5 ways to boost your mood

We have all had those days where we just seem to get out of the wrong side of the bed.

What’s even worse is that bad moods tend to get bigger before it’s get better, even if we don’t know what’s triggered it.

However, if we can catch ourselves spiraling towards one of these frustrating mindsets, it is possible to do a complete 180 and get our thoughts travelling in the completely opposite direction, a happy direction.

Bad moods are like a weed, the more we feed it, the bigger it gets and the wider it spreads. By dwelling on insignificant events or small annoyances, we are preventing our mind from properly functioning by disallowing it to calmly problem solve. 

Instead, our usual pattern tends to be focusing on as many negative thoughts as we can and bombarding our brain with more aggravations and emotions. Stop. Reset. And try a couple of these methods to turn that frown upside down:

Get Some Fresh Air: There is a reason this one of the most popular ways to ‘clear your head’.  Removing yourself from the room and environment where the frustration started, is giving your mind a chance to look at the annoyance reflectively and more subjectively.  Fresh air and sunshine will give all of your senses a much-needed reset.

Music: Get the headphones out or crank up the car stereo and put on some of your favourite tunes. Music is a great way to stimulate those happy hormones and get the brain back into positive mode.

Organise an outing: Even if you don’t feel like it at the time, break the cycle of the anti-social u that typically comes with a bad mood and organize to catch up with a friend or family. Meet up after work for a drink or organise heading down to the beach on the weekend, just give yourself something to look forward to.

Stay off social media: You may notice that when people vent or ‘rant’ on social media, most of the comments, even if they are sympathetic, tend to fuel the fire even more.  Leave that one bad moment as it is, a moment. Posting a bad thought or emotion publicly on social media, has just given it legs and the legitimate power to consume your entire day.

Smile: It’s possibly the last thing you feel like doing but push through and force yourself to smile and try to tap into the emotion that usually follows.

Remember, there is a difference between a bad mood and depression, so if the emotions are more than a fleeting visit, check out our Get Help page for contact details of organizations that can help.

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