It’s Friday afternoon—you’re well over “hump day” and so close to the weekend you can taste it. Your friends are hitting up the group text for plans to go out for a night of fun. But between work deadlines, shuttling kids to and from extracurriculars, and that mounting laundry pile you’ve been avoiding, you feel plain burnt out. What you need are some strategies to boost your mood in a hurry so you can get back to embracing the weekend and socializing with the people you love.

At Kalm with Kava, our goal is to make the world a more social, friendly, and fun-loving place, one sip of kava at a time. We love encouraging others to explore different ways to boost their mood and relieve any social anxieties so they can better enjoy themselves for any occasion. Whether it’s with a cup of kava tea, an afternoon gardening, or a luxurious bubble bath, there are lots of ways to transform that end-of-the-week slump into a ready-to-party attitude. We’ve compiled a list of our top five tips to help kickstart your mood before a night out.

5 Ways to Boost Your Mood Before a Night Out

1. Enjoy a Kava Root Drink

A mainstay in South Pacific culture for centuries, kava has a rich history of helping people relax in both mind and body. Kava, also known as Piper Methysticum, is a small shrub grown in the Pacific Islands, mainly Fiji, Hawaii, Tonga, and Vanuatu. When the root and stump of kava are ground down, made into a drink, and consumed, the effect of kava’s active ingredients help promote psychological and physiological relaxation, the perfect combo for socializing.

When consumed, certain varieties of kava can help induce a sense of uplifting calm and euphoria, making it ideal for social relaxation. While socializing comes easy to some, other people feel shy, nervous, and awkward in social situations. Sipping a kava root drink before you leave the house is a great solution. It can help eliminate your worries and nervousness and make you feel more comfortable on a night out. Kava also serves as an excellent alcohol alternative for social relaxation because it is a plant-based, non-addictive, natural mood elevator.

Wondering what kava variety would be best to help boost your mood? Heady kavas–called “heady” for their uplifting kava effects—are excellent for helping you feel more sociable and talkative. Heady kavas can help lower any social inhibitions you may have and encourage a bubbly, happy feeling. So if you have a new date coming up or a night out with friends that you’re feeling anxious about, a heady kava drink before you head out will set you up for a night of smooth social success. At Kalm with Kava we carry two heady kavas—our Pouni Ono and Samoa Ava, both of which are available in micronized and medium grind forms.

Pouni Ono

Sourced directly from small Tongan farmers, our Pouni Ono is an uplifting kava that helps stimulate wonderful mental relaxation and mood enhancement. A drink of Pouni Ono kava help you relax and feel more happy and alert. Pouni Ono is also more uplifting and less tiring than other kavas, making it our best social kava. Also, if you’re drinking kava for the first time, Pouni Ono is an excellent option. Learn more about the ins-and-outs of Pouni Ono kava.

Samoa Ava

Our Samoa Ava is an uplifting and happiness-inducing kava with little to no sedation. Typically, it will initially boost your mood and relax you mentally before providing the physical body relaxation kava is typically known for. Learn more about the rich history and nature of our Samoan kava.

2. Spend Some Time in Nature

Fresh air, sun, green leafy trees. Nature is a magical thing and, according to some studies, can have strong healing powers, such as improving mood and boosting the immune system. We can all agree that staying cooped up inside all day can lead to feeling anxious and unhappy. Luckily, the answer to brightening your mood is right outside the door.

From a stroll through a city park to a day hiking in the wilderness, exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, and reduced risk of psychiatric disorders. When you are outside, the fresh air can help raise oxygen levels in your brain, which increases serotonin levels. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that alters your mood. Natural light also stimulates the body’s production of vitamin D, which plays a key role in boosting your mood. It may seem simplistic but getting outside in the fresh air can be a big game-changer!

Here are a few ideas on how to sneak in some outdoor time:

• Go for a walk – Stroll around your favorite park, trail or nieghborhood for some outdoor and “me” time. Pro tip: Grab a tumbler filled with some freshly brewed kava on your way out the door and let it melt away the tensions and nerves of the day as you take in the fresh air.
• Try gardening – Roll up your sleeves and sink your hands into some fresh soil to make you feel more peaceful and content. Focusing your attention on the immediate tasks and details of gardening can reduce negative thoughts and feelings and make you feel better in the moment.
• Meditate – Whether you’re a pro or just starting out, outdoor meditation sessions are known to yield major health benefits. Plus, meditating outdoors activates our senses, which means that you’ll feel more alert and wakeful while practicing outdoors.
• Enjoy some reading – A good book and the great outdoors—it’s a perfect match! Grab a steaming mug of your favorite heady kava variety and a book or magazine, find a peaceful spot, and read your way to a better mood.

3. Pamper Yourself

Sometimes we all need a little TLC to revitalize us after a long week and get us in the spirit for the weekend. You’ve spent the week taking care of everyone around you; it’s high time you treat yourself to some self-care. Whether you devote a whole day or just one hour before heading out for a night on the town, pampering yourself helps recharge your batteries, relax your body and mind, and focus on something that is enjoyable. It melts away anxiety and tension, so you can be happier, healthier, and more relaxed in every situation. Here are a few suggestions for how to pamper yourself at home:

• Take a hot bath – Light some candles, put on a facemask, and slip into a warm bubble bath while you sip a cup of soothing kava tea.
• Give yourself a manicure and pedicure – Find your favorite nail polish and catch some time to yourself with a home manicure and pedicure. You can even use a foot mask to get silky soft feet or give yourself a foot soak.
• Listen to your favorite music – What is better than listening to your favorite tunes? Music has been shown to improve mood and reduces stress. Lie in bed or relax on the sofa, close your eyes, switch off your worries, and just listen.
• Watch your favorite TV series or film – This can take you away from reality, help put any worries to the back of your mind, and give you the well-deserved rest and relaxation you need before a night out.

4. Move Your Body

As Elle Woods so simply stated in Legally Blonde, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.” We all know exercise is good for your physical health, but it also benefits your mental health by decreasing feelings of tension, increasing self-esteem and energy levels, and boosting your mood. All those elements ensure you not only feel up to an evening of socializing but that you enjoy yourself as well. If a busy week has left you feeling disenchanted at the thought of going out, getting your blood pumping could help your mood do a 180 degree turn. Use one of these mood-boosting exercises below to go from feeling blah to #boss, because you’re just one workout away from a better mood.

• Bicycling
• Jumping rope
• Yoga
• Dancing
• Walking/running
• Weight-lifting
• Rock climbing

After you’ve finished getting your sweat session in, try mixing up your post-workout recovery game by sipping on a glass of kava. Kava and exercise go hand-in-hand, as it is a non-addictive, all-natural, and convenient way to boost your recovery and get more out of your fitness routine. The main active ingredients in kava—kavalactones—have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects which can help naturally relax muscles and ease soreness.

5. Do An Activity You Love

Who doesn’t love a good hobby? Regularly engaging in an activity that you love can help improve your physical and mental health by decreasing emotional tension, relieving stress, and reducing burnout. They help spice up the never-ending routines that we often get used to and build “fun” back into your schedule.

Dancing or gardening, running or baking—it doesn’t matter whether your chosen pastime is intense or mellow. The key, as Marie Kondo put it, is to ask yourself, “Does this spark joy?” Don’t have a favorite hobby yet? Think about what brings you joy and transform that activity into a regular hobby. What are you interested in? How do you usually spend your time? Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? Take something you love and think about how you can turn it into a hobby. That’s how many of the kava conneisseuirs on our team got interested in kava and invented unique kava recipes! In the meantime, here are some ideas to get you started.

• Cooking or baking
• Knitting
• Grabbing coffee (or kava) with a friend
• Singing in the car
• Yoga
• Journaling

Boost Your Mood and Socialize with Kava

Some days, staying positive, energetic, and social can feel like an uphill battle. Thankfully, your mood is one of the few things you can control in life. Whether you’re looking to chill with friends on a night out or unwind from the worries of life once the weekend rolls around, try incorporating kava into your end-of-day routine. Kava’s natural mood-boosting abilities can help lift your spirits making you happier and more inclined to socialize and have fun.

From micronized kava and kava concentrate to medium grind kava and kava mints, Kalm with Kava has the products to help lift your mood for a night of fun with friends. All of our kava products are sourced directly from kava farms in the Pacific Islands and we sell only 100% Noble kava for quality. Buy kava root online today and have a mood-boosting buddy with you whenever you need it. Need a hand selecting the best kava variety for you? Try our kava variety selection quiz today!

Disclaimer: While kava is an alcohol alternative, mixing Kava and alcohol is not a good idea. Similarly, drinking Kava may hinder your motor functions because it is a mild muscle relaxant, so, as a safety precaution, it is best to not drink kava if you intend to drive later. While there are no laws associated with drinking kava and driving, it is not advised. In some states, there are laws about driving under the influence of any substance. As with any herbal product, if you are unsure about taking kava, consult your doctor.