life, different sleeping patterns, restless leg syndrome, mood swings, fatigue, feelings of guilt or despair, a bad memory, lower focus, addiction to caffeine or other substances, or obesity.
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V. Noot (Happy Brain: 35 Tips to a Happy Brain: How to Boost Your Oxytocin, Dopamine, Endorphins, and Serotonin (Brain Power, Brain Function, Boost Endorphins, Brain Science, Brain Exercise, Train Your Brain))
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Vinyasa yoga—and especially core work—is still a good workout for the cardiovascular system and boosts the production of the neurochemicals that elevate mood, but safely—without overstimulating your system.
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Sara DiVello (Where in the OM Am I?)
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A policeman grips an arm to take you somewhere, but why does a wife stroke your hand? What was the purpose? It wasn’t the touch Cosmopolitan had talked about, and it certainly didn’t boost my mood.
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Matt Haig (The Humans)
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Exercise can help you build muscle and lose body fat, suppress your appetite, eat more without gaining fat weight, enhance your mood, reduce stress and anxiety levels, increase your energy level, boost your immune system, keep your joints and muscles more flexible, and improve the quality of your life.
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Sheri R. Colberg (The Athlete’s Guide to Diabetes)
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The words we use shape our reality. They are the blueprint for our experiences.
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Kristen Butler (3 Minute Positivity Journal: Boost your Mood. Train Your Mind. Change Your Life.)
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Make slow jogging an activity that you look forward to rather than a dreaded routine. Choose a morning jog to get a boost of energy that lasts all day. Or go for a calming jog before bed to relax and make the stress of the day go away. If occasionally you’re really not in the mood to run, don’t push yourself. You’ll soon be surprised how your body misses activity and be even happier to go jogging the following day.
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Hiroaki Tanaka (Slow Jogging: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Have Fun with Science-Based, Natural Running)
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Give your mood a boost with a shoutout to God for how far He has brought you.
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Germany Kent
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You cannot think your way to a new life. You also can’t wish your way to it. It’s going to require you to practice some new habits. If you want your life to be different, you’ve got to start acting differently and making different decisions. While thinking positive thoughts can boost your mood, I know plenty of people who are still stuck no matter how much positivity they try to instill in their lives.
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Mel Robbins (The High 5 Habit: Take Control of Your Life with One Simple Habit)
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I was proud of myself for how well I 'managed' and refused to give up on my dreams.
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Kristen Butler (3 Minute Positivity Journal: Boost your Mood. Train Your Mind. Change Your Life.)
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I believe, with all my heart, that anyone can improve and create a life they love from where they are right now.
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Kristen Butler (3 Minute Positivity Journal: Boost your Mood. Train Your Mind. Change Your Life.)
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Rock bottom can be our greatest teacher - as long as we don't stay there for too long.
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Kristen Butler (3 Minute Positivity Journal: Boost your Mood. Train Your Mind. Change Your Life.)
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As it turns out, broad vistas also broaden attention. When you see into the distance, literally, you see into the distance, figuratively. That's why time in nature is so tightly coupled to creative insights. That time acts as an incubation period. And nature tells the ACC [anterior cingulate cortex] to start considering farther flung possibilities. And since nature also has significant mood boosting effects, this further amplifies the ACC's ability to find those far flung connections, and further enhances creativity. Along similar lines, being in small cramped spaces has the opposite effect. It shrinks attention, getting us to focus on the parts, and not the whole. So in practical terms, crawl out from under your desk, go outside, look around, repeat, as needed.
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Steven Kotler (Tomorrowland: Our Journey from Science Fiction to Science Fact)
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the benefits that subsequent stages of sleep would bring him, such as an increase in alertness, improved motor skills, a boost to his immune system, regulation of his appetite, release of tension, restoration of energy, and a stabilizing effect on his behavior and mood.
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Elizabeth Pantley (The No-Cry Nap Solution: Guaranteed Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems: Guaranteed, Gentle Ways to Solve All Your Naptime Problems)
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Serotonin boosts your mood, endorphins block pain, and dopamine, the pleasure hormone, is stimulated when you strive toward a goal. When these giddy guys are firing on all cylinders, you get a burst of joy, energy, and motivation.
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Kerri Richardson (From Clutter to Clarity: Clean Up Your Mindset to Clear Out Your Clutter)
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When you take care of your body, you have the added benefit of taking care of your mind and your emotions, because mind and body are really different aspects of the same organic system. In the process, you improve your mood, boost your confidence, and restore your personal resources.
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Shirley P. Glass (Not “Just Friends”: Rebuilding Trust and Recovering Your Sanity After Infidelity)
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Thinking about the good things that happened to you sets up your dreams to be more positive, which will help you sleep better, enhance your mood, boost your energy levels, and put a smile on your face. When you fall asleep happier, you wake up happier, ready to embrace the day with a positive bias.
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Daniel G. Amen (You, Happier: The 7 Neuroscience Secrets of Feeling Good Based on Your Brain Type)
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Studies have found that gratitude can do wonders for mental health. It's been associated with increasing levels of dopamine, and recent research suggests it can also naturally boost serotonin—that "happiness chemical." In his book The Upward Spiral: Using Neuroscience to Reverse the Course of Depression, One Small Change at a Time, researcher Alex Korb writes that being grateful activates production in the anterior cingulate cortex. This can help people feel good and relaxed, as well as stabilize their mood so they’re better equipped to manage difficult emotions
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Nick Trenton (Master Your Dopamine: How to Rewire Your Brain for Focus and Peak Performance (Mental and Emotional Abundance Book 11))
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Here are some examples of excessive use of social networking sites. There was this guy who fell for online dating so much, that it became his zone of comfort. He boosted his confidence, became a better communicator, knew what works and what doesn’t. Even kept interacting with girls for weeks and grabbed their attention with every word, while still playing it casual. But he never went on a real date. That’s because when you meet someone in person, you don’t have a screen between you two and that makes you vulnerable. It’s because you don’t always look your best and can’t choose a ‘profile picture’ that suits your mood. Because you’ll be asked questions you won’t expect, and wouldn’t have the time to pretend like you’re not on the phone and think of the best possible answer before replying. So, your image can be ruined, although it was never the real you in the first place.
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Lidiya K. (Quitting Social Media: The Social Media Cleanse Guide)
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You can’t burpee your way out of late-stage capitalism or outrun climate change.
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Sarah Kurchak (Work It Out: A Mood-Boosting Exercise Guide for People Who Just Want to Lie Down)
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The good news is, studies have continually found that positive self-talk can dramatically improve mood, boost confidence, increase productivity, and more.
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Gary John Bishop (Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life (Unfu*k Yourself series))
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GET MOVING As stated in the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, research has shown a strong association between increased physical activity and a reduced risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later in life, as well as general improvements in cognition. Exercise helps reduce inflammation, increase chemicals in the brain that boost mood and processing, increase blood flow, and improve oxygen delivery to the brain.
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Kelli McGrane MS RD (MIND Diet for Beginners: 85 Recipes and a 7-Day Kickstart Plan to Boost Your Brain Health)
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To reduce inflammation, floss every day, cook with the yellow spice turmeric or take the supplement curcumins (made from turmeric), and boost your omega-3 fatty acids by eating more fish or taking omega-3 supplements.
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Amen MD Daniel G (Change Your Brain Every Day: Simple Daily Practices to Strengthen Your Mind, Memory, Moods, Focus, Energy, Habits, and Relationships)
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Estrogen also puts you in a good mood, gives you clarity of thought, enhances your communication skills, and makes you feel more optimistic about life. How? Estrogen is a precursor to serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline—the neurotransmitters that keep you calm, happy, and feeling satisfied.
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Mindy Pelz (Fast Like a Girl: A Woman's Guide to Using the Healing Power of Fasting to Burn Fat, Boost Energy, and Balance Hormones)
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Here are a few tips to make each day count: Smile. As soon as you wake up, smile. This simple act will boost your mood over time. Act. Don’t hit the snooze button. Jump out of bed immediately. This will help build the habit of being proactive and decisive. Acknowledge. Think how lucky you are to have been granted a new day. This is the first step to making your day count. Clear. Start your day as a blank canvas. To do so, visualize yourself letting go of the burden of your past. For instance, picture your past as a ball and chain. Break free from your chains and feel yourself becoming lighter and lighter. This will help you be more present during the day. Express gratitude. Think of three things you’re grateful for or do one of the exercises introduced in Chapter 85. Cultivate gratitude. This will boost your mood and reduce your negative emotions. Plan. Write down today’s date as well as your goals for the day. This will help you give more importance to your day while boosting your productivity.
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Thibaut Meurisse (Master Your Success: Timeless Principles to Develop Inner Confidence and Create Authentic Success (Mastery Series Book 6))
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When you look at the benefits of walking specifically for ADHD, you see that it boosts mood and general functioning by increasing blood flow and circulation to the brain and body. It feeds oxygen and nutrients more efficiently into the central nervous system and soothes your hyperactive stress response.
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Sasha Hamdani (Self-Care for People with ADHD: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Prioritize You!)
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Third, after getting your audience into the proper mood, you should explain why the topic of the speech is relevant to them—why they should want to listen to you. This might mean tying the speech to a recent headline in the news or a current event in the organization or unit. Or it might mean relating the topic to a problem of special interest to the audience—for example, increases in the crime rate to community groups.
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Robert C. Pozen (Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours)
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I like to speak from a one-page outline. The outline might include an actual sentence to get started and another sentence as a closer. But the rest would be a brief sketch of the main steps in the speech, with a few supporting points for each step. This helps me keep the line of argument foremost in my mind and convey it clearly to my audience. It also allows me to adapt my speech to the audience easily as I sense the mood in the room.
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Robert C. Pozen (Extreme Productivity: Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours)
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We humans are made such that loving attention can overcome both genetics and environment to a truly remarkable extent.
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Raphael Kellman (MICROBIOME BREAKTHROUGH: Harness the Power of Your Gut Bacteria to Boost Your Mood and Heal Your Body (Microbiome Medicine Library))
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Physical or emotional stress Microbiome experiences stress Via the enteric nervous system (the nervous system in your gut) and/or the vagus nerve, the gut alerts your brain, specifically, your hypothalamus, a gland that regulates your body’s hormonal system. Your hypothalamus initiates the stress response (also known as the “fight or flight” response) by alerting your pituitary gland. Your pituitary passes the message on to your adrenal glands (located above your kidneys). Your adrenals release a complex cascade of stress hormones, including cortisol.
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Raphael Kellman (MICROBIOME BREAKTHROUGH: Harness the Power of Your Gut Bacteria to Boost Your Mood and Heal Your Body (Microbiome Medicine Library))
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Stress imbalances microbiome, disrupts gut, promotes brain dysfunction Imbalanced microbiome disrupts gut, promotes brain dysfunction, induces exaggerated response to stress Dysfunctional gut imbalances microbiome, promotes brain dysfunction, induces exaggerated response to stress
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Raphael Kellman (MICROBIOME BREAKTHROUGH: Harness the Power of Your Gut Bacteria to Boost Your Mood and Heal Your Body (Microbiome Medicine Library))
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NTIS is far more common than we ever suspected, and it affects many patients even with what might be considered “low-grade” or “nonclinical” chronic depression and anxiety.
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Raphael Kellman (MICROBIOME BREAKTHROUGH: Harness the Power of Your Gut Bacteria to Boost Your Mood and Heal Your Body (Microbiome Medicine Library))
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Helen, a junior high math teacher in Minnesota, spent most of the school week teaching a difficult “new math” lesson. She could tell her students were frustrated and restless by week’s end. They were becoming rowdy so she told them to put their books away. She then instructed the class to take out clean sheets of paper. She gave each of them this assignment: Write down every one of your classmates’ names on the left, and then, on the right, put down one thing you like about that student.
The tense and rowdy mood subsided and the room quieted when the students went to work. Their moods lifted as they dug into the assignment. There was frequent laughter and giggling. They looked around the room, sharing quips about one another. Helen’s class was a much happier group when the bell signaled the end of the school day.
She took their lists home over the weekend and spent both days off recording what was said about each student on separate sheets of paper so she could pass on all the nice things said about each person without giving away who said what.
The next Monday she handed out the lists she’d made for each student. The room buzzed with excitement and laughter.
“Wow. Thanks! This is the coolest!”
“I didn’t think anyone even noticed me!”
“Someone thinks I’m beautiful?”
Helen had come up with the exercise just to settle down her class, but it ended up giving them a big boost. They grew closer as classmates and more confident as individuals. She could tell they all seemed more relaxed and joyful.
About ten years later, Helen learned that one of her favorite students in that class, a charming boy named Mark, had been killed while serving in Vietnam. She received an invitation to the funeral from Mark’s parents, who included a note saying they wanted to be sure she came to their farmhouse after the services to speak with them.
Helen arrived and the grieving parents took her aside. The father showed her Mark’s billfold and then from it he removed two worn pieces of lined paper that had been taped, folded, and refolded many times over the years. Helen recognized her handwriting on the paper and tears came to her eyes.
Mark’s parents said he’d always carried the list of nice things written by his classmates. “Thank you so much for doing that,” his mother said. “He treasured it, as you can see.”
Still teary-eyed, Helen walked into the kitchen where many of Mark’s former junior high classmates were assembled. They saw that Mark’s parents had his list from that class. One by one, they either produced their own copies from wallets and purses or they confessed to keeping theirs in an album, drawer, diary, or file at home.
Helen the teacher was a “people builder.” She instinctively found ways to build up her students. Being a people builder means you consistently find ways to invest in and bring out the best in others. You give without asking for anything in return. You offer advice, speak faith into them, build their confidence, and challenge them to go higher.
I’ve found that all most people need is a boost. All they need is a little push, a little encouragement, to become what God has created them to be. The fact is, none of us will reach our highest potential by ourselves. We need one another. You can be the one to tip the scales for someone else. You can be the one to stir up their seeds of greatness.
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Joel Osteen (Every Day a Friday: How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week)
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Help for PMS—Low progesterone is often one of the culprits of PMS symptoms. Progesterone cream used during the last week of a woman’s cycle is often helpful. I also recommend a combination of supplements to balance the brain, especially 400–500 mg calcium citrate twice a day, 200–300 mg chelated magnesium twice a day, vitamin A, B complex with 50 mg B6, and 500 mg evening primrose oil twice a day. I also suggest 50–100 mg 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan) twice a day to help to boost serotonin and decrease anxiety and worry. If focus is a problem, try green tea or 500 mg L-tyrosine two to three times a day. Chaste-berry, 20–40 mg a day, can also help for PMS symptoms of especially breast pain or tenderness, swelling, constipation, irritability, depressed mood or mood alterations, anger, and headache in some women. Boost exercise in the last week of your cycle, and hold the sugar and alcohol.
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Daniel G. Amen (Unleash the Power of the Female Brain: Supercharging Yours for Better Health, Energy, Mood, Focus, and Sex)
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Written human languages are preposterously simple, as they are made up almost entirely of words. I had interpolated the entire written language by the end of the first article, in addition to the touch that can boost your mood – as well as your relationship. Also: orgasms, I realised, were an incredibly big deal. It seemed orgasms were the central tenet of life here. Maybe this was the only meaning they had on this planet. Their purpose was simply to pursue the enlightenment of orgasm. A few seconds of relief from the surrounding dark.
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Matt Haig (The Humans)
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Even long after the relationship is ended those scars can continue to haunt the individual, affecting their mood, how they perceive reality and even the choices they make on a daily basis. Perhaps the greatest of these scars is that of anger.
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Dana Jackson (Codependent: No more Toxic Relationships and Emotional Abuse. A Recovery User Manual to Cure Codependency Now. Boost Your Self-Esteem Restoring Peace and Melody in Your Life)
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Estradiol is your happy hormone or “yang hormone.” It stimulates mood and libido because it boosts the neurotransmitters serotonin (which promotes feelings of well-being and happiness) and dopamine (which is associated with motivation and pleasure).
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Lara Briden (Period Repair Manual: Natural Treatment for Better Hormones and Better Periods)
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Isobel held my hand. The glabrous underportion of her thumb stroked my skin. This unnerved me even more. I wondered why she was touching me. A policeman grips an arm to take you somewhere, but why does a wife stroke your hand? What was the purpose? It wasn’t the touch Cosmopolitan had talked about, and it certainly didn’t boost my mood. Did it have something to do with love? I stared at the small glistening diamond on her ring.
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Matt Haig (The Humans)
“
As a third step, we want to create the habit of recording daily information in your notebook about how the diet is progressing. Of course, you can decide to write whatever you want in your notebook, but I believe the following information is essential for monitoring your diet: Mealtimes and dishes consumed. How you feel emotionally. If you have broken your diet for any reason, describe how and when. Recording this information will help you to identify patterns later; here are some examples: You may realize that the time of one or more of your meals tends to be at the limit of the fasting window, and reconsider the window chosen You may notice that your mood worsens on a particular day of the week, and if you are applying the 5: 2 method, you may want to reconsider the allocation of fasting days. You may notice that you tend to stop dieting too often to get results and decide to change methodology. Etc.
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Kat Wildman (Intermittent Fasting for Women Over 50: A Perfect Guide to Losing Weight, Reset Your Metabolism, Boost Your Energy and Eating Healthy with 60+ Recipes and 21 Days Meal Plan)
“
Helen, a junior high math teacher in Minnesota, spent most of the school week teaching a difficult “new math” lesson. She could tell her students were frustrated and restless by week’s end. They were becoming rowdy so she told them to put their books away. She then instructed the class to take out clean sheets of paper. She gave each of them this assignment: Write down every one of your classmates’ names on the left, and then, on the right, put down one thing you like about that student.
The tense and rowdy mood subsided and the room quieted when the students went to work. Their moods lifted as they dug into the assignment. There was frequent laughter and giggling. They looked around the room, sharing quips about one another. Helen’s class was a much happier group when the bell signaled the end of the school day.
She took their lists home over the weekend and spent both days off recording what was said about each student on separate sheets of paper so she could pass on all the nice things said about each person without giving away who said what.
The next Monday she handed out the lists she’d made for each student. The room buzzed with excitement and laughter.
“Wow. Thanks! This is the coolest!”
“I didn’t think anyone even noticed me!”
“Someone thinks I’m beautiful?”
Helen had come up with the exercise just to settle down her class, but it ended up giving them a big boost. They grew closer as classmates and more confident as individuals. She could tell they all seemed more relaxed and joyful.
About ten years later, Helen learned that one of her favorite students in that class, a charming boy named Mark, had been killed while serving in Vietnam. She received an invitation to the funeral from Mark’s parents, who included a note saying they wanted to be sure she came to their farmhouse after the services to speak with them.
Helen arrived and the grieving parents took her aside. The father showed her Mark’s billfold and then from it he removed two worn pieces of lined paper that had been taped, folded, and refolded many times over the years. Helen recognized her handwriting on the paper and tears came to her eyes.
Mark’s parents said he’d always carried the list of nice things written by his classmates. “Thank you so much for doing that,” his mother said. “He treasured it, as you can see.”
Still teary-eyed, Helen walked into the kitchen where many of Mark’s former junior high classmates were assembled. They saw that Mark’s parents had his list from that class. One by one, they either produced their own copies from wallets and purses or they confessed to keeping theirs in an album, drawer, diary, or file at home.
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Joel Osteen (Every Day a Friday: How to Be Happier 7 Days a Week)
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When breaking down alcohol, your liver releases toxins and damaged liver cells into the bloodstream. These toxins are more dangerous to the brain than the alcohol itself.75 The toxins released into your brain are responsible for bad sleep, mood imbalance, personality changes (like violence or weeping), anxiety, depression, and shortened attention span, and they can result in coma and death.
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Annie Grace (This Naked Mind: Transform your life and empower yourself to drink less or even quit alcohol with this practical how to guide rooted in science to boost your wellbeing)
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Moreover, staying physically fit has numerous other benefits, including improving cardiovascular health, moderating your blood pressure, boosting your HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and lowering your triglycerides. Both aerobic exercise and weight-bearing exercise also improve your balance (so you are less likely to injure yourself in a fall), lift your mood and alleviate stress, up your energy level, and enhance the quality of your sleep. And that’s just for starters.
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Steven R. Gundry (The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain)
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While hypericum is generally an effective and potent natural antidepressant, it has one major downside - it affects how your body metabolises a variety of drugs. In fact, hypericum appears to affect almost any drug that is metabolised in the liver. Of particular concern is the impact on the blood-thinning drug warfarin.
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James Lee (Chill Pills & Mood Food - Restore calm and happiness with powerful supplements and neurotransmitter-boosting food)
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there are several scents that can improve your mood, help you to focus, and boost your productivity? Here are a few examples (I already mentioned the first two scents): Peppermint Cinnamon Pine Rosemary Basil Citrus Lavender Cypress
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Damon Zahariades (Fast Focus: A Quick-Start Guide To Mastering Your Attention, Ignoring Distractions, And Getting More Done In Less Time! (Improve Your Focus and Mental Discipline Book 1))
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Take some time to tackle part of your self-love toolbox now. Make a list of self-care activities that make you feel pampered and deserving of kindness. Create your mood-boosting playlist. Talk to a loved one about possibly turning to them for support in the future.
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Devi B. Dillard-Wright (Self-Love: 100+ Quotes, Reflections, and Activities to Help You Uncover and Strengthen Your Self-Love)