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6 Ways to Shift Momentum For The Better
Last week, I was asked by a fellow living in Washington state for a few simple ways to improve his health and outlook. He shared that depression has been a part of his life since his late teenage years, and now in his mid-30s, he has been struggling to find reasons to go on.
My suggestions were as follows:
1. Begin each day in a quiet place, reflecting out loud or on paper on anything that you are truly grateful for. If it's a person you know or spent time with in the past, express your gratitude to that person and send them your best wishes.
2. Take at least 20 minutes to move your body. Ideally, you want to begin slowly to warm up and move with enough intensity to perspire. If you run out of ideas or just want to mix things up, feel free to reference our mobility routines:
3. Three times a day, take a minute to breathe deeply, 5 to 10 cycles of mindful inhalation and exhalation, preferably with your eyes closed and in fresh air.
4. Spend time with anything that you find interesting or that you genuinely find humorous. To this end, it may be helpful to build and maintain a list online or in a notebook of books and video clips that trigger your unique humour buds - consider this list a priceless resource that you can turn to regularly to lift your spirits.
5. If you carry resentment toward anyone, as you lie down to go to sleep at night, consider anything from the day or years past that YOU wish to be forgiven for. Then consider forgiving the person or act that you carry resentment over - this doesn't necessarily mean reconciliation is in order; rather, it's a way of liberating yourself from the toxicity of living with resentment.
6. If you're feeling a little crazy, finish your shower with a stream of cold water.
If you have a strategy of your own that you care to share with those who can use ideas on how to shift their momentum for the better, please consider posting to the comments section below. Thank you!
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6 ways to shift momentum...
I will add one more suggestion (this worked for me when I was feeling anxious and depressed). Do something to help another person. Do a kindness for someone. This will take your mind off of your own worries and result in a good feeling about yourself. In my case, I had an elderly neighbor who was recovering from surgery and was in pain. I visited her every day, kept her company, cheered her up and prepared an easy lunch for her. She was so tremendously grateful and I knew I was making a huge difference in her life. And this was so much better than sitting in my apartment worrying about my own concerns.