Hello again! Here it is: Part 5 in our 19-part FinerMinds Series on Becoming Just Awesome. What do we have for you this week? We’re going to focus on one thing: BAD MOODS. We’re governed by these pesky things. When we’re sad, angry, frustrated, anxious, or scared we too often act in accordance with these feelings and emotions, and it’s not always pretty. Our best selves are not being offered when we’re in a negative mental space.
Imagine the following scenario: Kevin’s bad day.
It starts with Kevin running out of gas on the way to work. After arriving an hour late, it doesn’t get much better. He gets lambasted by his boss over the last report he submitted; he was taken off a project he was really looking forward to working on; and his to-do list is wild. That evening he feels rotten as he walks through the door to his home. He then proceeds to pick a fight with his girlfriend. Instead of having dinner together, Kevin snatches a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of beer and retreats to the den to watch bad TV until 3 am. The next morning he wakes up feeling drained and achy.
Bad moods happen. The problem is we don’t turn them around. Kevin certainly didn’t. We indulge them. We let ourselves freefall or spiral into them. We intentionally act in ways that make us feel worse. We feed (in some cases literally) the negative energy. We use bad moods as a justification to act badly and send out more damaging energy. We use bad moods as an excuse to fail on important tasks.
You need to break the bad mood cycle. Easier said than done, of course. Mobilizing against your bad mood is extremely hard to do AT FIRST. Your mind is in a negative swirl, and it wants to keep you there. Switching gears takes work, but it can be done. Just like anything else in life, you need to practice.
And, really, you probably already know what you should do. I’m simply writing all this down to remind you about it!
The Exercise for This Week is to Use One of The ‘Bad Mood Busters’ Below to Turn Your Mood Around:
1. Exercise
Get moving: Go for a walk. Hit the gym. Practice yoga. Kick a soccer ball around. Naturally, exercise is the last thing you want to do when you’re feeling moody, but it’s one of the best things for you. It gets you out of your head and into your body. The endorphins start flowing. It gives you the break you need from talking and thinking to clear your head.
2. Gratitude
If you’re in the middle of a mood storm, stop and breathe. Now think about everything going right in your life. The roof over your head. The food on your plate. Your healthy kids. Still not feeling grateful? Remember that 80% of the people on this earth get by on less than $10 per day. Want to feel grateful all the time, check out GratitudeLog.com. (Without a doubt, one of the happiest places on the Internet!)
3. Give
One of the fastest ways to turn a bad mood around is to help someone else. This quickly gets your mind off your problems, and it immediately gets you acting in a positive direction. You feel better and so does the other person.
4. Diversion
If you’re marinating in your bad mood, you’re only going to become gloomier. You need to focus on something else. For me, I find studying German helpful. It gets my mind thinking in a completely different direction. You can try other things, though: games, a good movie, reading, a great conversation, puzzles, etc. Anything that will get your mind off the bad mood you’re in. Focusing on something else will grant you some perspective.
5. Meditation
Bringing your mind into a tranquil state through meditation is an awesome way to challenge a bad mood. But you cannot push your bad thoughts away through brute force. Those who meditate regularly will tell you it’s about observing your thoughts, not giving them energy, and allowing them to pass. A natural settling of the mind will occur. The mental hurricane will pass, leaving a smooth mind. If you have difficulty calming your mind on your own, there are many guided meditation programs out there to help you.
The above are just 5 ideas to turn your bad mood around. Everyone please help to add to this list!
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So agree, there are times when, all our dreams and inspirations & hopes seem to leave by the back door.
When have tried to still my mind and mediate and think positive thought, and even then have felt so alone. Perhaps we all do from time to time but few admit it. I have lived that state and have felt so sad & down.
But these moments are because I “we” have had expectations of others and they have let us
down. It is when we accept that they like us fail that this state of mind and feeling has no right to be. We cannot place blame on others for our hopes and expectations. Acceptance is never indifference.
Then have said to myself “no”. and step by step and with help often by friends on-line
have started all over again.
one day at a time
and the dark moments have gone.
Have learned to accept the thoughts and ways of others. Which is not always easy.
The problem is all of those uncreated emotions are still swirling around the angy persons head. He is witholding the emotions that he wanted to say to people , his boss etc. All a person has to do is go to a place where he won’t be disturbed and create, let go of his emotions, what he wanted to communicate and let the anger go and he or she will be balanced again. It is that simple.
The process is called forgiveness. Give away your angy words, give away your bad mood, give away your negative feeelings.
I am learning to forgive ‘myself’ for my bad moods. Forgiveness for others is wonderful and requires commitment and willingness but forgiveness of ourselves is often a little more difficult.
If I can accept that I had my mood (outburst, etc) and then move on from “that moment” in time to NOW. Now is the only time we have and we must work always in the “now”.
Bad moods seem to be prolonged by our inner voice berating ourselves. This makes us feel worse and we become more angry with ourselves which in turn, prolongs our original bad mood.
Forgive yourself, make amends to those you may have offended/upset and move on from “this moment”.
On a practical note: Get some REST and EAT something! (Simple things that often get overlooked.)
PS: If you have continual bad mood then you may need to MAKE SOME CHANGES in your LIFE! They may be indicators that you are not following your joy and passion.
If you’re interested, please read how I got rid of my anger at http://TheGlorifyGodTechnique.blogspot.com
Reply to Ellen Marguerite
I used to feel like that a lot but now that I have found all these wonderful people, I’m happy most of the time. Haved you tried Holosync yet? That along with EFT is working wonders!
Very good article! Exactly what my mum programmed me to do although she had a harder time practicing what she preached (she has many illnesses)!
Many service staff are trained to smile despite the bad things in their lives. It’s all about self-control (positive thinking)!
I can’t read the articles or email as the print is too small. Nothing helps.
First, everything there above is absolutely true.
Many times I’ve noticed that one bad thing becomes many, and I generally use the positive side of something bad to change my mood.
Nothing like stubbing your toe, then as you bend down to try to massage the pain away, you find some change on the floor that you didn’t know you had…
There is almost always a bright side to everything.
Harold, If you can read this,
try to adjust the size of the font on your browser, go to tools, and content in firefox, guessing pretty much the same for all other browsers…
Hi Lorna, no not yet but will do,
like you am usually calm and happy these days. Am learning Ti Chi Quong, hope that’s how its spelt & meditate daily, find it helps me keep a positive out look on life & this website helps too some nice people on here !!! have saved the gratitude video always makes me smile.
Harold can’t you adjust the size of the script on your computer.?
Such an uplifting article and so true. Everything expands and come back to us. So the quicker we switch, the better. Remember the Law of opposites. For every negative, there is a positive. Look for the positive in every situation and make the choice!
I do believe that we attract certain negative situation in our lives but in the same hand I also believe that certain situation also come to show us ourselves. Sometimes we like to blame others for our unhappiness and we judge others for what they have done to us. I have come to realize that God allows certain people and situation to enter your life to really show you a reflection of ourselves. So we can see the truth that is sometimes too painful to look at. We are created to life abundant and prosperous lives full of joy and fullfilment but we get so tangled up in what is going on outwardly in the world and neglect what going on internally. The foundation to all things is that which lies within you. Examine yourself.
Physical activity really works! This morning I awakened and couldn’t find my headset to listen to my ‘Daisy Pond’ mp3. I know one of my cats grabbed it and took it somewhere (naughty kitty) and I felt myself building into a REALLY BAD MOOD! I needed a flashlight but the one in the house needs batteries. I do have a good one in the car and decided to run out to get it. We had snow yesterday and I had to get the shoveling done anyway so that’s what I did! WOW! It took me out of my bad mood, I got my flashlight, looked for the headset (couldn’t find it) so I just did my ‘great day’ EFT, watched my gratitude video from YouTube, then did the Gratitude Dance and viola…I’m in MUCH better mood. I’m just going to buy a pair of earbuds so I can put them in the case with the mp3 player and I won’t have to worry about the kitties being mischievous with my stuff…problem solved, mood lifted! Oh, and AFTER I buy the new earbuds, I WILL find the headset…as per usual…LOL!
First comment to Harold or anyone who has trouble reading the typeface: If you have a PC right click on an open space on the desktop. Click on properties on the menu. Click on the settings tab. Look at the setting for screen resolution. Try setting it at 1024x768, and see if that helps.
As to mood breakers, pets can really be a lifesaver. Just petting an animal helps. Take a dog for a walk. Sing to your bird. Play with your cat. Tell them your troubles, and imagine them answering back.
Dance! Find something with great boogie beat and shake it.
Make faces in the mirror until you start laughing. Stand in front of a full length mirror and vogue (do modeling poses). Camp it up. Watch a funny movie (something you know is funny–tv is not reliable for this).
Play march music or hum one and march around the room. Be the drum major in your own parade!
how can I get a hold of Helen to get one of the contesting books