Have you ever had one of those days when you simply wake up in a bad mood?
When you wake up in a bad mood, whether the bad is depressed, angry, frustrated, or something else, it seems like it is often very hard to shake. It can easily last through most of the day, and you even interpret everything that happens that day through the filter of your bad mood.
There is actually a very simple “trick” that clears out the funk much quicker… and it doesn’t really take much. Anyone can do it, and it’s effective nearly 100% of the time.
There are three components to this very simple solution to improving your mood.
- Get Away From “Screens”
Get away from all “screens”, whether it is from your cell phone, your TV, or your computer. The constant light being emitted makes it very difficult to relax and let go, meaning it’s more difficult to get rid of your bad mood.
- Move
The second step is to get up and move your body. I don’t mean exercise, exactly… just move. If you’re inside, go outside. If you’re outside, just move away to another area.
- Pay Attention To Your Posture
It’s amazing how much impact your posture has on your mood. Stand up straight and confident, move like you own the place, and hold your head high. Put your shoulders back, your chest out, avoid letting your shoulders slump, and keep your hands out of your pockets.
The most important pieces of posture, by far, are having your back straight and having your head up.
It’s very simple, and very quick… combine all three steps, and your mood will improve, often in less than ten minutes, and sometimes in less than five minutes.
Just like your mind can affect your body, in both positive and negative ways, your body can also affect your mind in positive and negative ways. Bad moods, especially when you start the day that way, tend to cause your mind and body to set up a negative reinforcement cycle… your bad mood causes you to alter your posture, and then your posture reinforces the bad mood, which causes you to keep the negative posture, etc.
Breaking that cycle starves the bad mood, causing it to crumble and fade away. Simple, right?
Picture via flickr.com – Leopard Print
September 1, 2010
You can also force a big smile on your face. There is something about a forced smile on your own face that is so silly, it causes a real smile after just a bit. You begin to laugh at yourself.