Improve Your Mood & Emotional Wellbeing
Mood, motivation, emotional resilience, difficult life changes and connection with others, with honest evidence and clear safety guidance.
General information, not medical advice. Each goal page shows what helps, what to avoid, the evidence and the safety points.
Goals in this category
11 goals
Support a More Balanced Mood
Mood naturally rises and falls with sleep, stress, events and the seasons, and it is normal to have flat or low days. This page covers the everyday habits that research …
Manage Irritability
A short fuse, snapping at people you care about and feeling wound up by small things are very common, and there are well-studied ways to cool down faster and to make the…
Rebuild Motivation
Low motivation, when even simple things feel like a lot of effort to start, is common, and there are gentle, well-studied ways to rebuild it one small step at a time. Th…
Make More Room for Enjoyment
Many people go through stretches when things that used to be fun feel flat, or when there is simply no space left in the day for anything but duties. This page is about …
Build Emotional Resilience
Emotional resilience is the ability to feel a setback, steady yourself and adapt, and it grows through coping skills, flexible thinking, daily habits and people you can …
Cope With Difficult Life Changes
A big change, such as a death, a breakup, a move or losing a job, can shake your mood, sleep and sense of who you are, and that is a normal human response. This page exp…
Practice Self-Compassion
Self-compassion means meeting your own mistakes, struggles and hard days with the same warmth and understanding you would give a good friend, instead of harsh self-judge…
Understand & Manage Your Emotions
Understanding and managing your emotions means noticing what you feel, putting it into words, and choosing how to respond so that feelings inform you without running the…
Feel More Connected to Others
Feeling close to other people, with friends, family, neighbours or a community, is one of the most studied parts of wellbeing, and there are simple, well-tested habits t…
Reduce Loneliness
Loneliness is the distressing feeling of being alone or cut off from other people, and it can happen with or without people around you. Research suggests that what helps…
Depression
Depression is more than a bad week or a low patch: it is a common, treatable health condition that can change how a person feels, thinks, sleeps and functions. This page…
Conditions
Therapies and practices
Foods, herbs, vitamins and supplements studied for this category
Strongest evidence first. Most evidence is low, so read each page's studies and safety points.
- St John's Wort Herbs
Mild to moderate depression (compared with placebo)
Safety first: It can make many prescription medicines work less well, and this is the main danger - Saffron Herbs
Mild to moderate depression
Safety first: Saffron as a spice in food is low-risk; the concern is large amounts and concentrated products - Chasteberry Herbs
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS): overall symptoms
Safety first: Short-term use is usually well tolerated; side effects reported are mostly mild - Lavender Herbs
Depression and low mood: oral Silexan
Safety first: Oral Silexan capsules look well tolerated in trials of up to 10 weeks; long-term trial data are limited - Lavender Tea Herbal tea
Low mood and depression: lavender oil capsules
Safety first: Sedating medicines, sleeping pills and alcohol: possible extra drowsiness, never tested with the tea - Tryptophan Amino acid
Mood and anxiety in healthy adults
Safety first: A past contamination episode caused a serious illness - Turmeric Herbs
Depression (major depressive disorder), alone or added to antidepressants
Safety first: Liver injury has been reported with turmeric and curcumin supplements, and it can be serious - Black Cohosh Herbs
Overall menopause symptom scores (Menopause Rating Scale and Kupperman Index)
Safety first: Liver injury is the defining safety question, and experts still disagree about whether black cohosh causes it