Bad moods are the dumps. No one likes bad moods and even more so, no one wants to be around someone who’s feeling sour. A bad mood is a great way to bring you – and everyone around you – down a dwindling spiral. So how do you shake off a bad mood?
It’s easy! Just try out one of these simple ideas to turn your frown upside down:
1. Get dressed.
That’s right. Get up, take a shower, put on some nice clothes, and gussy yourself up to the nines.
Studies have shown that your mood has a lot to do with your self-image. How different do you think your self-image is between a just-rolled-out-of-bed look and a ready-to-hit-the-ground-running look?
By getting dressed and doing what it takes to make yourself look good on the outside, you feel better on the inside. When you feel better on the inside, your mood changes significantly and you’re ready to face the day.
2. Get moving.
Exercise releases hormones that help alter your mood. Cleaning your space gets you moving and makes you feel better about your surroundings. It doesn’t really matter what you do; just get up, get out, and get moving.
Many times your bad mood can be amplified by your lack of movement. Getting up and doing something, whether it’s exercising or even walking over to the nearest coffee shop, can give you a big mood boost.
3. Read a book.
Reading a book takes you to a different place and allows you to step into someone else’s shoes. Why not pick up a book by your favorite author and let them transport you out of your bad mood for an hour or so?
4. Meditate.
Deep breathing exercises and a focused mind can break you out of any sour mood. Remember back in grade school when you were taught to take deep breaths and count to 10 when you got angry? It was actually for a very good reason.
When focusing on one thing and breathing deeply, our bodies tend to respond in a positive way by relaxing and releasing tension.
5. Hang out with friends.
What are friends for? Be around any of your good friends for any length of time and you’ll be snapped out of that bad mood so fast you won’t even know what hit you.
6. Laugh.
There’s no possible way that you can laugh and stay in a bad mood. It’s proven that your emotions follow your actions, which is why many therapists recommend taking action to cure things like anxiety and stress. Next time you’re in a bad mood, try laughing.
I guarantee that you can’t stay in your bad mood after more than 5 minutes of continuous laughter!
7. Treat yourself.
Do something just for you. You deserve it anyway. The key is to just go a little overboard and do something you wouldn’t ordinarily do. Have fun with it and make it memorable.
Go shopping for one of your favorite articles of clothing and splurge a little if you can afford it.
Have a massage or spa treatment. Similar to the meditation, this is a great tool to relax and break you out of whatever might be dragging you down.
If you’re short on funds, go dream shopping. Go to one of the most expensive stores around and try on clothes or go test drive your dream car. Give yourself a reason to get back into the swing of things and get rolling again.
Get a hot fudge sundae with extra hot fudge.
OVER TO YOU
While there are many other ways to shake yourself out of a bad mood, these are a few great ways to start. Try some of them next time you’re feeling down. Better yet, see how many of them you can make it through before your bad mood has completely vanished.
My guess is you might only make it to the second tip, then you’re just doing it because it’s fun!
About the Author
Honestly, kapag ako bad mood I don’t see my friends kasi I don’t have the mood to talk to anyone. I just listen to music, sing and dance para mawala yung badtrip ko. Pero iba iba din talaga tayo ng ugali kaya I like the things you have listed above. Will try to practice those tips naman para maiba.
What usually works for me is to treat myself to a relaxing massage (before the pandemic) or eat ice cream.
ang sama ko mabadmood kasi lumalamon ako at magmimilk teaaa!! OMG!!! pero yes mag nenetflix lang ako at hihilata. and ill be okay na!
I like the hot fudge on hot fudge best. lol. Before I get up, I always choose to be happy no matter what, this has worked for the past 20 years so far. 😉
Aside from doing 6 and 7 (#6 really gets the tickles going at the back of my throat), I also listen to personally curated playlists on Spotify (that I actually label according to the mood it fits)! A cold shower or warm bubble bath while listening to some horror podcasts also does the trick for me!
I read a book, I write, and I watch video clips. Those are my surefire ways to break out of a bad mood.
Nice. I hope this will help me everytime na mapi-feel ko na bad mood ako. Pero mostly, my solution is buying myself a food. Hehe
Alam mo, treating yourself is the best solution talaga to feel better. There are lots of times na bad mood ako and it happens everyday. Hahaha! Treating yourself doesn’t mean naman na you have to spend diba, it can be having a nap or taking breaks too. 🙂
Hanging out with friends may not put me out of a bad mood, but the rest of the list will, hehe. Normally, I would need to be by myself to get back into groove.