Eight Ways To Manage Your Mood

If your bad mood is contagious, so is everyone else’s. Don’t spend more time than you have to with anyone else who’s in a funk. Their negativity will rub off on you. Instead, make an effort to spend some time with people you know will be happy and positive – they’ll boost your mood instead of killing it.

3. Be Self-Aware

Try to be conscious of your mood, and if you do find yourself feeling low, accept and acknowledge it. Ignoring it won’t make it go away. But don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re human and you’re allowed to feel unhappy.

You can, however, choose to try to improve your mood. Instead of focusing on the thing that’s making you miserable, actively think about something that you know makes you happy. Looking at pictures or listening to music that brings back pleasant memories can help shift a black mood.

4. Identify the Source

What’s at the root of your bad mood? Understanding why you’re unhappy can sometimes be the first step to lifting your spirits. If it’s a problem you can do something about, it might be worth taking the time to address. If it’s something you can’t do anything about, try to accept that and file it away for later, when you can deal with it.

If the root is physical, like hunger, tiredness or pain, try to do something about it. Sometimes these things can sneak up on you and drag you down without you being consciously aware of them – especially during busy periods of work.

5. Be Present

Sometimes people get stuck thinking about things they wish they had done or worrying about what might happen. Getting unduly caught up in the past or the future are both bad ideas that only give you extra stress.

To help get yourself grounded in the present, take a minute to notice your surroundings. Take some slow, deep breaths and concentrate on relaxing your muscles – stress causes them to tighten up. Think about the things around you that you can touch, smell and hear. If you can bring your full attention to what’s in front of you, it should help reduce your stress.

6. Move

Exercise is good for your mood, for a number of reasons - not least because it clears your body of the chemicals produced by stress. If you can, get outside for a walk. The fresh air will also be good for you. If you can’t do that, try to find somewhere private where you can even just stomp your feet, give yourself a shake or jump up and down. It will help release tension and get your energy levels up.

7. Share

Another thing that might help is talking to someone sympathetic whom you trust. A problem shared is a problem halved – as long as you don’t get caught up in wallowing in whatever is bothering you. A cathartic sharing of your problems is not the same as having a moan.

Alternatively, and maybe counterintuitively, helping someone else has been shown to help lift your own mood. [1] So if you’re really stuck in a grump, see if there’s something you can do for someone else – it might be beneficial for you both!

8. If All Else Fails

Sometimes you just can’t shake a bad mood. In that case, you need to manage your response to it. Most importantly, don’t make any major decisions unless you absolutely have to. Take anything you can off your plate and only deal with the essentials until you’re feeling better.

Be especially conscious of your choice of words and body language when communicating with others. Think carefully about any emails or letters you send. Ask yourself whether anything in them is reflecting your current state of mind.

Most importantly, remember that your bad mood will pass, and you’ll be back to yourself before too long.

If it doesn’t, however, and you feel unhappy over a prolonged period of time, speak to your GP. You could be suffering from a form of depression, and it’s important to get help in dealing with this kind of illness.