If you’ve been feeling low lately, you’ve got company. One in five people experience low mood at some point in their lives, and by 2020 the World Health Organisation predicts that low mood states will rank second in terms of conditions that impair our ability to function day-to-day.
The good news: healthcare practitioners consider natural strategies super effective for beating feelings of sadness. Here are some of their top picks.
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Dust off your sweatband
Exercise is considered a great alternative or add-on to conventional low mood treatments. “People who do not participate in physical activity are more likely develop [low mood], compared to those who regularly exercise,” say healthcare professional Vicki Kotsirilos and colleagues.
“Regular aerobic and strength training activities can lead to a 50 per cent reduction in symptoms of acute [low mood], especially in women and older people.”
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Strike a pose
Studies into the effects of practicing yoga were less ‘downward-facing dog’, more ‘salute to the sun’. When performed daily, research suggests that yoga can significantly ease the symptoms of low mood – in some cases, just as effectively as conventional medicines.
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Contrary dairy
Here’s a scoop: lactose malabsorption may play a role in low mood states. The writers say that this digestive condition leads to bloating and other gut-related discomforts – which may indirectly affect a sufferer’s state of mind.
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Hands-on investment
Studies that examined the ‘before’ and ‘after’ effects of massage produced touching results. A small research project that looked at 32 people receiving massage for 5 weeks suggested that when compared with a placebo group, massage recipients experienced low mood less often – and even showed lower levels of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’. A larger, similar study suggested the same findings: regular massage indeed upped participants’ serotonin levels.
References available on request