Bad days suck and they can take over your mood and confidence. Lets be honest; your whole vibe gets messed up. Does it ever feel like no matter what you do, your bad day just continues to get worse? If it feels like nothing is going your way, you need a mental pick-me-up. You can improve your mood instantly, really within a few moments a shift can occur. I kid you not, the ideas below require minimal effort.
I get it, when bad days take over or a crummy mood strikes, the last thing I feel like doing is putting effort into changing it. Sometimes, you just don’t have the energy ya know?
You may be saying, “Well it can’t change what happened so why bother?!” You’re right. These ideas can’t change the past. In fact, nothing can change what has already been done unless you have some awesome time traveling device. However, even your week has been full of bad days these, tips improve your mood for a short period of time. Small good moments remind your brain that positive thinking is possible, and disrupt your pattern of negative thinking.
Bad Days Aren’t Here to Stay: Try These Mood-Boosting Tricks
1. Change up your location.
Even it feels like your hands are tied to your desk, you can get up walk around, go outside, or attempt to change locations. Hit up a coffee shop, go for a walk around the block. Intentionally move into a new, negative-free zone.
2. Show someone they’re special.
Send an overdue thank you card, email an old friend or call Grandma and check in on how she’s doing. Write a comment on someone’s blog, or like their posts. A simple post on a friend’s FB wall or upload an old/cute photo of you two, can help improve your mood by focusing on someone else. Plus, positive vibes will totally start flowing through you when you feel like you’ve made someone smile.
3. Make plans.
Actively make plans for something in the future. If someone doesn’t want to hang, move on to something or someone else. Look, it doesn’t have to be tonight, or even this weekend, but something in the future. Set a date with a friend, buy tickets to an upcoming show and go solo or with someone who shares your passion for (insert fav band/movie/actor here), make a reservation, organize a group get together, make plans for something with a family members. It will instantly give you something to look forward to instead of focusing on the bad stuff from today. Feeling in control of the future creates more confidence in the moment, leading to a good mood.
4. Surf for something that makes you say “OMG.”
Adorably cute videos and pictures are sure to put a smile on your face. Don’t think the Animal Planet Puppy Cam will make you smile? I dare you to watch for a few minutes and see if your mood doesn’t improve just a bit.
Live video by Animal Planet L!ve
Not into animal cuteness? Try a funny baby video or clip from your favorite comedian.
5. Change up your Instagram.
Follow someone who makes you LOL or say “awe.” Follow @digbyvanwinkle Brussels Griffons that are so ugly-cute which is funny to begin with. Now dress him and his buddies up in hilarious outfits and get instant laughter. When I feel a bad day coming on, I reach for comedic relief via social media. Oh, and who doesn’t love a celeb whose super real and super funny? Follow Anna Kendrick @AnnaKedrick47 for instant smiles.
6. Find a new station on Pandora/Spotify/YouTube Chanel.
Change the station and turn up the music! When you’re lamenting over your lousy day, don’t perpetuate the problem with sad songs and stuff that brings back heartbreak and hurt. Happy music boosts dopamine, a chemical that produces positive feelings. Rhythm, especially fast or repetitive tempos, keeps dopamine flowing. A little Girl Power can turn your mood around fast.
7. Have a tea party for one!
Having a cup of green tea to help relax can boost soothing brain chemicals instantly. Green tea contains a mood-leveling antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). According to a 2012 study in the medical journal Appetite, patients who received a dose of EGCG rated their moods as calmer compared to those who took a placebo. Just don’t drink it too close to bedtime as it contains caffeine. Bottom line, do something for YOU.
8. Pick a pose, any pose.
Pick one, two, or three and focus on doing these yoga poses. Oxygen gets to your brain fast, meaning you can think clearer, feel calmer and more in control of your thoughts. This article and awesome how-to picture from Lifehack.org has got ya covered.
So, which ones worked for you? Bad days come and go but what helps you get through them faster? Post them below and we will share them with our followers.
Take Good Care,
Em
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Emily Roberts MA, LPC is The Guidance Girl. Her goal is to help YOU become the most confident person you know! Emily is an award-winning author Express Yourself: A Teen Girls Guide to Speaking Up and Becoming Who You Are, Psychotherapist, TV & Media Contributor, Educational Speaker, and parenting consultant. She travels around the country educating girls, women, and parents. Express Yourself is available at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon. To learn more about Emily click here.
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