Over the past 18 months or so I/we have noticed an unprecedented amount of people who have low mood, are fed up and worried about everything; and is it any wonder?

Everything in the media and news is portrayed in pure doom and gloom, even the glorious weather (heatwave) was treated as “dangerous”.

I concur 37, 38, 39 and even 40 degrees heat can be dangerous and should be respected however, not one news story mentioned the benefits of extra sunshine via Vitamin D, or how the sunny period will boost the economy as everyone heads out to buy paddling pools, BBQ foods and drinks, fans, heads to coastal towns, or how many people will actually enjoy the heat; especially those who head to climates such as Turkey, Egypt and Mexico.

All we hear is how the reservoirs are drying up and we mustn’t take long showers or wash cars or fill paddling pools up. Yes, I agree, we should in times of low reservoirs take more care with the water we have, that’s cool, the way it is all portrayed however, is wrong.

We are being now being “trained” to loathe the sun, fear its power, stay inside and worry about its consequences; instead of promoting its magnificence and health benefits safely. (hydration, using correct SPF frequently, wearing hats, the use of umbrellas and shaded areas, eating water rich foods such as watermelon, grapes, salad items, avoiding midday sun, using cold treatment to the back of the neck and so on).

All of this doom and gloom portrayal takes its toll especially, after the several years of Brexit, Covid, Ukraine war, cost of living crisis and now the fear to our beloved sun and continual, bombardment of negative news bleeds through into everyone’s lives. When exposed to persistent negative wording, tone and language it is clear why individuals in mass moan, feel low and fed up.

How many of you or know someone who is always low, moaning how stressed or sad they are? This moaning then has a negative impact on the people around them and in turn creates an environment of low mood, low self-confidence and sad individuals and thus creating a huge negative cycle which is hard to break.

There are clearly multiple layers to this negative cycle however, here’s a few simple things you can try to do to help yourself and those around you.

If you are unable to process fact from fiction or read between the lines, turn off notifications from news apps. Delete News apps. Stop watching the news-based programmes, change radio stations. 

If you do come across a news story or are told one, don’t read too much into them. Try to understand you are being told something in a way they (that particular media outlet) want you to react and it doesn’t have to mean it is true or is bad. Try to look at the positives i.e., take the heatwave for example, the extra Vitamin D the sun provides is good for us or the economic boost from the sales of … and so on.

Unfollow, unfriend etc. If when you see someone’s name on your phone, or hear their voice, see their face or come across their post on social media and it makes you feel negative in any way; unfollow, delete, remove, avoid.

This is one HUGE thing I personally did and my god it helps!

Unsure how to unfollow someone on social media, then google it. Do NOT feel bad for how they make you feel. You do NOT have to see, hear their BS.

Example, I unfollow anyone who posts airport/airplane posts saying “off to Dubai, laters bitches” etc… To me that’s showing off, pretentious and obnoxious – my opinion, and I do not want to see that… unfollow!

I know, I know, its corny, but seriously it works. It is also very tricky to start doing when your head is full of negatives and use to being negative. I get it. Been there done that but, if you want to make change, I suggest you work hard on this one. It really does help. Even if at the time you are unable to see any, take a step back after the event/incident and look at what you might have learned or how you could manage it better next time, what good can come from it and so on.

My biggest one here is a bereavement of a friend, loved one etc (we’ve had some huge ones the past 5 years or so). Yes, losing someone is horrific, it is sad, emotional and sometimes shockingly cruel however, they mean something to you as they will have impacted your life in a positive way. They may have influenced, shaped and impacted your life, personality and attitude. This is amazing! They have left a positive imprint on your life which may in turn imprint on other people who know you. You probably have 1000s of happy memories of them that just make your heart sing and cheeks hurt from laughing; how awesome is that?

Even sat here right now I am thinking of all the stupid things we (those I have lost) did and smiling.

I get that a paragraph isn’t going to make everything ok and this practice takes exactly that, practice but, believe me, it works and helps you handle things so much better on a daily basis.

This is really a mix of all the above, isn’t it? Look, if you can’t control it (event, incident, weather, war, pandemic, price of fuel, kid throwing up as you leave the house, flat tyre….) then control HOW YOU manage it.

If you knew me just 7 years ago, you’d be amazed how I handled even the smallest thing going wrong – think angry, nasty toddler the size of a man and you’re getting there!

Now however, I hardly batter an eye lid. Don’t get me wrong, I have lapses, but my days, these are super mild in comparison to before. I love a wallow for a few minutes, hours or days, but this gives me time to reflect and move on. It’s knowing when to pull the big boy pants up and crack on! (other types big pants are available).

All of these are good and well however, YOU must want to make a positive change to your mood, energy levels, sleep, moaning levels, perception and so forth to make it work.

I wanted to change, I wanted to never be that person ever again, I wanted to improve my head as I know where it leads… and I am not going there again!

If this helps in some way, share it with someone who might need it too, comment, email me or ask for help, suggestions or tips and finally, how we talk to ourselves matters.

I'm sorry to say binge watching and aimlessly scrolling on your phone could be playing havoc with your mood and overall well-being. 

Have a read in more detail about this here >>> Binge Watching

Yep, you already know by now that increased physical activity (movement, exercise) helps boost mood and energy levels. You just need to crack on with doing something. That is where we can help if you want it. Just get in touch with us via email, social media (@jellyfitness on Facebook or Instagram) or drop us a text or WhatsApp!