Alertness & Mood Tools

It would be nice if you could hide away from the world when you're feeling less than alert or in a bad mood, but it just isn't possible. Life moves too quickly to lose even a single day. Many people opt to use various techniques to improve mood or increase alertness. Beverages such as coffee or tea, and some nutritional supplements, can help achieve these ends, but a variety of other tools are also available.

Aromatherapy

• The earliest form of the practice, known as aromatherapy in modern times dates back to ancient cultures such as Egypt. Ancient priests, who were often physicians as well, studied the properties of various plants and other aromatic substances and their efficacy in healing. Over the centuries, certain flowers, herbs and other scents have been attributed to producing specific effects on the human body. To improve alertness, use lemon oil, which demonstrated stimulant properties in a study published in the November 2007 issue of the "Journal of Psychoneuroendocrinology." In the same study, lavender oil is recommended to elevate mood and relieve anxiety.

Food

• Neurotransmitters are substances that facilitate communication between the brain's neurons. As such, neurotransmitters are also responsible for moods, from good to bad. Neurotransmitters are created in glands such as the adrenal gland, but food provides the fuel that contributes to their production. To increase your alertness, opt for high-protein foods such as fish, lean meats, poultry and eggs. Protein aids in the production of the neurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine, all of which contribute to alertness.

  If you are depressed, stabilize your mood by eating tuna, swordfish or sunflower seeds, all of which contain selenium, a mood-normalizing substance. Increased selenium consumption won't lift depression, however; it only brings your mood back to a normal state. To overcome depression, try foods that contain folic acid, such as orange juice or spinach.

Music

• Sound, in the form of music, is an essential part of the human experience. Music is used to convey the full gamut of what it means to be human; to express everything from religious feeling to tenderness toward a spouse or child. Expressing what lies in the human heart or mind is not the limit of music's profound importance, though. It can also be used to alleviate some feelings and accentuate others. You can improve your alertness by listening to background music, which stimulates your brain's neurotransmitters and enables better function. To alleviate a bad mood, choose positive, upbeat music. The type of music a person considers uplifting varies, not only from person to person, but from culture to culture.

Meditation

• The practice of meditation has existed for thousands of years. It is a practice that has tremendous value on many levels: as a religious practice, a form of connecting with the spiritual world and, perhaps most important, a means of connecting with your inner self. Meditation, or the practice of mindfulness, can also help you increase your alertness by becoming fully present in each moment; likewise, it can help you overcome and purge negative emotions.