8 Habits That Are Affecting Your Mood

We all have good-mood days and bad-mood days. As writer Ashleigh Brilliant once said, “Sometimes I feel like I’m on top of the world. Other times, I feel like the world is on top of me.” Why is it so tough to maintain a stable, positive mood? Of course, there are factors like stress, hormonal imbalances, and mental health disorders, but have you ever considered how daily habits affect your mood?

The things you do every day can profoundly impact your mood. Some habits can lift you, making you feel energized and optimistic, while others can drag you down, leaving you feeling depleted and anxious. It's essential to recognize the habits that are affecting your mood and take steps to change them.

Sitting For Too Long

Human bodies are built for movement, so a sedentary lifestyle is one of the worst things for your physical health. Studies have shown that prolonged sitting can lead to adverse effects on cardiac health, weight, and blood sugar levels. It also harms our mood and overall sense of well-being. One easy way to get moving is to set a timer as a reminder to get up and move around for a while. You can even incorporate mobility and flexibility drills, which can be done just about anywhere. 

Staying Inside All Day

Staying cooped up indoors for too long can be a sure-fire recipe for a bad mood. Fresh air and sunlight can improve your outlook on life in seconds. Research confirms that being outside improves an overall feeling of vitality. Other studies found that being outdoors improves mood-altering serotonin levels, increases blood flow to the brain, and reduces stress hormone output.

Living In Clutter

A cluttered and disorganized environment can also bring down your mood. In a 2010 study, researchers reported that subjects’ stress hormone levels and reported moods were affected by whether their homes felt “restorative” or “stressful”. Another study found that clutter negatively impacted feelings of well-being. However, many put off decluttering because it feels overwhelming. A best practice is to break up the organizing project into separate one or two-hour tasks. For example, focus on one drawer in a cabinet and stop for the day when that’s done.

Poor Quality Sleep

Sleep is crucial for the health of the brain and body. Lacking good-quality sleep leads to feeling irritated and unfocused, and could even to depression. Some people function optimally on six hours of sleep, while others need eight or more hours. To understand how much sleep is best for you, listen to your body. If you are constantly tired and moody after 6 hours of sleep, try adding an extra hour to see what difference this makes. Keep adding time until you feel sufficiently rested and have an improved mood. Adding sleep time might require some changes in your schedule priorities, but it will pay immense dividends in improving feelings of well-being.

Dietary Choices

Food choices can significantly impact mood. For example, eating too many complex carbohydrates may make you feel sluggish because the body produces extra insulin to move glucose into the cells. Once the rapid rise in blood sugar dissipates, symptoms such as fatigue, sluggishness, and brain fog may occur.

Better food choices would be vegetables, protein, fiber, fruits, and whole foods. You will notice a significant change in your energy levels and mood as you make better nutritional choices. If you’re unsure about what dietary changes to make, speak with a nutritionist or medical professional to ensure you are eating what's right for you.

Not Socializing

Humans thrive on person-to-person contact. The amount of interaction indeed varies depending on where you fall on the introvert-extrovert scale. Nevertheless, all humans need some support from others to some degree.

So, if you’re feeling down, try reaching out to an old friend for a cup of coffee or spend some time getting to know your neighbors. It might even help to attend a public event, like a concert or a movie, to be in the crowd with other people. Another idea is to consider volunteering for a cause you believe in. That way, you’ll meet other people who share your values, and it can be an opportunity to make new friends.

Too Much Caffeine or Alcohol

Old habits die hard, and ingesting too much caffeine or alcohol can affect your mood for the worse. A caffeine habit to break, especially if you have been indulging for a long time. Too much caffeine can lead to a bad mood and irritability. Slowly tapering off the daily caffeine will reduce negative mental and physical health issues over time.

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that lifts mood temporarily, followed by a drop that can leave you feeling sad, anxious, or irritable. Moderating how much you drink can have positive effects on your mood in the long run. It’s essential, however, to seek the help of Alcoholics Anonymous or a chemical dependency professional if alcohol or drug use interferes with normal relationships or other life functions.

Over-Consuming News or Social Media

Living in the digital age has its advantages, but society is discovering that being glued to phones and gadgets has significant downsides. For example, one study showed that excessive smartphone use was strongly correlated with depression symptoms. That’s not surprising since the news and social media are filled with negativity. So, if you want to improve your mood, take steps to cut down on the time you spend on them. One idea is to set a timer to limit the time spent interacting with these information sources.

Mood isn’t mysterious. It’s responsive. It reacts to how you treat your body, how you spend your time, and how often you break the rhythm of your day with movement, light, conversation, or rest. When you adjust the habits that quietly drain energy and attention, mood tends to follow without much negotiation.