Feel good grooves - mood and movement are connected. Music may help too!

Movement also helps our gut microbiome and it benefits mitochondrial function - any level of movement being better than none.

Get up and dance! or just stretch and walk. Our bodies need movement to help move lymphatic fluid with the power of our muscles acting on the surrounding tissue. It helps move lymphatic fluid to lymph nodes where blood vessels carry away toxins. Movement may also improve the mood by reducing oxidative stress chemicals and increasing mood elevating endorphins.

Movement helps digestive health by aiding in regular transit time and daily bowel movements, along with adequate water and fiber in the diet. Better digestive health leads to better mood from a healthy microbiome, improved nutrient absorption which can lead to well supplied mitochondria and a good energy level.

Music may encourage both more movement and more happiness. Some rhythms and frequencies can be more healing and uplifting for the mood and others more of a negative for health and may increase excitement but lead to more negative moods later. Our energy fields can respond to our rhythmic motion and to that of vibrations in the air.

Chinese Five-Element music therapy {so cool}

Chinese five-element music has been found beneficial for cell growth and mitochondrial function compared to cell cultures grown with heavy metal or classical music. Heavy metal music was bad for cell growth, reducing cell viability by 11%, and increased Reactive oxidative species (ROS) [oxidative stress chemicals] by 16%. Classical music was close to the five-element music for promoting cell growth (14% increase) but had less positive effect on glutathione production (8% compared to 21% increase ). (Feng, et al., 2022)

‘Results: Unlike rock and classical music, exposing cells to five-element music produced several beneficial physiological effects, including statistically significant increases in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by 17%, glutathione (GSH) by 21% and cell growth rates (14%), as well as a significant reduction in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 13%. For the group treated with classical music, there was only a trend toward increased GSH (8%), although the increased growth rates (14%) did reach significance. In sharp contrast, the cells treated with heavy-metal music responded with an opposite and significant 16% increase in ROS and a significant 11% reduction in cell viability.'‘ (Feng, et al., 2022)

• An informative article includes a video of large production with a choir and orchestra playing Chinese music and another with a flute and a keyboard/dulcimer? of some sort. Both pieces are quite soothing. The orchstra also had a lot of finger picked bass guitar/stringed instrument? harp?. The Mysteries of Chinese Five-Element Therapy, (machozapp.com)

“Different to western music, ancient Chinese music consists of only five notes which are called Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, Yu, roughly matching with the tones of Do, Re, Mi, So, La. The ancient Chinese believed that these five notes were connected with the five elements of the nature (metal, wood, water, fire, earth). That's why when listening to this ancient music, people can feel a simple, slow and natural flow instead of the strong rhythm or grand symphony which is more common in western music.” - The Mysteries of Chinese Five-Element Therapy, (machozapp.com)

Strenuous exercise for reducing panicky attacks and other tips for increasing happiness from the Crappy Childhood Fairy

Strenuous exercise for about 20 minutes helped reduce panicky anxiety feelings that can result after chronic trauma according to the Crappy Childhood Fairy, Anna Runkle.

Anna read medical research to find a way to reduce daily panicky feelings and had success with the strenuous exercise - get the heart rate up. A doctor had wanted to prescribe antidepressants and she said she would work on it herself first. She had already worked through so much mentally that she didn’t want to risk her stability with the addition of a psychoactive drug.

• 11 Tips To Increase Your Inner Power and Lift Your Mood, (Youtube) Video embed and summary later in the post -

First a musical interlude with Burt Bacharach:

“What the world needs now is love, sweet love,

…not just for some but for everyone!”

- Burt Bacharach song lyric, ‘What the World Needs Now’.

and then tips on inner happiness from the Crappy Childhood Fairy:

11 Tips To Increase Your Inner Power and Lift Your Mood, Crappy Childhood Fairy, (Youtube).

She offers a pdf download at the end of the video, in the Youtube notes section - but the link didn’t work. The discussion is focused on complexPTSD (cPTSD) and healing emotional dysregulation that is common with trauma.

An interesting one if frequently panicky and anxious is to do about 20 minutes of vigorous exercise more often, outside preferably for the beneficial sunshine and nature effects too.

With more awareness of clenching my teeth, I noticed I can do it during the day when tense. It made me think of it from the adrenal fight/flight/freeze response. Clenching the teeth is kind of a fight subconscious body language. Getting out for vigorous exercise more often would release the ‘fight’ urges of the stress response or ‘flight’ - use up the increased energy that the adrenal response is trying to prepare the body for. Sitting in a chair getting more tense is not using up that energy, or not well <looks at chewed fingernails>.

Since the pdf is gone I re-listened and took notes - approximately, paraphrased and some of my own bits added — the focus of the video is on complex PTSD and the emotional dysregulation that can be common with it.

11 Tips for feeling happier from the Crappy Childhood Fairy

(where was she when I needed her as a kid? .. being a kid herself, going to fairy school maybe ;-):

1. Get up an hour earlier in the morning for some quiet time, getting a head start on the day so feeling organized and ready.

2. Journaling in the morning or other freetime. The Crappy Childhood Fairy found benefit from a 12 Step tactic of writing down fears and resentments. Just letting them go rather than venting or blaming. Over time she says there is more room for creative ideas.

3. Meditate - however you want or are used to except not a guided meditation audio. Quiet time. Her example person: “I think too much, I can’t do this!” » that is exactly why you need to.

   1. My addition: It is about neuroplasticity and building different brain pathways. FYI: Lack of endocannabinoids can mean the brain physically doesn’t have the building blocks it needs in order to do so though.

   2. The repetition of practicing meditation or anything for 6-8 weeks will be setting up new pathways in the brain which then in later stressed moments, the brain can be ready to slip into the calming pattern when you take your deep breath, or say your calming phrase, or sniff/waft your calming essential oil. *6-8 weeks is a recommendation of Jon Kabat-Zinn.

   3. The nose and aroma are directly linked to our emotional limbic brain areas. It would be protective from an evolutionary perspective. Think of how a dog or cat can know their environment from the odors and track a critter or treat. Aroma can also tell us of danger and some benign odors may have developed a negative emotional association because trauma was linked to the scent - a certain cologne or perfume may remind of a particular person in a good memory or a bad one.

4. Vigorous exercise for 20 minutes - the goal is raising the heart rate, having to breath a little faster. ~ pace of a brisk walk or light jog. Raking leaves works too.

5. Nature - Even better to do the exercise outside in fresh air and sun if present but the body likes to know what season it is - what is going on outside. It helps with emotional regulation or calibration of the body’s sleep and eating cycles *She is talking about circadian cycle health without saying that phrase. She keeps things simple.

6. Exercise or repetitive movement that crosses the right hand to the left side of the body and left hand to the right side of the body - or legs. It seems to help the brain. She doesn’t use the word contralateral exercise but that is my impression. Qi Gong has contralateral movements within its routines.

7. Protein with breakfast and other meals and snacks. Breakfast foods are high carbohydrate and can leave you tired and numb later on (and maybe more inflamed and puffy). Carbs alone can be emotionally soothing from a serotonin boosting effect but then can leave you low blood sugar if a more substantial meal isn’t eaten - or just grazing on more carbs.

8. Get out of overwhelm - make a list of the most important things to get done and pick three or even just one to get done that day. It is nice to cross something off, gives a sense of progress and success, and maybe more of the things will get done tomorrow. — *Rather than procrastinating on all of it will doing other self destructive things…

9. Stop talking about negative stuff. Yes, venting can have value but it is also staying centered in those feelings. Let it go for now and talk about positive things. Anything purposeful or just fun, *it is switching the brain to other pathways rather than reinforcing the negative stuff pathways. More neuroplasticity tactics.

10. Depressed? or a sense of dread? ask yourself “What am I avoiding?” Negative moods may mean something is happening in your life that really does need attention and you don’t want to face it . . . poke at the feeling and figure out what would be better to face rather than living with wordless dread or depression.

11. Secret good deeds — secret simply to offset the idea that it is for seeking a thankyou or recognition of some sort — it is for you to feel good about doing something nice like putting coins in someone else’s parking meter. (*old fashioned example in cities with the card systems) Or just give more compliments to people who deserve one. People like compliments but don’t get them very often. → Be an agent for good!

A few words for motivation from the Crappy Childhood Fairy (Anna Runkle - *credentials from the University of Hard Knocks and Hard Work) — going through the motions initially with any of the new habits/strategies is okay. Trying it for a while may lead to it growing into a good feeling and habit that you do enjoy.

My parents had us kids pick up litter to use up energy during road trips and at some community events for roadway cleanup. I probably grumbled sometimes but it was treated as a counting and finding game on road trip breaks — “Find ten pieces or 20 pieces - Go!” And I still pick up litter. Mother Nature doesn’t need it.

“Please Take Nothing But Pictures, Leave Nothing But Footprints” - Sign in a nature preseerve. Photo by Florida-Guidebook.com on Unsplash

A couple more happiness tips from me -

1. SMILE more! Have smiley faces around you in artwork or a sticker or mug. Imitator cells in our brain like to mimic what we see, so surrounding ourselves with depressed people may increase our own bad mood similarly to how seeing someone yawn can make others yawn too eventually. Smiling then has direct mood benefits as the muscle memory seems to trigger the emotional feeling within the brain whether you are smiling on purpose or spontaneously.

2. If you can’t get to nature often, grow a houseplant. Some are easier than others if feeling pessimistic about not having a Green Thumb for gardening. Like anything, it is learned plus a regular chore to tend to weekly - nurturing life. ‘Not having a green thumb’ might simply mean forgot to water the plant for 2 or 3 weeks or months. Or over watered the plant. Paying attention to the needs of something else may also be giving us a sense of purpose and pleasure when it thrives.

3. Listen to music (except maybe not heavy metal music).

4. Try breathing exercises, link in the post Binaural rhythms. (That photo is one of mine - real camera, not digital.)

   

   Philodendron plants are low light (sunny window) and usually thrive if watered regularly. Photo by feey on Unsplash

Movement - more of my plan. Dates subject to change.

1. 11/3/23 - Movement & detox overview **This post, kind of.

2. 11/10/23 - Flexibility and range of motion - gentle full body stretching helps lymphatic fluid move in addition to the muscle movement promoting flow.

3. 11/15/23 - Aerobic fitness - heart & lung strength, moderate exercise extended time

4. 11/21/23 - Anaerobic fitness - muscle strengthening, weight bearing exercise also sends the bone matrix signals to stay strong and anabolic - building bone matrix.

5. 11/24/23 - Hiking, walking meditation, forest bathing.

6. 12/1/23 - gardening without glyphosate or neonicotinoids, 

   1. or building with rock for more exertion.

7. 12/3/23 - Sun salute, yoga, 

   1. Demonstration short videos could be made for Reiki, dance, Qi gong or yoga poses done my way - not billed as traditional, and self massage or mixing essential oils’

8. 12/9/23 - Gentle pulsing rhythmical movement may promote chi/aether flow throughout the body or the area being pulsed, like the fingers, or an isolated shoulder or hip joint. 

9. 12/20/23 - Sleep and glymphatic flow in the brain. Gentle exercise in bed in the morning or if insomnia is a problem may help. Thumb to thumb hand pose for insomnia.

10. 12/25/23 - Reiki, ball of energy, sending love

11. 12/15/23 - Breathing exercises are also movement.

12. 12/31/23 - Essential oils and self massage

13. 1/5/24 - Pete Egoscue and our myofascial body suit.

14. 1/10/24 - Standing on one leg & screening for age-related risks

15. 1/14/24 - Reiki for self or distance healing

16. 1/19/24 - Mindfulness in daily chores, washing dishes and leg lifts

17. 1/24/24 - Dental focus, oil pulling, activated charcoal swishing “Gentle pulsing rhythmical movement may promote chi/aether flow throughout the body or the area being pulsed”

18. 1/27/24 - Qi gong, knitting & crocheting. Gentle pulsing rhythmical movement may promote chi/aether flow throughout the body or the area being pulsed

19. 2/2/24 - Feldenkrais and Bell hands, 

20. 2/8/24 - Movement – self hug, courage pose smile! > mood lift.

Disclaimer: This information is being provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use and is not intended to provide individual health care guidance.

Reference List

(Feng, et al., 2022) Feng Q, Wang L, Chen Y, Teng J, Li M, Cai Z, Niu X, Rein G, Yang Q, Shao X, Zhang C, Bai X. Effects of different music on HEK293T cell growth and mitochondrial functions. Explore (NY). 2022 Nov-Dec;18(6):670-675. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2022.01.002. Epub 2022 Jan 10. PMID: 35248473. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35248473/