Feeling a bit... flat, lately? Same. It's not that anything is wrong. It's not burnout, or existential malaise, or despair. Just a kind of meh. A grey haze that's hanging around, holding us back from real joy.
The first thing to know is that if you're feeling this way, you're not alone. Loads of us experience an occasional mental flatline, and it's especially common as we come out of the highs of summer and re-enter normal, non-holiday life.
The second thing to know is that there are ways to pull yourself out of it. Sarah Warley, a neurophysiological psychologist and the founder of The Key Clinic, explains that what's essential is considering how your brain and body are communicating and working in flow. 'We talk about mental health as though it happens above the neck, quite separately from the rest of us,' she tells Good Housekeeping. 'In truth, the brain and body are in conversation all day and all night, and much of how you feel is based on the chemistry of everyday life.'
Ahead, she shares eight simple recommendations to optimise that brain-body connection and feel your best.
Make breakfast count
'Protein is an essential building block for healthy brain chemistry,' says Sarah. 'Dopamine, which gives you focus, and serotonin, which steadies mood and sleep, both depend on it. This matters more than usual in perimenopause and menopause, when falling oestrogen affects serotonin activity and mood, sleep and concentration so often wobble.
'How fast a meal releases its energy matters too. Sugary cereal, or toast and jam, gives you a lift and then drops you, and the drop arrives at about 11am disguised as irritability and a wandering mind. Eggs, yogurt or a handful of nuts will keep you level for hours.'
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Get outside in the first hour of your day
Yep, before you shower. The moment you get up. Sarah says: 'Almost nobody does this, and it is probably the most useful thing you can do for your body clock. Don’t look at your phone. Don’t fix your hair. Sling on something comfortable and get out. We spend around 87% of our lives indoors, where there is simply not as much light. Your brain treats that gap as its cue to switch off the sleep hormone. Ten to 15 minutes will do, sunglasses off, and it pays back the same evening, because how well you sleep tonight depends partly on this morning’s light.'
Look after your gut
Sarah says: 'There are trillions of microbes living in your gut, and what you eat decides whether they work for you or against you. Feed them well and they earn their keep, turning fibre into compounds that travel to the brain, dampen inflammation and keep the lining of your gut sealed.
'Feed them badly, and the gut lining starts to leak. Things slip into the bloodstream that were never meant to be there, the immune system reacts, and you're left with a low, grumbling inflammation that reaches the brain. This helps explain why low mood so often arrives feeling like flu: the fatigue, the fog, the heaviness.
'Ultra-processed food now makes up around 54% of the average British diet, and one large French study found every 10% rise in someone’s share of it came with a 21% greater risk of depressive symptoms. Choose instead to eat home-cooked food with a wide variety of colours on the plate, to encourage a healthy microbiome.'
Think about omega-3 and vitamin D
Pass the mackerel. 'A major review of nutrients and mental health found the strongest results for omega-3, taken alongside conventional treatment for depression,' Sarah notes. 'Oily fish two or three times a week is the best source, though a decent supplement will do. Vitamin D is worth taking too: UK guidance is 10 micrograms daily through autumn and winter, because our skin cannot make it here for six months of the year.'
The SMASH diet is a great place to start, along with vitamin D supplements. But if low mood or exhaustion refuses to lift, Sarah advises asking your GP for a blood test, 'specifying ferritin rather than iron alone'.
Move little and often
'Movement changes your brain chemistry directly,' says Sarah. 'It raises serotonin and dopamine, releases endorphins, clears the stress hormones that build up over a day, and increases a protein called BDNF, which behaves rather like fertiliser for brain cells.
'An hour at the gym followed by 10 hours in a chair does far less for all this than movement scattered across the day. What decides whether a habit survives is whether you enjoy it, so be honest with yourself. Dancing counts, as does gardening, swimming, or a walk with a friend.'
Protect your sleep
We all know that a good amount of high quality sleep is important, but we often forget that day-to-day, staying up scrolling instead of getting an early night. Sarah's here to give you a nudge to prioritise sleep, especially if you're feeling meh: 'Something rather wonderful was discovered in 2013. When the brain sleeps, the tiny gaps between its cells widen by as much as 60%, letting fluid wash through and rinse away the day’s debris, including the sticky amyloid associated with Alzheimer’s. In the mice studied, that flow all but stopped once they woke. Sleep is also when cortisol falls to its lowest point, which is how the stress system resets. A short night costs you twice, then, and you wake already braced. Anyone who's lain awake at three in the morning will know the feeling.'
One simple step you can take to improve your sleep? 'Dim the lights an hour before bed, and if you can bear it, leave the phone in another room.'
Hang out with trees
'Trees give off airborne compounds called phytoncides, and when volunteers slept in rooms infused with them, adrenaline and noradrenaline in their urine fell,' notes Sarah. 'A 2023 review of 36 studies found time in woodland significantly reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. A local park will do, as long as you slow down enough to notice you're there.'
Get creative with your friends
Call up your pals for a collaging session, we say. Sarah says: 'Creativity is underrated. Getting in the flow dials cortisol down and dopamine up, and nothing you make has to be any good. Knitting, baking, badly played piano, a half-finished jigsaw on the kitchen table.
'Company works on the same chemistry, rather more powerfully. Sitting with someone who knows you lowers cortisol and releases oxytocin, which is why an hour with an old friend can leave you feeling physically different. The longest study of happiness ever conducted followed the same people for over 80 years and found that the quality of your close relationships predicts your long-term health better than money, status or success.'
Sarah Warley is a neurophysiological psychologist who was recently featured in the Channel 4 documentary The Great ADHD Myth. She has since issued a statement to clarify that she was unaware of the documentary's title when filming and said: 'I do not believe ADHD is a myth. I've worked with children and adults for over a decade in this field trying to help improve symptoms. So I know just how real and how debilitating it can be, and I wouldn't be doing this work if I didn't think it was something very real.'
