7 ways to feel good

Life is full of affordable and easily accessible luxuries. Here are seven ways to get your good mood on. 

1. Stretch
As children, we were able to climb trees and crawl through small spaces. Once adulthood set in, our days of nimbleness took a nosedive. A small thing like weeding the garden leaves us stiff and creaky. Get flexible again with a few stretches each morning.

Start with sitting up in bed. Keep your fingers intertwined and your palms facing outward, and reach above your head, tilting your head to follow your hands. Breathe in as you reach up and breathe out as your hands come down.

2. Drink wine
Indulge in a glass of red wine with your supper. Wine contains resveratrol and other antioxidants. It protects the body against heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol and stroke, as well as colon cancer, prostate cancer, melanoma and leukaemia.

3. Laugh
Laughing lowers blood pressure, activates the immune system, and stimulates breathing.

4. Have sex
Like laughter, sex prompts the release of endorphins, the so-called feel-good hormones. It can be mildly to excruciatingly aerobic and may be good for your relationship. 

5. Sleep
Nodding off is a refuge, a haven from the cares of the world, and your body’s way of coping with the masses of sensory input with which we deluge it daily. It’s when your brain does its filing. A good night’s rest may be one of the single most important factors in staying healthy. If, after cutting back on caffeine and getting some light exercise during the day, you’re still unable to sleep, speak to your doctor.

6. Drink tea
Long thought to be good for you; tea has shown to have a staggering array of health benefits.

7. Sweat
Some people shy away from the idea of exertion, but if you make aerobic exercise a habit, you’ll find it almost addictive. Exercise triggers endorphins and regular, vigorous exercise leads to the so-called runner’s high, which can be so euphoric it’s a wonder it’s legal.