by Kim Newing
You know those days when you feel off? A little flat. A little snappy. Maybe overwhelmed or like you’re dragging yourself through honey. It’s easy to pin it on hormones or lack of sleep (and sometimes, yep, it is that)… but often, it’s the sneaky, everyday habits that quietly chip away at our energy and mood without us even realising.
Let’s call them out - the modern mood thieves hiding in plain sight:
1. Doom Scrolling
You pick up your phone for a quick check, and before you know it, you're 20 minutes deep in the highlight reels of strangers or scrolling through distressing news updates. Your nervous system? Frazzled. Your mind? Overloaded. It’s not just a time thief, it’s an emotional drain.
2. Not Drinking Enough Water
It’s basic, yes, but dehydration can sneak up on us. That sluggish, irritable, “why do I feel so meh?” feeling can sometimes be solved by simply… water. Every cell, including your happy brain cells, needs it.
3. Rushing Into Your Day
Waking up and going straight into emails, parenting, or problem-solving before you’ve even taken a breath for you sets your whole day in reaction mode. Your mood takes a hit before you’ve even brushed your teeth.
So, what’s the alternative?
How do we protect our precious energy and tend to our mood in a world that’s constantly pulling at us?
Here are some grounding, soul-nourishing swaps:
1. Start your day softly.
Before you reach for your phone, reach for presence. Stretch. Breathe. Sip something warm. Set an intention, or simply whisper to yourself, “I choose calm today.” It doesn’t have to be a long ritual, just a sacred pause.
2. Hydrate like it’s an act of devotion.
Keep your water bottle nearby and add slices of lemon, cucumber or a pinch of sea salt for extra minerals. You could even set reminders to sip, not scroll. Annnd if you’re like my eldest daughter and just don’t like water in winter, herbal tea counts towards your hydration goals too.
3. Replace doom scrolling with a ritual scroll.
Curate your feed with inspiring, uplifting voices. Or better yet, swap the scroll for 10 minutes of journaling, nature gazing, or dancing to your feel-good song. Choose what fills your cup.
4. Nourish your nervous system.
A simple KAILO ritual like a daily dose of Feel Well can support mood, energy and gut-brain balance. Think of it as a soft reset, replenishing what’s been quietly drained.
5. Let your exhale be longer than your inhale.
This tiny tweak in breath signals your body that it’s safe. Safe to soften, safe to receive, safe to feel good.
As the poet John O’Donohue wrote,
“Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek no attention.”
Your mood is sacred. Your energy is worth protecting. And the miracles? They’re in the small choices - the sips, the pauses, the presence.
So today, choose to notice what drains you… and gently choose something different.
You don’t have to do it perfectly, just lovingly.
