Alarm didn’t go off? Car didn’t start? Good news is, bad mornings happen to all of us. You try your best to compose yourself to get to work, but every detail about everything is annoying and bothering you. Luckily, there are tips and tricks to help shake off the stress and get you back to your normal, happy self.
- Accept It: Accept you’re in a bad mood. To do something about your unpleasant mood, you must first recognize and accept it.
- Pinpoint the Problem: Logically examine what went wrong to make you feel this way. Place what happened on a scale from 1-10 and evaluate how serious it really is.
- Change Your Outlook: When you’re in a bad mood, somehow everything is bad. If you focus your thoughts towards positivity, your negative thoughts are pushed aside.
- Think about what you’re grateful for.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Take a clarity break – Change your scenery, go for a quick walk or go to a coffee shop.
- Try and Start Your Day Over: Why wait until tomorrow to start your day over. Do it now. Leave your desk and return with a fresh attitude. This really does work…more so with practice.
- Fix Your Mood: Find something that makes you laugh (maybe it’s goggling funny pet videos or looking up jokes). Try and mix things up too by going to lunch with someone new o
r going to a restaurant you’ve never tried. Tip: Did you know smelling a citrus fruit can help boost your mood? Try smelling a lemon or orange…. not kidding! - Show Some Gratitude: Do something selfless. Open a door for someone, when merging or approaching a stop sign, let a car go ahead before you or buy an extra meal for lunch and give it to a homeless person. The feeling you get by simply helping another person will help sway your mood from negative to positive.
- Focus in on Your Body: Breathe deeply, especially when you’re feeling stressed. Tip: take 10 deep breaths to calm yourself down. If you can, try and go to the gym during lunch. Exercise stimulates endorphins, which are known as the ‘feel good’ hormone. This will help give you a natural boost of happiness!
- Listen to Music: Research shows that listening to music can help change your mood from bad to good. This makes us feel more optimistic and reduces stress.
- Pet a…. Pet! Per research, petting an animal such as a dog helps release serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin, other ‘feel good’ hormones in the body. Petting also lowers the amount of cortisol being produced (the evil stress hormone). If you don’t have a pet at home, try going to a pet store during a break (I used to do this!) or walking up to an owner with her pet and ask if you could pet it – make sure to ask the owner if the animal is friendly.
- Meditate: Find a quiet place, close your eyes and clear your mind. Let go of the things that are weighing you down. Not only will meditating help you turn your current mood around, it could help equip you to manage bad days in the future.
- Detox from Social Media: Many studies have shown that checking social media sites like Facebook or Twitter can trigger depression. We often compare ourselves to friends or celebrities, so seeing images of models, vacations, etc. when you’re down will not bring you up. Don’t compare your insides to someone else’s outsides.
Remember just to be with your day…. OWN IT. Sometimes a bad day will just be a bad day, and that’s OK. That’s life. If you do have a bad start to a day, I encourage you to try these steps and see which one helps. If you find one that really works, that’s fantastic. For me, accepting that I’m in a bad mood and changing my outlook on what’s making me upset really helps me. It sounds silly, but sometimes just turning the frown upside down and simply smiling can help! Life’s short – accept the bad days and live the best happy life you can.
The information provided is for general interest only and should not be misconstrued as a diagnosis, prognosis or treatment recommendation. This information does not in any way constitute the practice of medicine, or any other health care profession. Readers are directed to consult their health care provider regarding their specific health situation. Marque Medical is not liable for any action taken by a reader based upon this information.