Cheat Sheet for Bad Days

We all have bad days. Days when we're super limbic, and reptilian. In a few weeks is the most depressing day of the year. The good news is there are a lot of things you can do to try to get yourself back to your prefrontal cortex. Remember that's where happiness, productivity, problem solving etc is located. There are a lot of different strategies and not all of them will work for everyone all of the time. I thought I'd start my own cheat sheet of ideas to do when I'm feeling down. This list will grow as I study and learn more.

But first a quick warning. Remember this pic?

Often when we're down, we're looking for a quick & easy fix to make us feel good. Dopamine is a fast feel good chemical that we get from a lot of our pleasure from. Seeking some fun and pleasure isn't bad... as long as it isn't contrary to your values and goals. Make sure that you don't give in to the 'easy' solution at the expense of your long term goals. Too often people to unhealthy things such as junk food, video games, porn, drugs to feel better for awhile.

Now without further ado, the cheat sheet. Scroll down for more details on each one.

1. Hugs - Interaction and touch with those that you love produces oxytocin, which makes you feel better.
   
   
   
    
2. Talk it out - Negative & irrational thoughts in your head will sound more reasonable and believable. Get them out of your head, and get some perspective by talking it out with someone you care about. A caveat is to not choose someone who will enable you in your irrational thoughts. That may feel good short term to be validated, but won't help long term.
3. Service - TONS of benefits to service. Get outside yourself, think of others. This produces a cocktail of good chemicals (Dopamine, seratonin, oxytocin, etc), and helps lift others.
4. Exercise - Produces endorphins and is healthy for your body 
5. Power pose - Our body language affects our brain chemistry and how we feel. Power pose for 2 min will decrease cortisol (stress) and increase testosterone (power). 
6. Smile - Similar to power posing, forcing a smile can actually make you feel a little better. Going through the motions can help create the emotions. 
7. Yoga - Yoga is relaxing, and has been shown to increase production of GABA, a chemical that tempers the nasty feelings from your limbic system & brain stem. 
8. Meditation - Fires up the left prefrontal region of your brain, and produce dopamine.
9. Journaling - 
1. Negative - Once again, get the negative & irrational thoughts out of your head and out of the shadows. Writing the thoughts down helps to do this. Recognize & challenge the thoughts, and replace it with a positive one.
2. Positive - Writing a gratitude journal is more preventative, but as you regularly write positive experiences, you'll fire neurons in your brain. Literally you're rewiring the brain to scan for the positive, instead of the negative.
10. Talking back - After getting the thoughts out of your head, have some righteous attitude towards the thoughts and talk back to yourself. Challenge the thoughts. It's even been found that if you name the feelings you're having, it lessons the limbic response. In the words of Dan Sievel, "Name it to tame it"
11. Laughing - Laughing gives a bunch of good chemicals as well. Find something to laugh about.
    
12. Sunlight - We've seen the affects of less sunlight in cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). If possible, get outside and get some sun. This will boost your B6 and B12, helping your mood.
13. Get to work - Doing something that requires work, concentration and productivity will give you a sense of accomplishment (along with healthy dopamine) and boost confidence. Don't sit around feeling bad. Get up and do something productive.
14. Be Around Happy People - Emotions are contagious. Being around someone cheerful can help bring you up. Also there are neurons in our brain called mirror neurons that fire when we see someone doing it, as if we were doing it ourselves. This can help give us a lift.

All these things have something in common. They require action. So get up and do something :)