5.3 Diet
Diet can support well-being. By providing vitamin D through foods, especially in low-slight seasons, incorporating omega-3-rich fatty fish to reduce the risk of depression, eating fresh fruits and vegetables to boost happiness, and taking melatonin supplements when needed can support both mood and sleep regulation.
exposure to sunlight has numerous benefits for improving individual happiness and life satisfaction.
Increasing light exposure, whether through natural sunlight, morning outdoor activities, full-spectrum indoor lighting, light therapy, or even viewing sunlight imagery, can boost life satisfaction, raise vitamin D and serotonin levels, alleviate symptoms of SAD, and improve overall emotional well-being.
Taking a moderate outdoor exercise break during lunch hours significantly benefits an individual’s happiness.
Regular exercise (especially activities like running that boost serotonin and endorphins) can prevent or reduce SAD and significantly improve mood and reduce anxiety, with outdoor or well-lit exercise offering even stronger benefits.
Mendonça, Raíssa Oliveira de, Mylena Maria Ribeiro de Almeida, Talita Garcia Barroso, Normando José Queiroz Viana, and Caio Maximino. ‘COVID-19, Social Isolation, and Psychological Distress in a Brazilian Sample’. Preprint. PsyArXiv, 30 September 2020. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/f942w.
Padrón, Isabel, Isabel Fraga, Lucía Vieitez, Carlos Montes, and Estrella Romero. ‘COnVida-20(1)’. Preprint. PsyArXiv, 31 July 2020. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/27fy6.