Get in the Right Mood

Everyone goes through the experience of being in a bad mood. There arernjust times when we might feel that negativity – perhaps due tornthe weather, feeling sick or just coming out of an unhappy situationrn– and it certainly affects our frame of mind and subsequentlyrnhow we perform at work or interact with others. When I’m feeling down and dark, I try hard to get out of it.rnSometimes I may feel angry or too sensitive and easily agitated. Therernare moments when I just want to scream and have the urge to punchrnsomeone or hit my fists on the table. These are undesirable behaviorrnand are detrimental to relationships and productivity. With practice and determination, you could get out of a negative mood.rnBesides, there’s no use staying in a rut and wallowing inrnnegativity. Here are some suggestions on getting into the right mood. Make A U-tu rnIf you are driving down the wrong way, you need to make a completernU-turn. The same principle applies when you want to change your badrnmood into a good mood. Turn your frown upside down by taking in a goodrndose of humour. Open up a joke book or go online and search for funnyrnwebsites or videos. It’s a simple workaround but it works. Another simple way of changing your emotional and mental state is byrnhugging. A good hug from a close friend, partner or family member isrnvery comforting. Holding someone in an embrace can break the icern– that feeling of coldness and indifference – that isrnbrought about by having a bad mood. Just make sure that when you dornhug you have the consent of both parties. Otherwise, an unwelcomernphysical contact like a hug can further make you or someone else evenrnmore irritable. Here’s another tip: take your mind off the trigger. Whatever, itrnwas that made you feel bad, don’t waste another second dwellingrnon it. Distract yourself. Read a book, watch TV, listen to good music,rncook your favorite dish – anything to forget what’srnbothering you. It has to be an activity that is relaxing and willrnconsume your mind and grab your attention. Take photographs ofrnbeautiful things and sceneries, answer a challenging crossword puzzlern– these will be different from one person to another. Discoverrnfor yourself a favorite diversion which you can do immediately oncernyou encounter an unwanted situation that leads you to a bad state ofrnmind. Many cultures find tea drinking to be quite therapeutic. Taking a siprnof tea can calm down your nerves. Having tea with friends would evenrnbe better. For some people, exercise is the ultimate way to de-stress. You can gornfor a jog or even just take a walk in the park. Others may resort tornlifting weights or playing a fun sport like badminton or bowling.rnGetting your juices flowing through exercise can certainly boost yourrnspirits. Relaxing in a bathtub or a warm shower is also a recommended way ofrngetting in the right mood. The feeling of freshness can easily helprnyou to perk up. Make sure that when you find an activity to lighten up your mood, itrnshould be fun and relaxing. At the very least, it should take yourrnmind off your worries. Don’t take on a task that would only addrnto your frustrations; for example, doing chores or listening to thernnews. Do something else that would set you up to be calm andrnunburdened. If it is something that brings a smile to your face, thenrnthat is the best way to change your mood for the better. Be Aware Of Your Emotions Some people can’t get into a right mood simply because they dornnot recognize that they are already in a bad mood. They are not inrntouch with their emotions particularly if they are unwanted feelings.rnThey can’t snap out of a bad mood simply because they fail tornrecognize it in themselves. For some, they deny outright that they arernin a bad frame of mind. We can’t change something if we don’t know what tornchange. To get out of a bad mood you have to be aware of how you feelrnat the moment. Acknowledging that you are feeling mad, sad orrnfrustrated is the first step towards taking a pro-active stance tornchanging your mood. Having other people alert you when you’re emotions are out ofrncontrol helps a lot. Allow your partner, relative or friend to givernyou a heads up if you are feeling down and out or if you’re madrnas hell. This will allow you to gain awareness of your emotions andrnstart off the process of taking back control rather than letting yourrnfeelings get the better of you. As time goes on, and you consistently respond appropriately when yournare being alerted to your sulking or outbursts, you will learn to bernmore aware of your feelings and react automatically. The sooner yournrecognize your negative emotions, the faster you can remove yourselfrnfrom the bad situation and change your mood. Prevention Rather Than Cure Most people would probably agree that trying to avoid being in a badrnmood is more preferable to trying to remedy having a bad mood.rnCertainly, there’s more to work involved with the fallout ofrnsomeone’s grief or anger. In order to avoid being in a badrnstate, we need to recognize and steer clear from situations thatrntrigger our bad mood. I must say though, that it is always easier saidrnthan done. Most situations seem harmless enough and others are justrnunavoidable. Nevertheless, we can easily adjust to certain situations that mayrntrigger a raise in our blood pressure or otherwise lead us to therndoldrums. When was the last time you took a real break from your work?rnDid you forget to buy a present for your in-laws? Are you organizedrnenough to be on top of the things that you need to get done? You dornknow that one glass too many and you’ll regret it tomorrowrnmorning, right? The point is, in many cases common sense is all that’s neededrnto avoid bad situations that would put us in a bad mood. Forrncircumstances beyond our control, we need to have awareness,rnself-restraint and enough rest and recreation to snap us out of ourrnmisery and onto a better disposition. How about you? What would you suggest for getting in a good mood?