Ever have a string of events happen to put you in a really, really bad mood? The kind of dark mood that feels, for a little while, like nothing will make it better? I know most people have, and I went through it recently when I had a long week at work, came down with a mystery 24-hr virus, had to spend an unexpected $800 on tires for my car on Saturday (someone had to go out and buy an SUV,) and broke my brand new Nook the next morning. Good times, right? Well, after a solid few hours of sulking and moping about how the universe was alligning itself in a conspiracy against me, I had some time to rewire my thinking and change my outlook. While of course I am less than thrilled about the events that happened, I realized that there are a few sure fire ways to improve a bad mood.
1) Realize that what is done is done and nothing can make you go back in time to change it. Coming to this realization alone can help you go from rehashing your bad experience over and over, wishing it had gone differently, when all this will make you do is wallow in your own misery. This gives you time to figure out what you can do to fix it, and move forward. For me, this meant figuring out altering my budget to accomodate the tires, and going to Barnes and Noble to see what my options are for my Nook. Having a plan of attack always feels better than being helpless.
2) Do something else. Don’t sit at home and dwell on what just happened, but go out and do something that makes you happy and will take your mind off of things. Even if it is only temporary, at least it will add more positivity to your mindset and perhaps help you look at your situation a little better when you go back to it.
3) Exercise. I did an hour of Yoga with Yogaglo.com and by the end of it my mood had gone from blah to not bad. I’m not jumping off the walls with joy, but I’m over moping. I’m sure running, swimming, lifting weights, or even taking your dog for a nice walk would do the same.
The fact of the matter is that sh-t happens, and when it does it sucks, but most of the time it isn’t something that you cant move past. So, while getting upset is perfectly normal, once you have calmed down enough to look at things rationally, try these tips to help you get back on the path to feeling good and taking things in stride.
