You ever just “wake up on the wrong side of the bed’? We are all familiar with this expression, some days we’re in a bad mood due to problem a, b to infinity, and other days we just feel icky for no apparent reason. Whatever the cause may be, I want to share these effective steps on how to get out of a bad mood and start feeling more joy.
Story time: I woke up yesterday in a FUNK. I had planned for it to be an ambitious, productive day of writing articles, editing videos, etc etc… However, I had one of those stress dream that hit a bit too close to home and it left a lingering sense of stress and dread that I just couldn’t shake off. However, reflecting back on the day, it was actually quite wonderful. So how did I manage to do that? Let’s jump right to it.
Disclaimer: This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
How to get out of a bad mood?
#1. Can I resolve this challenge? Should I worry?
If you know why or what is causing the bad mood, let’s dive deeper. If you are feeling stressed out or worried because of a particular challenge, ask yourself this: “Is there something that I can do right now to help solve this issue?” if you answered -YES, then Hallelujah! If you know there are actionable steps that you can take to solve this problem, then why worry? If you answered -NO, this situation is absolutely out of your hands and there is nothing you can do to make it better, then what’s the use of worrying?
Let’s put it in a different way, when something negative happens, we can either suffer once or suffer twice. Unless you’re an extremely evolved person, “bad things” will most likely have an effect on you. If I jam my toe on the table corner and it hurts like hell, this is my first experience of suffering and pain. Now I can either choose to get upset and pissed off at the table and feel unlucky or irritated, and suffer the SECOND time. Or I simply accept that this painful event happened, and there’s no reason for me to suffer a second time, a layer which is created all inside my own mind.
“If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it’s not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.”
― The Dalai Lama
#2. Stop being so hard on yourself
It is absolutely okay to have an “off day” – for whatever mental, spiritual, or physiological reason you are not the best version of yourself. Does your friends and colleagues get mad at your for coming down with the flu? Do you get mad at yourself for having an upset stomach? So what is the difference with mental health. Sadly, mental health is still a taboo and often dismissed as being “not a real problem” in most societies. It is not taken seriously, but it can start with you today. By having sympathy and compassion towards yourself.
If you’re having a bad day for no reason, don’t feel guilty or frustrated. The more you resist and push, the more energy you add to the bad mood. I’m not saying you should sulk and listen to sad music to stay blue, but simply allow this feeling to exist for a moment and don’t put extra negative pressure or resistance towards it.
How wonderful is it when you vent to a friend and instead of judging and trying to solve your problem, they simply allow you to be mad, or sad and just listen? – Do this for yourself. Tell yourself “Hey, it’s okay that you’re feeling this way, you don’t have to be perfect all the time and you don’t always have to know why, I am here for you.”
#3. Communicate with those around you
I won’t lie, I get a bad case of PMS. I know that a few days leading up to my period, my emotions become erratic and I’m more prone of crying spells and feeling angry for little or no reason. I take full responsibility for my emotions and actions, and I always communicate with the people in my daily life. If you’re feeling irritable or upset and in a bad mood, it’s always good to communicate clearly to others. “Hey, I’m not feeling like my best self today and I just wanted to give you a heads up, it has nothing to do with you and I hope you understand.”
Letting the people around you know how you’re feeling, especially to close friends and significant others can help avoid misunderstanding.
#4. Try sitting with your bad mood
Try sitting down or laying down for a meditation to really get connected to yourself and become more aware of your thoughts. Most of the time, I’m in a bad mood because I have created unnecessary worry or stress in my own mind. I get stressed or anxious about something that may or may not ever happen. It’s entirely human, and we all do it. It helps to take a moment and get into a meditative state. Try imagining your thoughts as clouds in the sky, and your consciousness is a bird cruising through the sky.
Give your thoughts the space to express themselves to you, but understand that those stress thoughts are not a real reflection of reality and they are not who you are. We attach so much emotion and energy to our thoughts, and most of the time these thoughts are fear-based because we cannot control or know the outcome of a certain situation. We stress ourselves into the worst case scenario for no good reason.
So just breath, and allow your thoughts to float on and dissipate like clouds in the sky.
#5. Everything will be okay
If you’ve worked through #1-4 and have found yourself in a neutral state of being, that’s wonderful. Just being ‘okay’ and accepting contentment can increase your joy. Most often we feel conflict inside due to our own resistance. We want to control, and mold our reality so it’s not so scary and unpredictable. But there is bliss and joy with just accepting things as the way they are, and allowing it to unfold as the universe intends it to. If you just give it enough time, you can always look back in retrospect and find purpose and acceptance in the challenges you’ve encountered. Small things may take a day and big challenges may take years to develop clarity.
When I find myself in a giant stress ball, I tell myself and asked my partner to say out loud : “everything is going to be okay.” I know this is true, but sometimes we just need a friendly reminder.
#6. Bring joy into the picture
Some bad moods are easier to combat than others. Sometimes we really do need an extra boost. If you’re really feeling bad and down in the dumps, it’s okay to call in help. Sometimes depending on where we are on our personal journey, we may not have all the tools to find calm and peace from within, and that’s all a part of having compassion for yourself.
I don’t recommend alcohol or using other substances to numb yourself, because we all know that afterwards, you feel even worse than before.(Guilty) However, find simple things that bring you joy.
Have a talk with your pet, go out and buy some watercolor paint and create something messy, write in your journal, watch funny animal videos. I love these lists you can find on Pinterest on ways to practice self-care, so let me make a list of my own and you can do the same too.
Things that bring me joy:
- Watching inspiring TED Talks and videos on spirituality and the universe.
- Listening to relaxing classical music.
- Making a giant iced latte.
- Making a cup of hot tea.
- Learning something new.
- Reading a really good book.
- Venting to a friend.
- Grab a few crystals and feel them in my palms.
- Watching a really good show on Netflix.
- Doing a face scrub and face mask.
- Write out my thoughts and surprise myself with clarity and calm afterwards.
- Running (but not all the time, only when I’m in the mood 😅)
- Watching my favorite movies.
- Putting colors on a canvas.
- Pull a tarot card.
- Laying down on the grass with bare feet.
Wow, honestly just writing this list alone brought me joy. “Where our attention goes, energy flows.” So if you find the strength and will to go to the happy place, to make a list of things that bring you joy, you’re taking a giant step and bringing your awareness to a lighter space. You should feel proud of yourself, yay for self-care and self-love!
#7. Practice gratitude
I know I know, it’s so hard to pull gratitude out of our bums when we’re feeling down, but think of living in gratitude as a muscle. Some of us are born or grew up with optimistic patterns, and some of us are more prone to pessimistic patterns. You can always retrain and rewire yourself. Have you ever heard of the saying “You can’t change anyone else but yourself?” You have the power to evolve. You have the power to shift your perspective. We may not be able to control the outcome of every situation in our lives, but we have the ability to choose how we feel about them. How we react is our choice and our responsibility. Your ability to respond in the way that brings the lightness of joy instead of heaviness and resistance.
Let me stop here and tell you that I often find myself reacting in ways that does not benefit myself or anyone else around me. However, I’ve made a conscious decision and the effort to bring my awareness into the equation. Some days, I am able to shift quickly and transform the mood, and other days I find it hard to pull myself out. It is all okay.
I’ve been writing down things I’m grateful for almost every single morning. It can be small things like: I’m grateful for this cup of coffee right now, I’m grateful for the rain and this hearty bowl of soup. To big things like: I’m grateful the universe is always working for me, I’m grateful for having this experience, I’m grateful for another day.
We can practice and strengthen our gratitude muscle. We can practice and develop awareness instead of just drowning in our old patterns and thoughts. The more we allow ourselves to vibrate at a higher and more positive frequency, we will attract more of the same good stuff.
I hope these words gave you a glimpse of possibilities and ways to bring light and joy for your clouds to dissipate. I hope you find comfort and ease with accepting your state of being. I hope you know that there are always people here who have gone through the same things you have, who’s willing to extend sympathy and give you a big hug. If you made a list of things that brings you joy, please feel free to share it with us in the comments below. 🙂
books & movies that help me get out of a funk:
📌Pin it for later:
Share your thoughts with us!