Tricks To Get You Out of a Bad Mood
There's so many blogs and articles out there talking about the power of positive thinking.
Positive thinking can be incredible, yes, but it can also be incredibly difficult.
No matter how hard you have trained yourself to think positively, there will always be bad days.
We can't control the world around us, and it will always have an impact on us and our mood.
Even if we know happiness comes from within, our external environments and interactions still play a significant role on our state of mind.
It's impossible for them not to.
Since bad days are always going to happen and the external world we cannot control will always affect us, it's important to have a few tricks up your sleeve to overcome that influence and get out of a bad mood.
What you eat impacts you more than just on a physical level.
Healthy eating improves not only the overall function of our physical body and helps us to maintain or achieve a healthy weight, but it also impacts our mental and emotional state.
Overly processed foods can have a “dragging down” effect that makes you depressed and your brain kind of foggy—both of which contribute to a bad mood.
Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, getting a decent amount of protein, and reducing your consumption of processed products will drastically improve your mood.
Similar to your diet, exercise has a greater impact than just your physical health.
It's good for your heart, lungs, other organs, and of course—weight management, but it's also good for clearing out a bad mood.
Going for a walk will increase your oxygen flow to your brain and that will give you a “refreshed” feeling.
It will also help you to process information better which means your walk can be doubly productive for getting out of a bad mood:
you'll feel refreshed and you'll be able to work out why you are in a bad mood and brainstorm some solutions.
Exercise is a far healthier and more beneficial solution than stress or emotional eating.
It'll have a greater, positive impact and it won't have a negative impact on your health or emotional state.
Distracting yourself with something productive or something you enjoy can be a great way to get yourself out of a bad mood.
Focus on a project at work and really put all your attention into it and make some headway.
Bring out a beloved hobby you haven't worked on in a while, or one that you work on all the time.
Try a new hobby—something you've always wanted to give a go.
Watch your favorite, feel-good movie or re-read your favorite book.
Focusing on something else will give your mind a chance to break away from the dark cloud of bad mood that it was stuck under.
Eventually, you'll forget all about that bad mood and just enjoy yourself and your distraction instead.
Sometimes our bad moods can't be traced back to any one thing.
It can be that we had a bad dream the night before, didn't get enough sleep, are over-stressed, or just upset with the world because.
When there's no problem to be solved and no solution to be had to get you out of your bad mood, try motivating yourself.
Remind yourself of your goals and things you're working on that make you happy.
Think of the things you have control over and what steps you can take toward making your goals a reality.
Reminding yourself of the bigger picture will help you realize that this bad mood is just one day and you have a lot to look forward to that you're working on.
Often times we feel like we have to bottle up our bad mood and not let anyone know we are feeling it.
Depending on where you are and what you're doing, this might be true.
However, sooner or later you have to get it out.
While having a screaming fit at work isn't a great idea, getting home to a safe space and releasing your frustrations and feelings is cathartic.
Vent to a trusted confidant, allow yourself to feel upset.
Talk yourself through why you are in such a bad mood. Validate your feelings.
Your bad mood won't go away by constantly bottling it up—especially if someone or an external situation caused it.
You need to process your bad mood, validate your negative feelings, and give yourself permission to be upset for a period of time.
Getting your bad mood out will help you clear out all those emotions and negative trains of thought so that you can get to a more positive state of mind where you can either move on from the bad mood or work toward finding a solution to whatever caused it.
You don't have to be stuck in a bad mood, there are ways that you can pull yourself out of it.
You are in control of your feelings and emotions, but that doesn't mean you have to repress them to be “in control.” Try these techniques and you'll be feeling like your usual self in no time.