5 Strategies For Breaking Bad Moods
You woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Right now, everything annoys you. You’re trying to relax but it just seems like nothing is going quite right.
You want to change how you feel, but it’s getting the best of you and coming out in the worst ways. There’s a cloud hanging over your head and you just can’t shake it.
Yup… essentially bad moods kind of suck. And while all emotions are good emotions, we can often find ourselves stuck in a negative state
Here’s the good news: You can actively work to change your mood. Remember, you’re in the driver’s seat and you’re completely in charge of your emotions and your life. You have the power to break through that bad mood and come out on a happier and lighter side of life.
How can you do that? We've put together 5 strategies to break you of your bad mood.
How to Break Free of Your Bad Mood
1. Eat Something
Your food and nutrition impact your mood - probably more than you realize.
You’ve probably been there more than a few times. You feel angry and annoyed. Your mood isn’t improving, even despite potentially good news. Finally, you sit down and eat. Suddenly, you feel a billion times better, maybe even like a new person.
The term ‘hangry’ didn’t come about for no good reason. There is some serious science behind being hangry. When you’re hungry, your stress hormones increase. You become easily agitated.
So, think about it. When was the last time you ate? If it was hours ago and you’ve been ignoring your grumbling stomach, it’s time to grab a healthy snack or meal and curb those hunger pains - and that bad mood.
2. Head to the Great Outdoors
Research shows natural environments like forests have the potential to decrease stress hormones (Like cortisol), lower your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and generally relax you.
If you find yourself frequently waking up in a bad mood, maybe a dose of nature each morning is exactly what you need. Consider swapping your current routine out for a healthier one, such as going for a run, walk, or hike first thing. If there’s no nature nearby, (city-living has a tendency to hinder this), bring nature to you.
Purchase plants and flowers for your indoor space. Wake up among greenery and natural beauty. You can also do the same for your office space.
Try it out - maybe a dose of nature is exactly what you’re missing!
Read more about the Science-Backed Benefits of Taking a Nature Walk
3. Check-In With Yourself
It’s normal for us to find ourselves in bad moods, but it doesn’t mean that we should allow this negativity to rule our lives. It can be a very healthy strategy to check-in with ourselves and consider the bigger picture. Is there a way to resolve or get past this mood? Are we negatively affecting others? Let’s rethink this whole bad mood for a quick second.
Is it small annoyances that are getting on your nerves? What’s really going on? Go through the past few hours and try to pinpoint when your bad mood began. If it’s just a few small annoyances piling up, check yourself. If there’s a real issue at hand, communicate it in a calm and logical way to the other person involved.
In truth, you might be getting stuck in your own head and perspective. While that’s the last thing you want to hear, it pays to know when this is the case. Again, check yourself for wellness factors but also your ego.
Ask yourself: Will I remember this a year from now? A few months from now? If that answer is no, it’s time to flip your mood around. Perform an activity, like gratitude, to help. Write everything down you’re grateful for - big or small. Then, watch your mood soar and your bad mood disappear.
It’s time to free yourself, here’s how to let go of negative self-talk.
4. Take Back Control
Occasionally, your bad mood may be due to a lack of control. You feel like a lot is happening where you feel useless and like you can’t get a handle on things. We all feel this way sometimes.
Yet, focusing on what is within your control can do a world of good. What can you focus on and change? These are the aspects you need to narrow in on. We often feel good when we do nice things for other people, so why not solve negative feelings by putting good into the world.
Perhaps you can plan and schedule assignments or tasks accordingly. Maybe you can encourage your colleagues to do better on this next project. Whatever it is - Find a few things to take your mind off of what is out of your control and instead take back control by focusing on events or situations you can change.
5. Ride It Out and Tune Into It
And then there’s the occasional time when you just can’t get out of your funk. This is completely okay and absolutely normal!
Open your arms to your bad mood and really dive into why you may be feeling this way. When that doesn’t work, take a load off. Relax. Participate in some self-care, whether that be meditating, binging on that new Netflix show, or simply doing nothing at all for the day. Sometimes, we all simply need a break from our busy lives - and you do too.
Say Goodbye to Bad Moods
No one is perfect. But you can take steps toward understanding yourself and ridding yourself of toxic or negative emotions.
Most of the time, you don’t need to suffer. At the same time, your feelings are completely valid. It’s all about finding a balance when it comes to your needs.
When you unravel a bad mood, you may end up untangling a mess of emotions and complex issues within yourself. This is okay. Always come from the viewpoint that you aim to better yourself and improve. With that in mind, you can never lose.
Continue your journey by reading Can Different Colors Affect Your Moods?
