It's up to you: Either stew in your head or snap out of it.
This morning, I woke up in a bad mood. Yesterday, I'd received some get-busy (eg. bad) news and last night I tossed and turned, having nightmares to boot. This AM, I found myself rehearsing what I was going to say and grumbling to my wife Jacqueline. Fortunately, I caught myself, realizing, that being in a good mood is a prerequisite to being effective. So I launched a plan to flip my mood from crappy to happy.
By 1PM, I was well with the world again. Not because yesterday's problem was fixed, but because of a few things I set into motion to reverse my state of mind. If you have a bad mood AM (and you'll know it because you'll have a case of the Mutters), here's what you can do:
1 - Admit you are in a bad mood to your significant other or best friend. Confess that it's likely overblown and will ruin your day's work if you don't solve it. That will paint you into a positive corner.
2 - Get more information about the 'thing' that set your mood off. I know, sometimes a bad mood is more general than that, but often there is a stressor that triggers your negative feelings. Directly confront or engage with the most-responsible-party involved to find out more, and redefine the situation as one of those "I'll have to roll up my sleeves, but I'll live" situations. Focus on solutions, not problems. If you avoid the stressor or it's cause, thinking that today's not a good day for it - every spare moment will throw you back into your funk as you pontificate and guess.
3 - Take a few minutes to connect with family or friends. Focus some energy on how grateful you are for them, and take a walk outside with one of them (or call them on the phone, not to talk about your mood, but to talk about love or friendship). Don't stay alone on a bad mood day. At the same time, don't use this time to dump on those you care about. You might give them the same funk or spin them up into a frenzy. Just be.
4 - Give your body a treat. You mind is sending Cortisol through your system when your mood is bad, and that's not good for the body. Eat something healthy or even treat yourself to something tasty or sweet. Today is had some Pho and green tea and it's really helping.
5 - Focus your attention on purpose. Why are you here? Why are you doing your job? Why is today and important day for you and those you care about. If your focal point is the "Why" and not the "What", you'll find that your stressor or situation is very small in the bigger scheme of things.
This is a concept that's included in my next book, Today We Are Rich. Visit the book page and you can pre-order a copy and receive a free eBook excerpt with an entire principle! You can also visit its facebook page too.
nice posting very informative and useful , love your site, looking forward for more
Posted by: Green Tea Weight Loss | April 12, 2011 at 08:30 AM
Bad moods can happen, usually I cool down going for a coffee (counter-intuitive, I know) or just diverting my mind with something else, trying to better realize why I am in a bad mood in first place.
It's not an exact science though, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Posted by: Gabriele Maidecchi | February 23, 2011 at 06:24 AM