We all have bad days, and anyone that says everything is “rainbows and sunshine all the time” is lying. So how can you make things better on the days where it’s really bad? How do you get out of a bad mood when it feels like the only thing to do is go to bed to start over tomorrow?
There is a way to make things better, and it’s almost instant. It’s a chemical reaction you can trigger in your brain to literally turn that frown upside down…or at least turn that frown into a straight-faced emoji!
Bad Moods Are Worsened By Negativity
One of the challenges of staying positive is the abundance of negativity that surrounds us every day. The moment you turn on the news you see terrible, sensational headlines that drive you to click. The same goes when you talk with a lot of people at work where political or religious bias slips into conversation. The sky is falling, and all you can do is numb that feeling by drinking, purchasing, and falling into negativity yourself.
What about stress from work? Your boss just ripped you a new one, your peers are gossiping and spewing rubbish, and you’re having trouble making that deadline that feels like your job depends on. You feel like your work just isn’t up to snuff, you have “imposter syndrome”, and you just feel all around crummy. No matter the industry or job type, work stress can’t be avoided. So how can you cope?
The Science of Exercise
Before getting into the details of how exercise plays a part, let’s go over a few interesting statistics.
- Stress is less likely to lead to depression when you exercise
- The American Psychiatric Association recommends that exercise be used as a treatment option for those with depression, which can see a lift within 4 weeks of starting an exercise program
- Individuals that exercise for 30 minutes a day on most days are 30% more likely to consider themselves happy individuals overall
- Regular, vigorous exercise can reduce your risk of dementia by up to 35%
So how is it that simple movement can create such a dramatic impact in our mood and mental health quickly? The answer is simple: exercise releases endorphins and phenylethylamine.
How Endorphins Improve Your Mood
Your body releases chemicals called endorphins when you exercise. Endorphins are key to elevating our mood due to the way they work with the brain. They interact with the receptors that impact your perception of pain, binding to neuron transmitters similar to how pain medication and morphine work.
A fairly common phrase actually refers to this. The “Runner’s High” is a feeling that many (myself included) describe as euphoric. It elevates a person’s mood and outlook on life. The nice thing about this, though, is that it isn’t accompanied by addiction! At least not in the same way that a drug like morphine does, but many people do crave the amazing feeling that exercise provides.
How Phenylethylamine Improves Your Mood
A more recent discovery is the impact that exercise has on the levels of phenylethylamine in your body. Phenylethylamine is a molecule in the brain that regulates your levels of dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine. These are very important neurotransmitters in your brain! Let’s get a little technical and define them quickly:
- Dopamine is known as the “feel good” hormone and is a part of your body’s reward system. When you’re doing something that makes you feel good, dopamine is the cause and is released as a way to reward you for doing it. Dopamine is your body’s way of encouraging you to do that thing again. Caution: Junk food and Candy Crush have entered the building!
- Serotonin is a chemical your body releases that helps to regulate your mood, sleep, sexual activity, hunger, and healing ability. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and anxiety, among other conditions.
- Acetylcholine is a chemical in the body that affects muscle control, autonomic body functions, memory, and information retention. One of the diseases associated with irregular levels of acetylcholine is Alzheimer’s Disease. This makes sense when you consider that studies have shown that regular, vigorous exercise can reduce your risk of dementia by up to 35%.
- Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter and hormone that also goes by the name of noradrenaline. The purpose of norepinephrine is to improve your alertness, arousal, sleep/wake cycle, mood, and memory.
A recent study showed that a rise in phenylethylamine levels in test subjects after exercise may contribute to the mood improvement we consistently see after moderate-to-intense exercise.
Turn Any Bad Day Into a Good Day With a Workout
It’s so simple, yet so effective. Exercise is one of the best, most natural ways to spur a mood change in anyone. It doesn’t even matter what kind of a workout it is! You could go for a jog, do as many pushups and situps as you can in a few sets, hit the gym for one of your more regular workouts, or just ride a bike. As we saw a minute ago, getting up and moving with a moderate degree of intensity will chemically override the negative emotions you have and force you to see the positive.
Remember what we were told as kids? “Just punch your pillow as hard as your can when you’re angry.” Now that we know about endorphins and phenyl ethylamine, it makes sense that this made us feel better because it was a source of energy expenditure! it got us moving, released endorphins and phenylethylamine, and we were better off for it.
Channel that negativity, stress, and anger into a workout! You’ll not only have a really amazing workout, but you’ll also be more level-headed for the rest of the day for it. That’s a win-win scenario if I ever saw one!
Conclusion
All right, to summarize: Exercise is the key to overall health and mental well-being, but it’s also a very real medication to Bad Day Syndrome. Try 20-30 minutes of your favorite physical activity like the examples below to turn a bad day into a good day.
- Jogging/Running
- Biking
- Yoga
- Weight lifting
- Rowing
- Swimming
- Medium-intensity walking
- Jazzercize (let’s goooo!!)
Whatever it is, make sure you enjoy it and change it up to keep things fresh. Once you personally experience how helpful exercise is to your mood, you’ll beat those “bad day blues” in no time every time! Take control and discover for yourself how to get out of a bad mood.
