Here’s the problem: millions of people are suffering from depression, anxiety, “feeling down” and irregular moods. They just don’t feel like themselves, and as much as they want to be that bright, smiling person for everyone around them, they just don’t feel up to it. Hear me loud and clear: this is a problem that shouldn’t be taken lightly – and that I’d personally like to see solved.

How you feel day-in and day-out, or your “state”, is the single most important factor in terms of the results you’re able to produce in your life. If you feel exhausted and irritable all day, even with great intentions you’ll end up avoiding anything that might “set you off” – in other words, important phone calls you could’ve made, meetings you may have set up with friends or clients, or just being productive at all! Your neurochemistry determines how you feel right now, and this state determines how you interact with both others and yourself. In short? Your state is directly responsible for your decision-making processes.

Enter pharmaceutical drugs. Millions of Americans are turning to heavy anti-depressants and mood-altering drugs to find relief. Do I blame them? Absolutely not. Acknowledging that you’re not acting like yourself and that you’d like to move forward toward change is the exact step that’s needed here. This life is too good to miss, and everyone should be playing all-out with everything they’ve got! With that being said, many people are unaware of healthier and dramatically less expensive alternatives (we’ll explore what’s being called the top alternative in just a moment).

First, let’s get the straight facts on anti-depressants and mood-regulating drugs. The reason many people stop taking anti-depressants is because of the heavy side effects. The most common are sexual side effects (not fun), consistent nausea and fatigue/drowsiness, trouble falling asleep, dizziness or blurred vision, and dry mouth. Some may seem to be worth the advantages in mood enhancement, but are you aware that you can likely bypass all of these side effects entirely? My focus is on the end result or solution – and getting there in the healthiest possible way (it may just happen to be incredibly more cost effective :)

What I’m talking about here is supplementing with 5-HTP. 5-HTP is manufactured in the body from the amino acid tryptophan (usually found in poultry, red meats, nuts, seeds and several other foods), and is the intermediary between tryptophan and the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin is largely responsible for your mood, but also determines the amount of melatonin you have available when the sun goes down (your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep). Because a restless night’s sleep can make your mood and mental performance even worse, regulating serotonin and melatonin levels is essential to breaking the vicious cycle and getting on track (both physically and mentally).

Most popular anti-depressants treat the uptake and regulation of serotonin directly, while some newer and less popular drugs pinpoint other essential neurotransmitters, like norepinephrine and dopamine, to produce different results. What’s important is this: your serotonin levels determine your mood, or “state”, which in turn determines how you interact with others and make decisions throughout the day. The end result you’re looking for is healthy serotonin levels and a healthy mood. Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies verify that supplementing with 5-HTP acts as an anti-depressant and helps regulate serotonin levels far more naturally – likely without the side effects, or with far fewer.

5-HTP is an option you may not have been familiar with, yet the largely untapped potential in mood regulation, treating depression, allowing people to feel good and find relief from anxiety, and fall and stay asleep is refreshing to say the least. It’s my hope that you’ll be better off for being familiar with this information – whether it helps you directly, or indirectly through helping friends and family. Realize we have incredible options at our fingertips…it’s just a matter of looking for them.

[Source] http://www.naturalnews.com/028533_depression_amino_acids.html

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

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Through optimal nutrition, it’s possible to get to a state where you naturally enjoy boundless energy and high moods – all the time. Instead of covering that here, I’m working on a 3-part video series that’ll go over that topic in the context of how to never get sick again. So while that project is being carried out, we’ll go over the best 3 ways to raise both your energy levels and your mood.

1) Do Something You Love

If you ever find yourself trapped in a low-energy or bad mood situation, do something you love to do. Even if it’s getting away for just a few minutes, the effects on your mood and energy are well worth it. To some people that might mean curling up with your favorite book, taking a hike, playing a few rounds of darts…anything that you truly love to do that makes you feel good.

2) Get In A Workout

Who doesn’t feel good after even a quick workout? The trick with workouts is that they’re more like an investment than just winning the energy lottery. You get in the workout, and instead of a quick energy rush that’s gone in a flash, you get hours of sustained energy and enhanced mood as the benefit! It doesn’t have to be at the gym, either; I’ll commonly make up new exercises around the house to keep it fun and feel good at the same time.

3) Turn Up Your Favorite Music

I know of some research that showed physical exercise as the #1 energy enhancer and listening to music as #2. These aren’t two random strategies, they’re the strategies. The important part with music is that you listen to what you love to hear; if you listen to your favorite tunes, your energy will skyrocket. Music has always had an amazing ability to let us forget about the worries of our daily lives and get taken for a ride on the creative side. Find the ones that mean something to you and turn it up!

These are just 3 simple ways to instantly boost your energy and mood – in other words, to feel good! Make a habit of doing what you love, first and foremost. It could be a quick daily ritual, or it could be something you like to go out and do every weekend. I won’t say any more about exercise – we’ve been told enough! But music is one that gets forgotten easily, or you may hear music that doesn’t inspire and uplift you. Find ways to bring empowering music into your life and have some serious fun with all the extra energy ;)

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett