In A Bad Mood? Good!

I woke up this morning feeling grumpy. I have no idea why. I have absolutely nothing to complain about and everything to be grateful for. When I opened my eyes, I felt tired and crabby. I hadn’t even moved a muscle yet and I felt like I just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep for the rest of the day.

It took me a few minutes to recognize that I was just in a bad mood. And I’ve learned that one thing I can do to get out of it is to get up and go for a jog. Don’t think about it, don’t give myself excuses not to do it, just get my shorts on, lace up those tennis shoes and go. That’s the only chance I have. If I think about it too long, I will end up sitting at the kitchen table with a dozen Krispy Kremes, and then physically sick and depressed for the rest of the day. I know this to be my truth. I’ve accepted that this is my pattern and I know that if I don’t consciously decide to get myself out of it, it’s donuts for me.

I became aware that we have the power to change our moods while listening to Wayne Dyer. He was explaining his theory that moods are a choice. You can control them. You need only to be aware, recognize that you are experiencing a mood, and consciously change it. At first, I was skeptical. No way. My moods are my moods. They are beyond my control and the only way to deal with them is to give into them until they subside. If I felt depressed, I would not go out. If I felt sad, I would reach for my vice of the moment. I would indulge until the mood lifted. It’s not a choice. Why would I choose to feel lousy? Why would I choose to allow frustration to wreck my day and derail my plans?

But I continued to hear it from several different teachers. The power of now was telling me that if I listened to my thoughts, I could control my emotions and moods. So I decided to conduct an experiment. I began a journal recording “mood busting” strategies as they came up. I began watching my moods and you know what? You CAN change them. And you know what else? It’s pretty darn simple. Once you get to know yourself and where your moods put you emotionally, you can break through your resistance, guilt or whatever your frustration.

Gratitude - Give thanks for what you are grateful for. What are the positive things in your life? Who are you grateful for? Turn your attention to them and their needs. It can be hard to identify anything good in your life when you’re stuck and frustrated, but this is the time you most need to do this. Discipline yourself to step outside of your emotions and take a look at your life. Put it on paper if you have to. By remembering what you love in your life and acknowledging what is positive, you will soon feel your spirits lift.

Motion - Move your body! Anthony Robbins says motion causes emotion. The way we physically hold ourselves is connected to our emotional life. When you are sad, you hang your head, slump your shoulders and move slowly. When you are happy, you stand up straight and move quickly and energized, right? So, fake it. Put energy into your limbs. Can’t get to a gym? Can’t jog around your block? It doesn’t matter, no excuses. You can jump up and down in your bedroom for five minutes. Stretch your body. Touch your toes fifty times. It doesn’t matter what it is just change your posture and get your blood pumping. Assume the position of your body happy and your emotions will follow.

Don’t think about yourself - We are often stuck in moods created by our thoughts or judgments of ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with that. We all need to be selfish at times. But, when it is controlling your mood, you need to release it. Be present in your actions. Really pay attention to what you are doing. Get your thoughts away from yourself. Your mind can not remain stuck in emotion if you are directing it to pay attention outwards. Be present in your task at hand, no matter what it is. Do the best you can at whatever you are doing. Do not allow yourself to go into auto pilot mode.

Smile therapy – Mother Teresa believed “peace begins with a smile.” Well, it’s not so easy to smile through a bad mood. However, research by a French physiologist Dr. Israel Waynbaum gives an excellent reason to try. His work suggests that the facial muscles used in a smile trigger specific healing hormones such as ecstatic endorphins and immune boosting killer T-cells. Smile therapy actually lowers the stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin and produces happy hormones that relax muscles and actually stabilize blood pressure and moods. So, smiling will actually make you feel physically better. He also found that the more we smile, the more we want to smile. Just not feeling a smile coming on? Get tricky. Even a fake smile tricks the brain into releasing the hormones. And before you know it, you won’t need to fake it.

Plan - Give yourself something to look forward to. Call a friend and make a lunch date, buy tickets to a ball game, make plans for Friday night. This acknowledges the passing nature of this mood and that you know you will soon be engaged in an activity that you enjoy.

Action - Do you have a list of actions to take towards your goals that needs attention? This is a great time to check one off. Sign up for that cooking class, call the realtor and go see the store space you’ve been eyeing. Taking action and feeling productive will generate energy around you and lift your spirits. Just begin it and you will more than likely be caught up in a forward momentum of energy.

Now, I realize these may not work for everyone. It’s individual and there is reality to chemical imbalances that may cause uncontrollable emotions and moods. If that’s your case, you may need to seek additional means of help.

Being in a bad mood isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you learn to recognize it, it can propel you to action! You can choose to change the bad thoughts into good energy and find yourself with a fresh sense of motivation. So, next time you’re in a bad mood, claim it. Recognize that it’s an opportunity to learn more about yourself and find which mood busters work for you. And that’s a good thing.