17 Bad Mood Remedies
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We all get in a funk occasionally. It’s part of living here in this playground of duality — light and dark, hot and cold, up and down. Without occasional bad moods, how would we recognize a good mood? Without feeling despondent occasionally, how would we recognize euphoria?
Recognizing the fact that you are experiencing a bad mood is the first step to getting out of it. Once you realize your spirits could use a lift, here are some tips to help make it as quick and painless as possible.
Find the Cause and Make Inner Adjustments
Negative emotions of any kind, regardless of what you call them, are there to bring you a message from your deepest inner self. The message is something like this: “Your current train of thought is out of sync with the personal direction held most dear by the best possible version of yourself.”
When your thoughts are in alignment with your sense of purpose, you infuse your life with happiness, enthusiasm and joy.
So step back from the mind and settle into the objective viewpoint. From this perspective of pure awareness, take a good look at the thoughts you have been thinking lately. (It’s likely more accurate to say, “your thoughts have been thinking you,” before you brought the light of pure awareness to the table.) Your funky mood is telling you those thoughts are not serving you well. They are not bringing you happiness, enthusiasm or joy . . . so make a decision right now, in this present moment, to change the color of your thoughts.
Do a 180-degree mental pivot, and deliberately point your thoughts in the opposite direction.
Replace despair with hope.
Replace worry with confidence.
Replace fear with love.
This kind of deliberate, directed thinking is a choice. It’s a personal decision based on understanding what you want and how to get it. If you’re tired of seeing your life through the dark lens of a funky mood . . . and are serious about letting the light in, change your thoughts.
Nobody can do it for you. Nobody else has to change in order for you to feel better. Nobody has to behave differently. All that needs to change is your attitude . . . the way you react to the events in your life makes the difference. Once you get a handle on that, you can maintain mental and emotional equanimity, regardless of outer circumstances.
“. . . the way that you choose to take it into view,
Makes it hell or a whole lotta fun.”
- from the song, “Hell or a Whole Lotta Fun” by Tupelo Kenyon (written in 1976)
3 Steps to Busting Bad Moods
* Notice how you feel.
* Examine your predominant thoughts.
* Redirect your thoughts, as needed, in sync with your highest ideals and your sense of purpose.
* Repeat as needed.
Accelerate the Process with Outer Adjustments
Once you’ve addressed the inner causes, here’s a list of 17 funk fixers:
1. Meditate — If your stinkin’ thinkin’ is responsible for your funk, and if it’s a challenge keeping your thoughts in a better place, try placing your attention elsewhere. Take a few deep breaths and relax deeper and deeper every time you exhale. Become still, and focus your attention on your breathing. Notice that you aren’t controlling it — just notice how the breath seems to be breathing you, without any help on your part. Allow stress to melt away as you become deeply relaxed. Look for the stillness between the breaths and between the thoughts. Be here, in the stillness, as you simply witness everything — your breath, your thoughts, sounds and other physical sensations. (See previous articles, “Simple Toning Meditation” and “Guided Meditation for Self-Healing and Personal Development.”)
2. Change Your Environment — Get out of the house. Go for a walk. A radically different environment can expedite a radical shift in the color of your thoughts. (This can help you get a fresh perspective on things, but going somewhere else is never the entire solution because . . . wherever you go, there you are.)
3. Exercise — Get your blood pumping. Increased heart rate and respiration sends more oxygen and endorphins to your brain, and that feels good.
4. Use Your Imagination — Relive happy moments. Pull out an old photo album (or photo folder on your computer) and look for photos that feel good. Spend some time with them, wrap your thoughts around them, and allow the positive emotions to wash over you.
5. Gratitude — Have a personal gratitude party. You can do this alone or it’s fun to share it with someone you love. Notice (and feel deeply) all the things you are grateful for. To take this to another level, express your gratitude whenever you can. Look for opportunities to do that.
6. Be Here Now — Bad moods are often the result of worrying about the future or regretting something in the past. Refocus your attention on this present moment, and notice that, right now, all is well. The secret is to keep your attention sharply focused in this micro-moment. At this precise instant, I’m alive, I’m breathing, I’m not starving, and there are no wild animals gnawing on my leg. It’s good to be alive — it’s a priceless gift, and life is now.
7. Listen to Uplifting Music – Music touches us and transports us emotionally like nothing else. Pick your music deliberately to produce the desired result — happiness, enthusiasm and joy. (See previous article, “Benefits of Music for Personal Development.”)
8. Watch a Good Movie — Choose something that will give you a lift. Pixar and Disney animations are good for a change of emotional scenery. Some fantasy and science fiction movies work well, as do romantic comedies. Anything funny breaks up the brittle edges of a bad mood and lets in a little fresh air and sunshine.
“What was significant about the laughter . . . was not just the fact that it provides internal exercise for a person . . . a form of jogging for the innards, but that it creates a mood in which the other positive emotions can be put to work, too.” – Norman Cousins (1915-90)
9. Play with Pets — Puppies and kittens are fun. Better yet, try to find a litter, and just hang out with them for a while. If you can find some youngsters, six to eight weeks old, that’s ideal for a good laugh and an emotional facelift.
10. Indulge Yourself — You deserve it. Take some time for you, and do whatever makes you feel good — a hot bath, massage, nice meal, etc. (See previous article, “Take Time for You.”)
11. Help Someone — When we slide down into a funk, often it’s because we think, “It’s all about me,” or worse yet, “Poor me.” Be useful to someone else and get some perspective. Notice all the people in the world who, compared to you, have serious problems. Feel empathy and compassion, and do whatever you are inspired to do about it, but mostly . . . pause and be grateful for the blessings in your own life, as you help others. Get some perspective and blast yourself out of myopia by asking yourself, “Okay, really . . . how bad is it?”
12. Smile — Just the firing of those facial muscles can help lift your mood. It’s a psychological and physiological way to reverse engineer happiness. There have been impressive studies done demonstrating how this works. A smile activates the pressure points on both sides of the mouth, which triggers good feelings. So even a fake smile helps. Try it now. Paste a big, wide, cheesy grin on your face, and just hold it there for a few seconds. (You might want to do this while nobody’s looking . . . otherwise, they might give you something real to smile about.) As you feel the smile muscles exercised in your face, can you feel the subtle changes in your brain? Interesting, eh?
13. Enjoy Alone Time — If your life is full of juggling your schedule with lots of other people, get away for a day . . . or a week, and just be your own best friend. Remember who you are — not who everyone else thinks you are or who everyone else wants you to be. Get re-grounded and centered. Then you have more of yourself to offer others.
14. Be Inspired on Purpose — Whatever makes you feel good and enthusiastic is good medicine for the soul and poison to bad moods. Ask yourself what inspires you, and deliberately focus your attention on that.
15. Sing — Even if you don’t sing or haven’t sung for years, try it. Put on a favorite song or an album you are very familiar with, and sing along. When you don’t know the words, hum. Allow the magic to work on you. It’s almost impossible to remain bummed out while singing. Like the fake smile (tip #12), complex psychological and physiological factors come into play when your body is generating tones. (That’s why Tibetan monks chant.) Harmony, melody and breath are powerful. They revitalize your psyche and nourish the soul.
16. Visualize — Imagine how you want to feel. See it clearly in your mind’s eye. Once it’s identified and clearly defined in your brain, move it to your heart. Feel it. Imagination can apply to feelings too, so explore how you want to feel in great detail — mentally and emotionally. Once that’s done, guess what? You’re already there. Now just sustain it with the three steps offered earlier:
* Notice how you feel.
* Examine your predominant thoughts.
* Redirect your thoughts, as needed, in sync with your highest ideals and your sense of purpose.
* Repeat as needed.
17. Decide to Change Moods — Mean it. If you’re fed up with bad moods, make a conscious decision to do something about it. Personal resolve and commitment make it happen.
Banishing Bad Moods
Bad moods are unhealthy. They are stressful and take their toll on you. They also affect those around you who you love most. With practice, attention and deliberate action, inspired by your personal decision, you can make bad moods a thing of the past. You’re going to love how that feels. (So will your family and friends!)
While reading, did you choose to hear the relaxing instrumental music linked at the beginning of this article? To learn more about it, click here.
Listen FREE to the songs below . . . chosen to enhance the ideas in this article.
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Trash Our Treasures
People seem to have a history of awarding seemingly insignificant details with places of prominence in our lives, while ignoring or even destroying the most important aspects. http://www.somemusicmatters.com/DescX.html#Anchor2 May You Have Joy Who is the Watcher Seriously Blue Water Celebrate Life Do What You Love Just One Step Hell or a Whole Lotta Fun Songs by Tupelo |
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Simple Toning Meditation Guided Meditation for Self-Healing and Personal Development Benefits of Music for Personal Development Take Time for You How Do You Feel – About Inner Guidance? Integrity Through Self-Reliance Life Drama as Blockage to Personal Development Six Killers of Individuality and Personal Independence Self-Discipline in 3 Easy Steps Relax and Rejuvenate for Balance and Productivity Appreciate Here and Now Articles by Tupelo |
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