Woke up in a bad mood today? Here’s seven ways to lift yourself out of it
Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Don’t let your bad mood ruin your day – instead try these seven ways to lift yourself out of it.
Even the most cheery person has an off day. They may wake up in a bad mood, or something can happen to darken their usual cheery nature.
But just because you may feel down in the dumps now, doesn’t mean you’re stuck with the feeling all day; instead of being a victim of your feelings, you can take positive action to change them.
Seven ways to lift yourself out of a bad mood
To help you ‘turn that frown upside down’, and potentially rescue your day, here are seven ways you can lift yourself out of a bad mood.
1) Embody your bad mood
Bad moods can’t always easily be brushed off. So don’t try. Instead of fighting your negativity, try embracing it. Feel like punching something? Grab a pillow and let loose. Want to scream? Scream into the pillow. Want to throw something? Chuck the pillow!
If that doesn’t work, then try shaking it off – literally. Put on some music and vigorously dance out your frustration and anger (trust us, this can be really effective!).
2) Do things that uplift you
This may seem an obvious suggestion, but when you’re feeling grumpy or down, it’s not something you instinctively choose to do.
So, despite how pointless it may seem to you in your current frame of mind, do something that uplifts you. If you always feel good after exercise, go for a run. If nature calms and soothes you, go for a walk (beaches and woodland are particularly good for levelling your mood). Love drawing or painting? Do that.
The point is to remove yourself from any self-indulgent moping and actively change your state – by doing something you enjoy. Not only are you engaging in activities that will uplift you, but you’ll take your focus off how miserable you are.
3) Write your feelings down
If your negativity is particularly stubborn, or is caused by a legitimate reason that’s not going to suddenly disappear, try writing your feelings down.
Not only will it help you to get some of that frustration out of your head – it’s far healthier to express feelings than dwell on them – but the act of writing and reviewing why you feel that way can help you to make sense of your mood.
You may find it easier to rationalise things that may have happened, or your own feelings, then think about ways you can resolve them, or file them away in your mind as experience, and move on.
If someone has upset or hurt you, you may even decide to write them a letter or email (it doesn’t have to be actually sent!).
4) Eat a healthy snack
Some people find that the last thing they want to do when they’re upset is eat. But others head straight for comforting junk food like ice cream or chocolate.
If you’re the latter, try replacing unhealthy snacks with more healthy ones. Eating sugary foods may reward you with an instant energy high, but they’ll soon punish you with a lethargic low. And nothing helps fuel self-loathing more than later hating yourself for the rubbish you’ve consumed.
So avoid feeling awful later – physically and emotionally – by comforting yourself with healthier food choices now.
5) Listen to music
As well as dancing away your frustrations, music is also proven to help reduce stress. So why not create a playlist of songs that help you to switch mood?
If you need inspiration for songs to add, according to According to Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson of Mindlab International, the song Weightless by Marconi Union can reduce anxiety by up to 65%.
If that particular song, or type of music, isn’t your cup of tea, don’t worry. Penn State University, Altoona conducted a study with their students on how music can affect mood. And they discovered that:
“Not only did our sample of students report more positive emotions after listening to music, but their already positive emotions were intensified by listening to music.”
They also learned that it didn’t matter what type of music you played, or when. The results for them were the same. So if you need an emotional lift, just put on some music and let it work its magic!
6) Practice thinking like an optimist
Like many other things we do on a daily basic, thought patterns are habits. And any habit can be unlearned and replaced for a more positive one.
So, if you find yourself often over-ruminating, worrying too much or thinking the worst, start actively changing your thoughts for more positive ones.
At first, just like when you change any habit, you may find it hard or unnatural. But the more you consciously practice more healthy thought patterns, the more they’ll become embedded, and over time they’ll become more instinctive and normal to you.
So, practice thinking like an optimist, and in time you can become one.
7) Distract yourself from your feelings
The worst thing you can do when you’re in a bad mood is nothing. Being inactive just gives you more time to think about how miserable you feel – which will just make you feel more miserable!
So if you’re in a bad mood, find something to keep you busy and distract you from your thoughts. Clean the house, run an errand, tidy your child’s bedroom (that should keep you busy for a while!), do some work… it doesn’t have to be a particularly fascinating or enjoyable activity, it just needs to keep you occupied so you can’t dwell on your feelings.
And the plus side, especially if it’s a job you were dreading, doing something that achieves a goal will make you feel better once it’s completed!
Try these tips next time you wake up in a bad mood
So, the next time you get out of bed the wrong side, don’t let your bad mood follow you round all day – and ruin it. Instead, take control and try one or more of these tips. They’ll soon help lift you out of your negativity and transform your day.
Alex is a writer for Topic Exchange. He loves to write on home remedies, beauty, health and food, to help people in their daily life.
Photo by María Victoria Heredia Reyes on Unsplash
