The other day, I woke up and I was just in one of those moods. You know the ones where you feel a bit off, a bit grumpy, a bit low and tearful? Yet, there was no reason for it at all. I was just in a bad mood.
When you feel like this (especially when you can’t see a cause), you can make a choice – stay in the bad mood or take steps to get out of it.
Here are my favourite ways to get out of a bad mood:
One. Spend some time alone to find some peace and quiet. I have found that if I don’t get enough time alone, it makes my mood low. So, if I feel this way, I take a bath, sit in the garden, go for a short walk, or read a book in the bedroom. It’s not always easy when there are five children around, but even if I have to wait until they are in bed or otherwise occupied, I know it is important for me (and everyone around me) to have some alone time so that I can shift my mood.
Two. Have five minutes meditation. You might be put off this if you’ve never tried it, but I love it. I find a few minutes sitting in silence, deep breathing and focusing on connecting with myself to be really powerful. You don’t have to do it anywhere special but somewhere private is good – I sometimes just take myself to the toilet, put the seat down and do it there. Clearing my mind and releasing out with my breath helps to calm my mood.
Three. Helping or doing something with someone else. When we don’t give our mood the attention, it will often dissipate. By helping others, it lifts us up as well as them. At home, I may do this by cooking a meal with one of the children, playing a game with them, helping them with a project or phoning a friend who is having a difficult time.
Four. Doing some affirmations. When we are in a bad mood, everything looks rubbish, and the more we tell ourselves that everything is terrible, the more they seem to be that way, making our mood worse. However, if we change our thoughts around so that we see the day positively, we are more likely to see things positively and our mood will also change.
Five. Treat myself a little. Sometimes, I just need a bit of extra love from myself and giving myself a little treat can make me feel special. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It might be a piece (or two) of chocolate, a glass of wine, watching a film that I’ve been waiting to see, a date night in, ordering a new book etc. Just a little something can brighten my mood and make me feel better.
These are my top five ways to shift my bad mood. Why don’t you give some of them a go when you next feel a bit rubbish?