The most common causes of "dips" are lack of confidence, fear of making decisions, low self-esteem, lack of goals and expectations for the future, uncertainty in important situations or lack of motivation, among others. There are also physical elements, such as body pain, that directly affect your mood. Not having a good night's sleep or not eating a healthy diet also have a direct influence.
Why are women more prone to slumps?
Some studies speak of a prevalence of depressive disorders at least two times higher in women than in men. The explanation is determined by the hormones produced by the ovaries (estrogens and progesterone) during the menstrual cycle and which lead to changes in various neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphins or dopamine. This can cause psychological changes that in turn can cause depression, anxiety … But not all women suffer these symptoms or do so with the same intensity.
The causes can be psychological or physical
Stress affects us too
The Western lifestyle is very conducive to suffering stress or low spirits due to pressure at work, hours not compatible with family life … Traffic jams, pessimistic news, poor prospects in the workplace and economic, etc., do not help our stress level to go down either. Find out how to end stress in 5 easy steps.
What can I do to avoid the downturn?
It is important to practice activities that allow you to develop your skills and talents. Set achievable goals (no matter how small) and do your best to achieve them.
Also, these little tricks will come in handy to avoid downturns:
- Have positive thoughts. Do not focus on the negative and think that everything is learned. To break away negative thoughts, do things that lift your spirits and put you in a good mood: watch your favorite series, read a book, go shopping, go bungee jumping… the choice is yours!
- Distract the lows. To do this, look for something very good that happened to you. Train yourself to evoke it when you are happy and calm. This way it will be easier for you to bring it to mind when the lows appear.
- Tidy up the house. It may seem silly, but it will help you relax your mind. In addition, you exercise, which helps to tone the body and ward off the moments of downturn.
- Laugh every day. And no, it's not worth a smile. Laughing is the best therapy since, in addition to releasing endorphins, it stimulates the facial, thoracic and abdominal muscles, and oxygenates you.
- Talk with your friends. It is therapeutic because it allows us to vent, release worries and feel accompanied. You can meet or phone a friend.
- Breathe well. Practice abdominal breathing, the best to calm yourself, while attracting positive visualizations to your mind.
- Give you a tribute. Take time each day to do something you want. Also, be aware of the good causes that you carry out. You can do a mental review every night.
- Caricature a problem. Take three deep breaths and attract a low intensity negative thought for 20 seconds. Think again for another 20 seconds, but this time imagining that it is a cheerful, happy and not believable cartoon character who speaks of this thought. Practice it for several days and you will end up interpreting that thought with better humor.
- Do not lock yourself at home. It is no use feeling sorry for yourself or locking yourself at home without going out. Socialize and go out, you will see how little by little the situation improves. Also avoid falling into the temptation to wallow in your sadness and listen to sad songs, or wear Titanic three times in a row. Rather, do the opposite: upbeat music (even nursery rhymes) and comedies.
The importance of thoughts
Our thoughts produce an emotion and this, in turn, an attitude. For this reason, it is important to take care of your thoughts, since they are the ones that will alter your mood. Little by little practicing how we can change negative thoughts to positive ones gives extraordinary results. It is difficult at first, but with practice you will find that thinking positive improves your mood. Don't miss out on these tricks to be more positive and happy.
Focus your mind on positive thoughts and memories
When should I be concerned?
We all go through low spirits. However, we have to be alert to changes in the way we feel, think and act. If we feel a discomfort that affects the whole body, our mood, the way we eat, sleep, sexual desire, it lowers our self-esteem, we stop going out, doing what we like, a feeling of hopelessness fills us, etc., we could be facing a depression and we have to go to a specialist.
