18 Jun 3 easy premenstrual pick-me-ups–study-proven to make you smile
Let’s face it–when the premenstrual grouchies grab hold, they can be hard to shake. But, who can blame you? Plunging estrogen is dragging down levels of feel-good brain chemicals while at the same time upping your sensitivity to pain, zapping your pep and dinging your coordination and dexterity, leading to lots of banged shins and bumped heads. Talk about kicking a woman when she’s down, right?
Well, when you need a quick premenstrual pick-me-up, a smile isn’t too far away. Here are three newly study-proven techniques for banishing the blues and erasing anger that are too easy not to try:
> Watch a cat video: At some point, you’ve probably seen at least one cat video cross your path, perhaps, forwarded to you by a friend or posted on a social media site. Well, don’t dismiss them useless time-wasters or feel guilty for watching them. Turns out, cat videos are instant mood-boosters! According to a new survey of 6,795 Internet users in the journal Computers in Human Behavior, watching felines frolic, pounce and prance ratchets up positivity and energy and decreases anxiety, annoyance and sadness. To get you started on your road to happiness right now, here’s a funny cat video for your viewing pleasure.
> Drink more water: When fatigue, irritability, aches or the blues comes over you, it could be premenstrual symptoms…or it could just be thirst. Two recent studies (this one and this one) confirm that drinking too little water during the day triggers symptoms that mimic PMS. But, happily, they can be reversed far more easily–by simply drinking up! Not a water fan? Not a deal-breaker: Juice, coffee, tea (even caffeinated versions), seltzer and pretty much any beverage other than alcohol can help rehydrate you. Of course, don’t overdo it–in general, eight cups throughout the day should be enough for moderately-active women; sip a bit more if you do intensive exercise or spend a lot of time outdoors in the heat.
> Sniff a happy person: You know how when you’re in a foul mood a cheerful person seems downright annoying and you do all you can to steer clear of them? Well, if you sidle up close to one of those happy-go-lucky sods, then take a big whiff of him or her, you’ll be happy-go-lucky, too! That’s the word from a new study in the journal Psychological Science that say it all comes down to “chemosignals”. These are chemicals in body secretions, like sweat, that not only send out messages about what mood other people are in, they actually prompt us to adopt that person’s mood. You know what that means though, right? The people you should really be steering clear of during your premenstrual week are sourpusses since their chemosignals can have you feeling sour, too!
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[Photo: Link Humans]
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