3 crazy mood killers and how to overcome them

“Oh, I am depressed”

Do you say that sometimes? I do, too. Fact is – depression can be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain that are a product of environment and heredity.  But we’re not talking about clinical depression here – that’s another line of thought altogether. We are talking about mood killers.

I am talking about that every day “low level” kind of depression that needs no drugs. It is a very blah like feeling that affects your mood in a not so good way. And I’ve identified three things that can affect practically anyone quite badly.

Yes, let us call them the “mood killers”

Here are 3 mood killers and what you can do to overcome them

1. Goals that don’t inspire action

This includes small goals that don’t provoke any action. These type of goals make your brain shut down partially. And that can make you feel really low – bringing on that lousy feeling that you’re not really living life as you should.  Maybe this happens with goals that are too big – you don’t know where to get started – and therefore, the non-action freaks you out resulting in inaction.

What to do?

Zero in on your most alert time of the day – for me it is early morning, when I usually get a lot done in two hours, which would otherwise take me 5 hours if I were to tackle it during the rest of the day, what with all the interruptions. So – once you identify your best time of the day, use pen and paper to decide what you really want to do. Set time lines. Figure out what you need to do to achieve it. Visualize how you’ll feel when you finish it. Motivate yourself – maybe even promise yourself a small reward.

2. Sugar highs

Oh yes, when you eat too much sugar and carbs, you get a sugar high. Sugar makes depression worse, and sometimes brings on low-level depression, ADHD and clouds your brain. There are studies to prove it.

What to do?

Consume sugar at specific times of the day. Moderation is the key.

3. Marathon work hours

Ever noticed how, when you work non-stop for a couple of hours – you lose your momentum? Long stretches of work can slow you down. Think about why school children have 35 to 40 minute sessions in their time table. Right. It is the same with adults.

Also read: What is burnout?

What to do?

Take a five-minute break for every hour of work. This will help you become more productive, relieve stress, lower your blood pressure – and prevent depression from coming on. And practice relaxing.

See if you can relate to these – and I’d love to hear your thoughts in “comments”.