“Mood has to be controlled. Otherwise, it’s your master.”
~ Toba Beta
Most of us once in a while encounter the situations that ruin our mood and upset us in such a way that we forget to appreciate the most important things in life. We transfer unintentionally our mood to the loved ones. Recurring negative thoughts can also damage your health significantly.
As negative emotions don’t help solve the problems (they may even worsen it) you need to look for the ways to stop negative thoughts. There are numerous ways you can improve your mood quickly and easily.
Below you will find 10 simple, but effective tools (in no particular order) that may help you walk out of your negative emotional state, sometimes even in just a few minutes.
1. Listen to music
Listening to good music can immediately shift your mood. Uplifting or soothing music can help relieve stress that you might have after a bad day at work or after hearing some bad news. So try to listen to your favorite tunes to get back to your positive emotional state.
2. Start blogging
You do know that talking with someone will always lights up mood. However, if you don’t feel like talking with someone, then blogging is the next best thing. You can start a new blog (you can do it for free). It may not only help you put your thoughts in front of you and relieve the pressure, but also share them with others and meet like-minded people.
3. Play a video game
One of the quick ways to escape your negative thoughts is to engage into video games. Grab your smartphone, a PC, or a gaming console, and start playing. There are numerous free games on different platforms, and they are bound to put a smile on your face. Just make sure you do not get involved too much in it.
4. Go outside and take a breath of fresh air
A few minutes of deep breathing will make a difference in your mood. To make it even better, go for a walk – it’s one of the best ways to let go of negative thoughts. The fresh air and the surroundings may help break away from thoughts. Try brisk walking (for at least 10 minutes) – it can have a lot of positive effects on your mind and the whole body as well.
5. Be generous
Giving something willingly without expecting anything in return may improve your mood significantly. There are many ways to be generous. You can simply take a friend out for coffee or lunch, be kind to strangers, give a compliment to someone, and many more.
6. Listen to someone
Each day we meet people who want to be listened to. They need an advice, a different approach, a support, or simply to share the joy about their accomplishments. By only listening intently (without assessment) to someone who needs it, you grant them relief. In return you get an amazing feeling that you helped someone. Also, by concentrating on what a person is telling you, you forget your negative emotions. This task is not difficult – you simply need to ask someone (for example, your colleague, friend, or family member) how things are going for him or her or how are their kids doing at school. Or you may ask something specific, for example, whether his/her boss liked their idea about the project, or how did the date go yesterday night, etc.
7. Break out of your boundaries
When you are in a bad mood, a good way to cope with it is to do something new and challenging, something you have never done before. After you do it, you get the feeling that you are powerful and therefore you can get past any problem or emotion. Think of something that you wanted to do but lacked courage. Maybe you were thinking of changing your job, asking someone out, telling someone what you think of him or her, running a marathon, etc. Whatever it is, don’t wait anymore, do it now – apply for the new job, give a call to the person you want to go out with, put on your running shoes and go get ready for the marathon.
8. Work out
Working out is good for the human body, as it always provides us with energy and also imbues us with a sense of happiness. Just go to the local gym and run on the treadmill – you’ll feel much better. If you do not like to work out or go to the gym, there are many activities to choose from, for example, play with the kids, go shopping, dance to your favorite music, clean the house, ride a bike to your favorite coffee shop, etc. Usually, physical activities of a moderate or high intensity (e.g., brisk walking or jogging) have a faster and longer lasting positive effect on your mood than those of a low intensity (e.g., light walking). However intensity is a subjective classification. For example, what is high intensity for a moderately fit individual might be moderate intensity for a highly fit individual.
9. Declutter Your Space
Cleaning and decluttering your space helps clean and declutter your mind too. Decluttering your work space or home is a great way to feel more calm and comfortable in your space. Also, sorting through your things and reorganizing your space gets you distracted from your negative thoughts. It’s better to start small – for example, declutter one shelf of your closet. Examine each garment and decide whether to keep, toss, sell, or repair it. The extra bonus is that seeing the results (clean and organized space) will make you will feel as if you have accomplished something. Therefore you will get flooded with a sense of self-satisfaction.
10. Mark your calendar for upcoming events
If you feel stressed or worried, then it might be a good idea to mark your calendar for upcoming events. Anticipation of some pleasant events that will happen in the near future will most likely bring a smile to your face.
