Feeling the Monday blues? Try these simple hacks

It’s Monday morning. You have somehow dragged yourself out of bed and opened the curtains. The sky is blue. So is your mood. Try these hacks to manage Monday blues like a pro.

1. Send in some oxygen - Yes, even a little bit of exercise can send in more oxygen to the brain, help you feel more fresh and release feel-good hormones. Already late for work/ no time to exercise/ already at work? Just walk up a few flights of stairs instead of taking the lift. That’s it. This will warm up your body and shake the lethargy off. You will feel great for the rest of the day.
2. Smile - Two things happening here. One, we’re trying to trick the brain. We know that we smile when we are feeling happy. But research proves that we can trick our mind into reverse as well. So when we voluntarily smile, our brain believes that because we are smiling, there must be something to be happy about, and it starts to make you feel better. So smile. And others most likely will smile back at you. You start a happy upward spiral. The brain then doesn't need to be tricked any longer.
3. Charge into office, literally : Another psychological hack here. You may have seen many performers, stand- up artists, speakers charge onto the stage.You would have rarely seen them ambling or walking out of the wings and to centerstage at a slow pace. Charging with speed activates our brain’s fight mechanism, which has evolved over millions of years of evolution. We feel a rush of adrenalin, we feel we can conquer the world. This works just like the Smile hack above. Another trick is to improve your body posture. Straighten up your shoulders, stand tall and walk with confidence and energy even if you do not feel like it. The brain gets tricked into believing that because you are carrying yourself confidently, you must truly be in control of things. It starts acting as if you truly are. Another upward spiral where you fake it till you make it. (When you have the time, see Amy Cuddy’s TED talk on this).
4. Breakfast - Do not skip carbs. Carbs means glucose means brain food. Low sugar levels means feeling low. So while all the science about consuming foods that release sugars slowly through the day (e.g. fruit) has a lot of merit, so does the one that recommends cereals or some fast absorbing sugars to lift up your energy and mood in the morning.
5. Read your favorite comic strip - Be it Dilbert or Calvin & Hobbes, a little laughter in the morning goes a long way to lift up your mood. It oxygenates you, and also works just like brain hacks mentioned above. Don't have a favorite comic character? Subscribe to a jokes site that sends you a rib tickler every morning. 

Try the above. Also share what perk-up ritual works best for you.

originally published in newsmobile.in