You have perhaps been feeling depressed recently and aren’t quite sure why. Or you’re just not in a good mood lately. Maybe you have a hunch as to why. Or maybe you think it’s a few little things here and there. We all have our reasons.
But do you know there are some weird little things that can change your mood for the worse? For example, how can cat videos cause you to feel sad or leave your sunglasses at home on a sunny day? Weird things can affect your mood. These small things could just be making you feel a bit down lately. So here’s why.
#1_You’re around blue light before bed.
Do you get on your tablet or a phone right before bed? Do you let the calming meows? If cat videos put you to sleep, well, that’s enough. No more cat videos.
Actually, it’s not the cats that are bad for you, but the blue light emitted from your screen that could be. Ever heard of our circadian rhythm? It’s the internal clock we all have that influences how alert we are. Our melatonin secretion and cortisol. It affects our behavior and changes within a 24 hours cycle.
So blue light slows the release of melatonin and messes up your circadian rhythm. This can make it much more difficult to fall asleep because our brain releases more melatonin before bed during the dark hours of the evening. So using your phone, computer, or watching TV can cause you to have difficulty falling asleep. According to WebMD, poor sleep is linked to health problems like high blood pressure, obesity, depression, type two diabetes, heart disease, and even some kinds of cancer. Circadian rhythms have also been known to affect someone’s limbic system.
This part of the brain establishes emotional states and responses, so poor sleep can negatively affect our mood in this way as well. The good news is most phones have a night mode option that reduces the blue light and goes from more of an orange tint. But some experts say this might not be enough. So it’s best to opt for a good book instead of those cute blue light kittens from your phone screen.
#2_ You’re not getting enough sunlight.
Do you get enough sunlight? Or do you spend most of your days indoors? You may say to yourself, but I’m away from that blue light. I don’t watch TV, or videos or play games that often. that sounds good but not entirely. Because even though blue light isn’t always your friend, natural sunlight is. Our circadian rhythm can still get disrupted without enough sunlight. The less you receive, the more your body releases hormones that will make you feel lethargic. You want to feel sleepy at night, not during the day.
People often experience seasonal affective disorder because of the lack of sunlight during the shorter and darker days of the year. What does this mean? Likely more feelings of tiredness and loss of interest in the things you once enjoyed. So when spring and summer come around, they’ll usually feel a lot better because of that good old sunlight.
#3_ You’re scrolling through social media too often.
How often do you scroll through your social media feed per day? 30 minutes? An hour? Two? Four? Well, this could have you comparing those perfectly staged or posed photos of your friends to yourself in reality. And people in reality aren’t always seen at their best angle. In an article for Men’s Health, psychologist C. Matthew Nicholls, Ph.D., suggests this is due to often viewing impression management images. These are photos that are set up to be in perfect lighting situations and pose so that everyone looks their best.
Also, people tend to use filters every now and then, too, so it might leave you comparing yourself to impossible standards, which can take a toll on your mood.
#4_ You’re experiencing situational depression.
Has a tragedy or unfortunate event recently occurred in your life? Do you think you’re experiencing situational depression? A lot of people go through situational depression at least once in their lives. This can occur when there’s a divorce or breakup, a loss of someone in your life, loss of a job, a fight with family or loved ones, retirement, having a baby, an accident moving if you’re not used to feeling depressed, these feelings that come with situational depression can be extremely new to you. Some symptoms of situational depression are low self-esteem, feeling hopeless, sad, tearful, irritable, having no motivation, losing interest in things, and having trouble making decisions, to name just a few. It’s best to seek professional help or consult with a doctor if these depressive feelings or symptoms persist.
#5_ You’re in the Sun Without Sunglasses here’s a weird cause.
Have you been out in the sun all day and found yourself in a constant frown? But then that frown gets to you. You suddenly find yourself angry, upset, or sad. Maybe you’re just not feeling it today. Well, did you forget your sunglasses? While there are a lot of things that can cause you to feel sad, a weird one is simply not wearing sunglasses while out on a sunny day.
That intense sun often forces one to squint their eyes and face and be locked in a frown for the duration of their time outside. This can actually cause feelings of aggression or anger to occur if you hold this facial expression, according to a 2013 research study published in the journal Cognition and Emotion. The study states, in line with data showing that experimental and unobtrusively induced facial and body displays which lead to congruent feelings, we found that participants walking face to the sun without sunglasses scored higher in a self-report measure of anger and aggression compared to those walking with the sun behind and or wearing sunglasses.
