May

Colorful Images….and Chocolate!

We’ve all had those times of “feeling blue”. There are those times when we say we are “feeling a bit drab.” So it is no surprise that a recent psychological study indicates a significant correlation between biology and mood. The study measured retinal contrast (in the eyes) and noted differences when comparing persons who were clinically depressed with a control group of persons who were not. So while we each see the world with our own eyes, how colorful or colorless a person sees the world has a connection to our physical and emotional wellbeing. [Recognize that I am not a psychologist and I’m not qualified to write about long-term or intermittent clinical depression here. The “points of feeling blue” that I’m writing about are those that most women experience now and then---the blue mood times.] The blue-mood times are when we just seem to need a little boost of optimism.

So how is your world looking today? Is today a day where you are in the vibrant mood---the one of “color me beautiful?” How illuminated are you today?

How do you lift your spirits when you feel a bit drab? I try to talk myself into a good mood. Mind over matter. Change my thoughts and I can change my world. Think positive. Find something really exciting on which to focus. Be grateful. Sometimes I interrogate myself; I ask what it is that is behind this feeling? What is the root cause? And I keep asking that question until I can peg it. Once I name it, I can address it. Sometimes I go for a long walk. Physical exercise helps; so does fresh air and deep abdominal breathing. Each is uplifting in itself.

But the fastest way for me to lift up my spirits is with chocolate! Chocolate is a wonderful mood booster. Supposedly, chocolate stimulates the brain's dopamine production. Dopamine is important for diminishing pain sensations, enhancing pleasurable ones, and creating a sense of overall well-being. So there you have it…chocolate helps to create a sense of well-being. And when we possess a sense of well-being, we see the world in its full color spectrum. We even become vibrantly animated!

Think about this. If I have a continual craving for chocolate, does that mean that I also have a continual desire for well-being? For happy moods? You bet. I’m addicted to life! Welcome to my colorful, chocolate-loving world.