How to Get Happy Fast

Proven Strategies to Give You a Quick Mood Boost

Audrey Hepburn once said, “I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.” Indeed, people who are happy seem to glow from within and light up a room. And sure, we all want to be happy (not to mention pretty), but when you're feeling blue, getting happy seems a lot easier said than done. But there actually are simple, effective tricks you can try to give yourself a quick mood boost, whether you're feeling really down in the dumps or simply want to add a little more of a skip to your step.

Music Therapy
Music is incredibly powerful. In a three-minute time span it can make you sad, nostalgic, calm and most importantly--happy.

“When I’m feeling a few shades of blue, nothing lifts my spirits more than putting on my favorite tunes and shimmying away,” says Registered Dietiitian Jacqueline Aizen.

If you feel that music has the same effect on you, it’s for good reason. Research has shown that music triggers a release of dopamine from the reward center in your brain. This release is similar to the reaction that occurs when you are satisfied from eating or sleeping. In other words, more dopamine means a happier you.

The next time you feel yourself slipping into a grumpy mood, crank up the happy tunes and get that dopamine releasing. It won’t hurt to move around a bit either.

“Movement can also trigger powerful emotions and when combined with some amazing tracks, you’ll be on cloud nine in no time,” says Aizen. Really, who can’t be happy when they’re dancing around to their favorite bubbly song?

Meditation
For anyone who has ever meditated, you know it can leave you feeling calm, relaxed and joyful. While you may not have time for a deep, extended meditation session, you can adapt the breathing exercises into a quick get-happy routine.

“There are many forms of meditation to explore, but a quick breathing exercise is sometimes all you need to get started,” explains Certified Wellness Coach Elizabeth McGann.

Follow her simple 4-step “Better Mood Breath” Exercise routine:
1. Sit up tall in a chair or seating on the floor. Close your eyes, put one hand in the center of your chest and one hand over your belly button.
2. Take a deep breath in through your nose for the count of eight. Feel your belly expand with the breath.
3. Hold your breath for the count of eight.
4. Exhale slowly through your nose for the count of 10.
Repeat the steps three times and feel your mood gently lift.

So why do meditation methods such as this work? “When we take a deep breath several things happen,” explains Certified Life Coach and Hypnotist Michelle Brock, “not only do we allow more oxygen into our bodies, which creates an instant ‘perk up’ in our brains and our bodies, but we also allow ourselves to slow down for a moment in order to mindfully breathe.”

Exercise
“Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.” Oh, Elle Woods, you’re so wise. Exercise is a great way to combat a grumpy mood.

“The mind and body are connected,” explains McGann, “and when you need to change the dial on your emotions, a great way to do that is to move your body.”
Even if you only have a few minutes, step outside for a brisk walk. The exercise combined with the fresh air will quickly get you in a happier place. If you've got a little more time, go for run, try out a new fitness class, or practice yoga. Making exercise a regular part of your daily routine can also help prevent a cranky mood from getting its grip on you in the first place.

Be Altruistic
It's impossible to do good deeds and not get a little positive emotional boost. A lot of times we’re so hyper-focused on our own problems that we forget that those around us might need a little pick me up.

“Too much time in your head ruminating on your problem, or state of mind, is what is causing you to stay stuck in your bad mood,” says McGann. So try to reach out and be there for someone else: "A few minutes cheering up a friend in need can do wonders to change your perspective,” she notes.

Think about small things you can do to help out a family member, elderly neighbor or a local charity. When you take the energy you’re expending sulking and re-focus it on helping others, whatever is bringing you down becomes lighter and your mood shifts.

Laugh
Laughter really is the best medicine. “Laughter releases the endorphins in our brain that shifts us into a place of better well-being,” explains McGann.

Taking a few minutes out of your day to laugh with a friend can really brighten your mood. Or, McGann recommends googling your favorite comedian and watching a clip or two of their material. If you have a favorite passage from a comedian’s book, read over it. Tina Fey’s “Bossypants” and Mindy Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” are both great funny go-to reads. It’s almost impossible to stay in a bad mood once you’re cracking up.

Getting your giggle on has also been shown to stimulate circulation, relax muscles, and active and relieve your body’s stress response. If that’s not enough to get you smiling, laughter can also improve your immune system by releasing neuropeptides that fight illness and cause the body to release its own natural painkillers.

Fake it Til You Make It
And if you can't find anything to actually make you laugh, try at least putting on a non-genuine smile. According to recognized happiness expert Gretchen Rubin, the simple act of smiling can induce a positive mood, even when the smile is artificial. So act happy to get happy.

Plan Something FunEven if you're currently stuck in a drab, gray cubicle, researching a romantic weekend getaway or girls' trip can boost your mood.

Gretchen Rubin says, "Studies show that having fun on a regular basis is a pillar of happiness, and anticipation is an important part of that pleasure. Try to involve friends or family, as well; people enjoy almost all activities more when they're with other people."

And if all else fails, you can always YouTube clips of Channing Tatum in Magic Mike. Not that we've ever done that or anything... 

Book your appointment online now at www.montereydayspa.com!
Purchase products from our online store HERE   
Like our Facebook page HERE 
Follow us on Twitter HERE

Visit our website HERE

View our pins on Pinterest HERE

article source: chixrx.com

5 Breathing Exercises to Quickly Calm Down & Get Happier

Breathing Practices to Help Different Types of Problems

So many problems can be solved with a few deep breaths. Really. Doing controlled breathing exercises is a quick, convenient and effective (not to mention free) way to reduce feelings of stress and tension, boost confidence, ease muscle tension and pain, improve concentration, lower blood pressure and promote a general feeling of calm.  

And different types of breathing exercises can promote different types of wellbeing. So the next time you find yourself in each of these types of situations below, allow yourself to slow down for a moment to practice a mindful breathing exercise.    


To Combat a Bad Mood or Anxiety
Next time you feel yourself slipping into a gloomy, blue mood or starting to feel pangs of anxiety, step back and take a moment to center your breathing.  

“A few moments focusing on your breath in a meditation can do wonders to quiet the negative thoughts and get you centered into a calmer, more balanced state,” explains certified wellness coach for women in recovery Elizabeth McGann.  

McGann recommends the “Better Mood Breath” exercise:  
1.     Sitting up straight in a chair or sitting on the floor, close your eyes and put one hand in the center of your chest and one hand over your belly button.
2.     Take a deep breath in through your nose for eight counts, feeling your belly expand with the breath.
3.     Hold your breath for a count of eight.
4.     Exhale your breath slowly through your nose for the count of 10.
5.     Repeat three times.  


To Control Your Temper We get it, when you’re pissed off the last thing you want to do is to sit down, be calm and do some pansy little breathing exercise. But really, that anger you’re harboring inside (or that’s about to explode outwardly) isn’t good for yourself or anyone around you.  

Knowing how anger affects your body, it’s easy to see how breathing can help to calm you. “When something triggers your primitive wiring, it sounds your body’s alarm bells,” explains marriage and family therapist Lisa Bograd, “you experience shallow breath, a racing heart rate and tense muscles.”  

To compose yourself the next time someone makes a snide comment or cuts you off in traffic, Bograd recommends stopping, taking a deep breath where you focus on breathing from your lower belly instead of from your chest. This is because, as Bograd explains, when you breathe from your chest, your breathing is shallow. This excites the nervous system, feeding the stress or anger you’re trying to calm.  

Temper Controlling Breathing Exercise
1.     Do not engage in an angry reaction. Stop, take a deep, full breath from your lower belly. In through the nose, out through the mouth.
2.     Repeat.
3.     Repeat a calming word or phrase such as “relax” or “it’s going to be okay.”
4.     Remind yourself that you are in control of your responses and that the trigger setting off your anger is not worth the sacrifice of your peace of mind.    


Reduce Tension + Increase Energy
Perhaps in a yoga class you’ve practiced the humming breathing exercise, often referred to as humming bee breath. This practice helps to loosen chest tightness commonly associated with stress, reduce tension, improve your circulation, increase energy levels, and promote a clearer mental state.  

Humming Breathing Exercise:
1.     Sit on the floor with your legs crossed at the ankles or with one leg crossed over the other. Sit up straight with your hands rested on your knees and your eyes closed.
2.     Take a few deep, slow breaths in and out.
3.     On the next deep breath, slowly exhale through your nose keeping your lips closed, teeth slightly parted and making a humming sound (“hummmm”) as you exhale.
4.     Inhale through the nose without humming and then exhale while humming.
5.     Repeat the process 10 times.      


To Calm Your Nerves + Promote Focus
It’s common for nerves to try to abduct your body before a big presentation or meeting. Instead of letting the butterflies in your stomach get the best of you, take a few quiet minutes to yourself and perform an alternate nostril breathing exercise. It’s not as weird as it sounds—promise.  

This practice is believed to calm and center the mind, keep you in the present moment, and harmonize the left and right hemispheres of the brain to promote mental clarity and relaxation. It can also be very energizing, so do this breathing exercise when you when you want to be focused, calm, and alert.  

Alternate Nostril Breathing Exercise:
1.     Keeping your mouth closed for the entirety of the exercise, raise your right hand and place your thumb against your right nostril. You can lean your index and middle fingers on the space between your eyebrows. Cover your right nostril with your right thumb. Exhale slowly through your left nostril.
2.     Still holding your right thumb over your right nostril, inhale slowly through your left nostril.
3.     Now raise your right thumb off of your right nostril, and cover your left nostril with your pinkie finger (on your right hand). Slowly exhale out of your right nostril. Then slowly inhale through your right nostril.
4.     Once you’ve completed one full round (exhaling then inhaling out of one nostril and then the other), repeat the process nine times.      

To Wake You Up To warm up your body, wake up your brain, and release dull, sleepy (or even negative) energy from your system, do like the yogis and start your day off right with this “skull shining” breath exercise.  

The great thing about this exercise is you can do it quickly anywhere—lying in bed, at the breakfast table, sitting in traffic, etc.  

Skull Shining Breathing Exercise
1.     Take one long slow breath in through your nose.
2.     Focusing on releasing the breath from your lower abdomen, exhale through your nose in one quick, powerful movement. (Remember to keep your mouth closed throughout the exercise.)
3.     The exercise may seem awkward at first, as it’s pretty abdominal focused.

Repeat this pattern of inhaling and exhaling through your nose for a total of 10 breaths, resting for one to two seconds after each exhale.      



Destress by booking a massage now at www.montereydayspa.com!
Purchase products from our online store HERE 
Like our Facebook page HERE
Follow us on Twitter HERE

Visit our website HERE

View our pins on Pinterest HERE

Article source: chixrx.com

January Winter Special

	Offering an exclusive Winter Special promotion for the month of January!
	Relax and Indulge With our Warm and Cozy January Special Get Warm and Cozy with our Relaxing Spa Pedicure and Hot Cup of Cocoa - Indulge with a relaxing lavender sea salt bath soak for your feet. Trim, cut, shape and buff the nail and cuticles. Receive an invigorating foot and leg scrub that warms and relaxes the muscles and tension in your legs and feet.  Next you will be treated to a detoxifying foot mask wrapped in warm towels, followed by a relaxing and therapeutic herbal muscle calm foot and leg massage. Finish your treatment with your favorite nail color or buff. $50/60min   Book Now! Stay Connected               Offer valid until 1/31/14