Are you feeling down, low and rotten? Are you feeling the blues and there’s still a looooooooong day ahead of you? Do you need some quick perk-me-ups to haul you out of that bottomless pit?
We experience days that never end, when nothing seems going right – the horrible boss seems more horrible, the client returned from hell, the colleague brewed the last scoop of coffee beans you desperately needed, the elusive sale that will help you reach your quota remains too elusive, and your child called asking for a live unicorn, – and everything is just plain boring.
Follow these quick tips to improve your mood, and change your day from blah to beautiful.
- Take the happiness pill and smile. I know smiling is the last thing on your mind, but faking it until you fully experience its benefits is the way to go. Simply stretch the ends of your lips toward your ears. You will look goofy for a while, but soon endorphins – the pleasure hormones – will be released by your body. Not only that, but smiling also attracts serotonin – the anti-depressant and painkiller hormones – from your body. So fake smiling until it naturally comes out of you. Don’t worry because it’s not going to be long before you reap its effects.
- Adopt the attitude of gratitude. Experiencing a bad mood is a glass half-empty situation. So fill your glass with large drops of gratitude. The impossible live unicorn that your child is asking for is a proof that he/she has an active imagination and sharp mind. Taking your focus away from what’s going wrong puts you in the right perspective of going after what’s going right in your life. Stop dwelling on those unhappy thoughts right now! Write down as many wonderful things in your life as you can in five minutes. I assure you that you will feel instantly better. If you want to up the notch and feel ecstatic, write for 10 minutes. If one day you will need a boost again, you can re-read the list you made.(Here’s a great book on gratitude!)
- Write the negativities away. This might sound going against the attitude of gratitude, but writing down all the unpleasant things that happened in your day has a cathartic effect. It might feel like you are focusing on the negatives – like the horrendous traffic on your way to the office, the car breaking down, the last slice of bread falling down the floor, and other stress-causing things. But after doing this and while reading your list, you will realize how trivial your day’s worries are. You might find yourself laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of them all, and why you actually let these things take control of your mood. Writing down the positives emphasizes them, while the opposite points out their pettiness.
- Be emotionally responsible. Taking from number 3, we allow things to affect our mood. Things and situations are just that, it’s how we interpret them that puts us in a good or bad mood. If we are not in a hurry, the car breaking down could be seen as a welcome break so that we can catch up on our reading while we wait at the car garage. You are responsible on how you take and interpret things. So if you’re in a bad mood, snap out of it and be responsible of your emotions. Something can only be as bad as you let it be.
- Flip through old pictures. This act brings back good, old memories that will charm a smile out of you. Your baby’s toothless grin, the cheesy honeymoon, the crazy night out with friends… Staring at the pictures on your phone will make you remember all the good feelings you had at those moments. Surely that will quickly turn your mood into a good one!
Of course, you don’t have to set up your albums so nicely first…
- Wash the blues away by taking a shower. A blast of cold water can shock your system into alertness and reality. Conversely, hot water soothes your body and has its unique way of chasing bad moods away. Either temperature, taking a shower will refresh your mind and body, and quickly improve your mood. While you’re at it, try some aromatherapy too. The scent of lavender is very relaxing. You can light lavender-scented candles or use a lavender-scented shower gel.
- Step out for a while. Our bad mood can make the world feel like it’s closing in on us. A quick change of environment will result to a quick change in your mood. The momentum of a disastrous day will come to a halt if you take a time out. Step out of your work cubicle and take a short walk. Or simply let the sunshine in on your window and bask in the glorious rays. If you are in the middle of something and you cannot step out, you can mentally go to your happy place for five minutes. Mine is the beach with the sound of waves kissing the rocks. Never fails to lift up my mood!
- Do a Michael Jackson and Beat It! Watch and listen to this:
