Your Morning Caffeine Fix Can’t Do This—But a Tiny Mood Shift Can
Don’t get me wrong, I love savouring my midday coffee and have no qualms about anyone else’s caffeine pleasures.
But, using these mood shifts means you can do just that: savour your coffee.
Because you’re already set for the day ahead.
- Maybe it’s decluttering, lunch with your mother-in-law, or facing your boss over that [wish you could crawl under a rock] incident from yesterday; you’re ready.
What if a 15-30-second interlude could replicate caffeine and do a better job?
Whether you allow yourself to fully enjoy your daily coffee rituals or do your best to find a “healthy alternative” you try to limit the overstimulation, especially at night, right?
So, you’re encouraged to try out new substitutes or maybe count and limit the number of cups.
But, it’s tough to be enthusiastic about a cup of caro or peppermint tea every time… before you know it, you’re reaching for a distraction (or sneaking chocolate and biscuits onto the ‘restricted list’). Let’s face it: nothing does the same thing as that delish coffee.
Long story short, more often than not, you’re losing count pouring another cup and fretting that maybe it is the caffeine keeping you up at night, even though it never used to.
Coffee is not the enemy!
First, let me state the obvious—coffee is not the enemy. It’s totally fine to enjoy it, and it doesn’t mean you’re a lost cause or in a hopeless cycle.
But what if you could present fun and purposeful pauses instead? Actions that don’t even take as long as making a cup of coffee and can be fun for you to do?
Let’s talk about the three essential fun and stimulating areas where you could add the Mood Deck for better outcomes than coffee can provide.
1. The moves for processing emotions.
What Mood Deck can be a substitute for: some of the ways we currently try to feel better are by meditating on it or focusing on the good, recognising reactions, processing emotions, and deepening emotional intelligence.
Self-help books and meditation, while boosting your foundations, are often too time-consuming to help “in the moment”. In fact, activities that take longer than five or so minutes are often overlooked as being indulgent or naval gazing.
Mood Cards, like the ones below, serve as emotional support. They provide a sense of inner safety that allows you to carry on with your day without unnecessary worry or stress. Try these activities
🦋 The Butterfly Tap
Process: Sit or stand comfortably, cross your arms over your chest and gently tap your shoulders with the tips of your fingers, alternating which arm is outermost, like the gentle flapping of butterfly wings.
Focus on the rhythm of your movements as you notice a soothing and calming effect. Keep breathing deeply as you continue this motion, embracing the peacefulness of the moment.
Time frame: One round of about eight taps before swapping.
Why it works: Bilateral stimulation helps regulate the nervous system and reduce stress.
This study shows that exercises like this Butterfly Tap may facilitate emotional processing and promote comfortable feelings.
And as you get more practised, you’ll notice how quickly this becomes a go-to resource.
💃 The Energy Shake
Process: This can be done anywhere! Shake your hands or any part of your body vigorously. Imagine you are flicking off water. You may feel the circulation boost as the motion invigorates you. You may like to imagine shaking off any lingering tension or stress.
Time frame: 15 seconds.
Why it works: As it releases muscle tension and increases blood flow, this simple act can be refreshing and help wake you up, ready and prepared for whatever comes next.
Question: When was the last time a pause led to an effective mood-shifting moment? Simple actions can help you process emotions more efficiently and more naturally. Mood shifting can also give you insight (that you might not have gotten otherwise) into what you have been going through.
This Deck isn’t just about feeling good. It’s about creating alternative ways to respond in the moment and to learn about yourself in ways that don’t involve silently suffering that no amount of coffee can facilitate.
2. Steps to Replace (Some of Your) Coffee Time or Chasing The Wins Time.
The reality is that our brains need dopamine, but you don’t want to always be relying on caffeine or result-based stimulation or even validation from your partner or boss. These are great some of the time, but not always.
Mood Magic Deck can actually boost dopamine in seconds. They can help decompress, process the day and relieve stress. And yes, studies like this one show what you may have already known: even brief activities can create change and improve your ability to focus on subsequent tasks.
That study shows just 20 seconds of self-compassionate touch daily significantly lowered cortisol levels and improved participants’ well-being.
Process: Participants placed their hands on their heart or belly, took deep breaths, and directed kind thoughts toward themselves. After a month, they reported increased self-compassion and reduced stress compared to a control group.
Other activities, such as Havening, where you stroke down your arms, increase the feeling of well-being.
🙆♀️ The Joy Roll
Process: Roll your shoulders back and up, then drop them down.
Repeat 3 times.
Rolling this way releases trapped tension in the neck and shoulders, reducing stress buildup.
3. Moves to reinforce support.
What the deck can substitute for: some of the overcompensating, bullying or self-berating that we frequently use in moments of panic to help temporarily substitute for willpower or failed confidence,
Something you may be aware of (from personal experience or studies like this one) is that creativity, stress reduction and an overall sense of well-being are easier when more avenues of support are involved, when self-soothing is practised, and/or when play and fun are introduced.
Daily Rituals
Setting a daily reminder (if that‘s your thing, as it is mine) can boost the results generated from the cards.
Simply decide when~ decide what~do… Deciding to complete a card ahead of time will switch off the need to ‘re-decide’ in the moment.
Our brain loves its own programming: Practicing what you’ll do, see and think when you get the notification, you will set yourself up for success
Then, when the reminder goes off, select a card and give it a go; knowing the brief amount of time they take makes this an easy go-to daily ritual.
Dinner Time Moves
Make it a non-negotiable to draw a card and do~ just before tucking in. And it doesn’t even matter who else is around; invite them to share your joy!
So, there you have it, those three categories (for today) that Mood Magic practices can be used.
You may have noticed with each of these activities suggested under our three categories; I’m not talking about elaborate and time-consuming moves. I’m also not talking about structured processes that require you to hold an advanced degree to get to know them easily.
These are quick, meaningful, creative ways that require mere seconds. Also, any adult or child can use them.
I’ve experienced major transformations countless times when disaster strikes, and I’ve started using a move to shift my mood.
There was that time, my husband and I walked into our house to find it completely flooded. PANIC!! Once the emergency ‘fixer crew’ was in place, we went to the shops to buy supplies. I sat in the car, busting a move, and was able to more calmly take in the devastation of the demolished room (beneath the leak) upon our return.
Small inventive moments build multiple invaluable things: emotional safety, better understanding, and calmer outcomes.
Want to try this yourself? The Mood Magic Deck gives you 15-second to 30-second micro-moves that, according to my clients, do more for emotional safety than just pushing through.
Resources like these have long been one of my most requested resources. So, this year, I finally put these ones together in a deck → The Mood Magic Deck.
You can get a full card deck for free. The free resource includes fifteen activities related to emotional processing.
Or, if you want the extended training, it is an online course and includes even more exercises for creating change, tracking, and fun. There are even suggestions to help you begin 😮.
Micro Moves Starter Kit is perfect if you’re waiting for motivation to strike, and I have another one for those wanting to create more sunshine in their mornings. The Sunrise Smile Method shares how.
So . . .
Here’s a quick challenge for you: Start small. If you grab the course or the free deck, choose just one of the moves to replace a typical stress reaction this week.
Notice not just how your body responds in the moment but how it feels for you to create these little spaces for support and connection in your day.
Cheers to you and your new Mood Magic!
Lynne x
