We all have bad days from time to time. We never want to be stuck in a bad mood or suffer from anxiety all day or all week. How can we efficiently change our moods?
Don’t Drink or take drugs – you will only do more harm.
What follows, are several clever techniques you can use to alter your mood quickly and effectively.
Say the problem out loud
So simple it is often overlooked. Simply trying to say what the issue is can be quite difficult as we often blow insignificant problems out of proportion and make them appear worse than they really are. This technique allows you to notice how vague and unreal your worries really are. It also helps you to boil the difficulty down to its most basic form.
Write about the problem
This is another great method to put the problem into perspective. Write as much as you can about the causes of the situation and your emotions and feelings about every aspect of it.
Understand the situation by looking at it from different perspectives
Much like the first point, this allows you to see the situation objectively and to see it as a separate entity. Look at it from the perspective of someone who is impartial. It will let you trivialise the issue.
Look for alternatives
Following from the previous tip, situations can sometimes seem inescapable. A good technique is to sit down and come up with 100 different solutions without stopping. It sounds like a lot, but that’s the point. After the first 20-30 ‘logical’ answers, you will enter a state in which your subconscious will make stranger connections and you will come up with bizarre, but perhaps useful answers.
Take a walk
This is a great way to blow off some steam after an argument and to give yourself a chance to think things over. Who cares if you need to get out the house at 2 in the morning? Just take some time to walk around and clear your head.
Smile
Simple, easy and effective, smiling instantly changes your mood. Much like the confidence cycle, if you act happier, you will think happier thoughts and you will then feel happier.
