Stuck in a bad mood that you can’t shake? Try these 5 ways to get happy!
Tips for Flipping a Bad Mood and Getting out of a Funk
Have you ever been stuck in bad mood that you just can’t seem to shake? Well, one of things that the Law of Attraction (LOA) teaches us is that “like attracts like”, which is why it can seem so hard to get out of a bad mood – something happens to set off the bad mood, and we focus so intently on that event and how bad we feel that it immediately starts attracting more bad moods and bad mood triggers to us, in a vicious downward spiral that can be really difficult to pull ourselves out of. As I’ve started to spend more time thinking about LOA and how all this stuff works, I have really noticed this spiral effect in my own life when I get into a funk, and it occurred to me one day that I really needed a “go-to list” of ways to get happy, particularly when I’m feeling stuck in a grumpy or otherwise bad-feeling mood. I’m betting that there are a few of you out there who could use just such a list, too, so I thought I’d share my list of favourite vibe shifters…
5 Ways to Get Happy
- Play a favourite (upbeat!) tune. I find it’s really hard to stay in a bad mood when I’m blasting pretty much anything by Lady Gaga, for instance. As an extension to this, I also have a couple of “Happy Songs” playlists in my iTunes that I can turn to when I need them.
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Happiness is a brand-new box of crayons!
Break out the crayons and have fun colouring. For me, there is still something special about a brand new box of crayons that still has all the points intact. I actually have a box of crayons and a colouring book hidden away from my kids (shh… don’t tell them… it’s a secret!) that I keep just for myself. Even as an adult there is still something I just love about a box of still-pointy crayons, and I get such a simple pleasure in taking just a few minutes now and then to play with those beautiful, vibrant colours.
- Take some time for yourself. This is a tough one, especially for those of us who look after small children full-time, I know. But sometimes, even just a few minutes of peace and quiet makes such a difference in your mood. Today, for instance, after my son went off to his afternoon kindergarten class and my daughter went down for a nap, instead of racing around madly trying to catch up on all the work I have to do, I took 20 minutes to sit down with a cup of tea, a couple of chocolate chip cookies and just enjoy the QUIET (ahh… the stress reduction effect was immediate, I tell you!)
- Take a moment to be in the moment. In the midst of the chaos yesterday afternoon (kids fighting and yelling at each other incessantly, toys strewn everywhere, crumbs and sand all over my floor, dishes piled up in the sink needing attention, washing machine that suddenly decided to stop working with a half-finished load of extra laundry caused by a leaky diaper), I just happened to glance out the window and saw a Downy Woodpecker in our tree. It was such an unusual sight (those little guys are rare in suburbia) and it made me happy just to see it out there.
- Smile! Did you know that changing your facial expression can actually improve your mood? This is such a simple trick, and it is so effective, but it is so often overlooked. If you’re feeling particularly stressed, make it into a kind of meditation exercise: close your eyes and take a slow deep breath while thinking “relax” and then smile slightly as you breathe out. Do this for ten breaths and make your smile a little bit bigger with every exhalation. After ten breaths, open your eyes – you should be feeling not only happier, but more relaxed, too!
Remember, these tricks don’t have to all be used at once – feel free to mix it up and use whichever one feels best to you at the time. This could change by the day or by the mood and what works great one time may not be as effective another time. It’s all about finding ways to get happy that work best for you and going with that.
Take the Pressure Off
Finally, it’s also important to know that there may be times when none of these tricks work for you. If you’ve tried these ways to get happy and you still find yourself out of sorts, the best way I’ve found to get through it is to just be OK with it; accept that bad moods and bad days happen sometimes, give yourself permission to feel what you feel, and know that tomorrow will be better. If you keep pushing at the bad mood, you just make it stronger, but if you deliberately give yourself permission to feel the bad mood, while acknowledging that it is not permanent, it is often enough to lighten the load and get back to better feelings faster.
And if you have any tips or tricks of your own to share, please add them to the comments section below and we can make a super-list of ways to get happy! 🙂
