8 Simple Ways To Bust A Bad Mood – In Less Than 20 Minutes.

When I’m in a bad mood, I try not to stay in one. Learn to make the best of what you have. – Faith Hill.

BAD MOODS… we all have em’.

And no matter the situation, they’re annoying (I mean, right!?).

Sometimes you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Sometimes there are legitimate things happening that cause you stress.

When these things happen, it’s easy to let the mood of a bad day completely take over your life. But this doesn’t have to be the case!

It’s actually more simple than you think to turn a bad mood around. Simply just being aware that you’re in a bad mood and that you want it to change can do wonders!

Here are 8 no brainer things you can do if you find yourself in a bad mood. Comment below on which one is your favorite.

1) Smile

Ok, I realize this sounds silly but studies show that smiling can significantly improve your mood. Think about it. Smiling people are rarely in a bad mood.

If you’re having a hard time finding something to smile about, think of your favorite vacation, or maybe your favorite pet. Even when things aren’t great there is always SOMETHING you can smile at/about.

Find that thing and start showing your pearly whites!

2) Give yourself a timed tantrum

Generally, bad moods are caused by emotions that we’re having that we don’t like. Perhaps you are stressed about money, and those thoughts are taking over. But what happens is that you hate those thoughts so much you want them to go away so you’ll try to resist them with distractions (like eating, or alcohol, or Facebook).

All these emotions want is to be acknowledged so that they can move through you.

But I get it. You don’t want to feel them because you don’t like them. So what I like to do is give myself a timed tantrum. I’ll set my timer for 10 minutes and I’ll cry, vent, squirm around, yell, call a friend to vent, or hit a pillow.

By the time the 10 minutes are done, I not only feel way better but the emotion doesn’t seem to be there anymore. This is an instant mood changer. Try it!

3) Exercise

We all know that we’re supposed to exercise, but not everyone knows why. Basically, our bodies aren’t MADE to move. Back in the day, we  had to walk for hours on hours, hunting or gathering our food. And even though times have changed, our bodies haven’t.

Our bodies are still set up for this kind of movement. But in the age we’re in, where most of us sit all day long in front of computers, our bodies get confused.

Exercise is a way to kick start all kinds of healthy things!

Physical activity stimulates brain chemicals that leave you feeling happy and relaxed. Plus you have the added bonus of knowing you did something good for your body that will help you live longer. Even 20 minutes a day could make a HUGE difference.

4) Find 5 things you love about your life

When you’re in a bad mood about one thing, it seems that everything else in your life is bad too. But this generally isn’t usually the case. So when you’re in a bad mood, it’s important to have some perspective.

One easy way to do this is when you notice yourself in a bad mood, get out a piece of paper and write down 5 things you love about your life. Some days this will be easier than others, but think of it in terms big AND small things.

Here’s an example: I love my super cool apartment, having tea in the morning, my supportive family, cuddling with my dog, I love that I get to dance at least once a week.

Simple enough!

5) Get out (of the house or office)

When you’re in the same place where the bad mood started, sometimes it’s hard to get rid of it. One super easy way to change this is to literally change your location. Go look at different things. Get some fresh air. Take a walk.

Nature is a natural healer, so if you can, try to spend time there. But if you don’t have the option, even a ten minute walk around your building will make a difference.

I don’t know about you, but some of my best ideas + lots of clarity have come from my walks.

6) Do something nice for someone else

When you’re having a bad mood, it usually means that you’re in your own head too much. Tons of negative thoughts are swirling around and they tend to spiral. One negative thought leads to another, and suddenly you’re imagining yourself ten years down the road, single or broke or in debt.

Being so hyper focused on your  negative thoughts actually creates more negative thoughts and more negativity

One way to turn this around is to focus on someone else. Do something nice for other people. Call your mom. Give blood. Volunteer.

Helping other people helps to take the focus off all the negative swirling, and puts everything into perspective in the present moment.

6) Throw yourself a random dance party

This is my favorite one! As mentioned earlier, movement/exercise already is a natural mood enhancer. So couple that with your favorite music, getting silly, and dancing around and your mood will change in no time at all.

Sometimes, I even like to put on a fun outfit and dance around in front of the mirror. Inevitably I’ll laugh, which is another natural mood enhancer.

7) Close your eyes and breathe

Some people call this meditating. I call it feeling my feelings. Some people call it presence. Whatever you want to call it is cool. Just try it. Like mentioned above, we tend to get really wrapped up in our thoughts about our bad moods.

But taking a few minutes to just BE there with your thoughts and your breath can make a huge difference.

I’m not that great at what I thought meditating had to be (sitting for an hour, silently with no thoughts), so the way I look at it is that my only job is to notice that thoughts are happening, and keep breathing.

Sometimes I even say “I’m breathing in. I’m breathing out.”

Set a timer to do this and if you’re not used to doing anything like this, start with 5 minutes.

8~) Do something you love 

Whether your favorite thing is cooking, crafting, hiking, or singing, find the thing you love to do and do it. Bad moods usually happen when we don’t like what is happening in our lives and we feel like we have no control over it.

One way to gain some control is to actively do things you love. Not only will you feed your love, but you’ll likely be having your mind on things other than whatever is causing your bad mood. Plus, you might have a beautiful cake by the end of it. 🙂

So that’s it. 8 simple ways to turn around a bad mood. Which one did you like the best? Do you have any that you would add?

Remember – you always have a CHOICE. Whether you let your moods take over or take charge, you are in control of your reactions in life, which is super good news. Look forward to hearing from you!

Sally Hope is a motorcycle riding, skeet shooting, hot-pink lipstick loving renegade life coach and the leader of the Wildheart Revolution. Her biggest goal in life is to help you Carpe The Hell Outta Your Diem, by being 100% yourself. For tips on how, join her at www.sallyhope.com or on Facebook, where she hangs out most of the time.

Main pic credit: Flickr.com, Timothy Tolle

 

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