5 simple tricks to boost your mind and mood

Sometimes we just feel slumpy. It might be the eight beers you had last night, in which case I’ll tell you have a bacon sandwich and hydrate up. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the normal days where we just can’t get that jazzy feeling of being on it. This is a quick and dirty on simple techniques you can use to get more focus and a better mood.

Sometimes we feel like bums.

1. Change your posture

   That the slouch you’ve been carrying around is bad for more than just your back. It turns out posture has a pretty big effect on how we perceive ourselves in the world and how we feel. Simply by shifting from that Quasimodo pose, into a more confident upright position can do wonders. If you need a quick boost of confidence try using a triumphant pose. Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy suggests you do it in the bathroom before you have an interview. You could try it in the waiting room too, but I’m not sure how the receptionist will interpret the guy walking around like he just drilled the game winning shot at the World Cup. Here is that video...

2. Change your clothes

   
   The duds you’re struttin’ in is another simple one that has a big effect on your mood and how you feel around others. “The clothes we wear have power not only over others, but also over ourselves,” say Hajo Adam and Adam Galinsky of Northwestern University. Putting on a lab coat or something associated with focus and careful thinking tends to increase these traits. Puss in Boots’ master managed to hook a princess once he got some royal clothes on, imagine the puss you could hook with your pimp-ass leather boots (too much?).
   

   "I don't even study anymore, I just throw one of these bad boys on before I go take my test."

   
   

3. Try a coffee nap

   
   This one has been making the rounds, but in case you haven’t heard of it, hear is the low down. You prepare a cup of coffee and down that sucker. Then you lay down for a fifteen minute nap. Usually the worry about a nap is that you’ll feel groggy for the rest of the afternoon. The genius here is that the caffeine will just be hitting your bloodstream after the 15 minutes and you can take your much needed sleep and springboard into the rest of your tasks. I personally have never given this one a go, but I’ve heard its magic. I’ve haven’t seen any studies on this one yet.



4. The obvious stuff

   
   I know, I know, it should go without saying, but eating right and being hydrated are essential. It’s pretty easy to forget about though. I get uber absorbed in projects sometimes and realize, “Wow I haven’t eaten in like 7 hours.” Drinking water too goes by without much notice, especially during the winter when the temps don’t swelter. Also another big one is being sure you have all your nutrients. If you’re not getting that stuff in your diet pick up a supplement. Studies have shown huge improvements in ADHD symptoms simply by supplementing kids diets with macronutrients. If it can start reversing ADHD then imagine what it could do for you.



5. Get the blood flowing

   
   This is another symptom of the increasing sedentary-ness (there is no way thats a real word, but I like it) of the world. I can sit here for hours typing. This follows the ol’ addage: whats good for your heart is good for your brain. Candace Hogan of Stanford showed improved affect and better cognition for adults of all ages. She had participants as young as 19 and as geezerly as 93. Gothe et al. in the journal of physical activity had this to say about the results of an experiment with yoga’s effect on cognition “Results showed that cognitive performance after the yoga exercise bout was significantly superior”. See that, the performance was superior!
   

   This guy is totally just there for the cognitive boost, and in no way has any ulterior motives, and has zero thoughts of the girl to guy ratio.

That’s all I got for now, just a quick and dirty on how to boost focus and cognitive performance. I’m going to go stand up straight, get fresh to death, eat a solid lunch, have a coffee/nap combo, and freakin’ rock climb. Then I’m going to conquer the world.