5 Ways To Improve Your Mood

mental health mindset self-care Apr 10, 2026

Did you know that your metabolic health is closely linked to your mental health?

Mental illness is prevalent and can significantly impact individuals’ lives and well-being. While there are many causes of mental illness, we are discovering more about how our lifestyle choices can influence our mood and mental health.

Research indicates that inflammation, elevated blood sugar, and oxidative stress are contributors to psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar affective disorder and cognitive decline.

The good news is that making key lifestyle changes can help mitigate these factors and enhance your mood and mental well-being.

We also know that one of the drivers of emotional eating occurs when people use food to cheer themselves up. Many people eat when they are stressed, sad or lonely. Addressing the root cause of the emotional distress is one of the steps people need to take when emotional or stress eating feels out of control.

Here are 5 simple ways to support your brain by caring for your body:

#1 Move Your Body to Improve Mood

Chronic inflammation is tied to both physical and mental health issues, including depression. Regular exercise is a powerful anti-inflammatory tool. It improves glucose metabolism and boosts serotonin and dopamine. These are key neurotransmitters for mood regulation. Whether it’s walking, yoga, or strength training, any daily movement can give your brain and body a boost.

Tip: Try 5-minute "movement snacks" throughout the day

For example: Set a timer for 5 minutes - see how many squats, lunges and wall push-ups you can do before the timer beeps.

#2 Eat Real Food to Improve Mood

What you eat directly affects oxidative stress and glucose metabolism in the brain. Diets high in refined sugars and processed foods spike blood sugar and can harm neurons. Eating real, whole, nutrient-dense foods helps protect the brain, supports stable glucose levels, and enhances cognitive function.

Tip: Stock your fridge, and keep your favourite real foods on hand to make healthy eating easy. Make eating real foods easy (have them freely available) and make eating processed foods hard (get them out of your house).

#3 Prioritise Sleep to Improve Mood

Sleep is essential for mental health. Lack of sleep disrupts brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine, leading to irritability and anxiety. Prioritise 7-9 hours of sleep to reduce oxidative stress and improve both mood and metabolic health.

Tip: Set aside 8 hours for sleep, even if you don’t sleep the full time. It is impossible to get 8 hours of sleep if you're only in bed for 6!

#4 Learn Stress Management Skills to Improve Mood

Your ability to manage external stressors can be increased by learning stress management skills. Chronic stress drives inflammation. Practices like journalling, EFT (tapping), hypnosis, mindfulness, meditation, and deep breathing lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and inflammation, while boosting mood-regulating neurotransmitters. Just a few minutes of mindfulness can calm your mind and body.

Tip: Try this 5 x 5 x 5 breathing exercise:

Inhale slowly for 5 seconds
Exhale slowly for 5 seconds
Pause for 5 seconds
Repeat 3 more times (1 minute total)

#5 - Stay Connected to Improve Mood

Social isolation increases stress and weakens emotional resilience. Positive social interactions release oxytocin, lowering stress and boosting mood. Strong connections with family, friends, or community can protect against stress and metabolic imbalances

Tip: Make daily social contact—text a friend, call a loved one, or take a walk with someone.

#6 - Bonus Tip: Sunlight Improves Mood

Get some sunlight. Spending time outside in nature is powerful. We know green spaces (trees, parks, forests, bush) and blue spaces (water, ocean, rivers, lakes) are good for regulating our nervous system. Sunlight and Vitamin D also have a profound effect on mood. Most of you have heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is a more serious version of Winter Blues, and is directly linked to the amount of sunlight we are exposed to.

The 6s for Success.

These are powerful levers to improve both metabolic health and mental health

Sustanence
Stress Management
Sunlight
Sleep
Strength and Movement
Social Connection

At Real Life Medicine, we believe in the power of small steps. You don't have to do all the steps at once.

We go further into this in My Metabolic Action Plan (MyMap)

This step-by-step program is the map to improved metabolic health that not only helps with weight loss and increases your energy levels and mood, but also reduces the risk of chronic disease in the future.

You can find out more about My Metabolic Action Plan here

Dr Mary Barson and Dr Lucy are the founders of Real Life Medicine. They help women who have been on every diet under the sun, optimise their health and achieve long lasting weight loss without feeling miserable or deprived.

They do this with their 3 step framework that

Improves metabolism
Develops mindset skills
Provides tools to implement it easily into busy lives

With this comes increased energy, vitality and confidence.

You can avoid chronic disease and stop living life on the sidelines!