19 ways to kick a bad mood to the kerb

goodbadthoughts

I had one of those mornings this morning. In our family we say that we’re wearing our cranky pants. If we’re out and Lacey gets a dose of the cranky I ask her to take off her cranky pants and put them in the bin. Most of the time, she’ll take of her imaginary pants and toss them in the bin and an almost good mood returns.

This morning I tried, but I couldn’t shake my bad mood. I think it was caused by a few things. I slept in, which should be cause for celebration but on the rare occasion it happens it makes me a bit cranky. And I woke up to a spider above my head. And at that time of morning I had to make a decision, a decision on how on earth I was going to remove the spider and place it elsewhere so it didn’t attack Lacey who was also sleeping below it. I’ll save you from that riveting story. So those two things, plus a handful more of boring but stressful stuff… I was in a bad mood.

And I couldn’t shake it. I tried my usual tricks. And then I took it to Twitter, and Facebook. I took it the people who were hopefully in a much better mood than I was. I can happily report I am now wearing happy pants {well, to be honest I’m wearing a dress – me and pants don’t really work that well}.

Here’s 19 ways {thanks to my fun Facebook community and Twitter friends} to shake that bad mood away:

1. Work it baby

Exercise is definitely the key to turning a frown upside down. It’s hard to be grumpy when you’ve got all those delicious endorphins doing great things inside your brain. My walk has already turned into an almost waddle… fun times.

2. Play that funky music

The most common suggestion by people was to put on a good song and play it LOUD. So I did. I downloaded the Bruno Mars album, got in the car for the school run and played Treasure so loud that it might have turned heads. Lacey and I had a blast. P.S. She’s still at that age where she thinks I’m an awesome singer.

3. Dance, like no one is watching

This is really a bit of a combo of suggestions 1 and 2. I’m also a really cool dancer according to Lacey. I know that will change too. Stuck for a song to dance to? Julie suggests Abba, Kylie or Madonna. I agree.

4. Get squeaky clean

Cleaning always works for me. I spent 15 minutes cleaning out the fridge. Super thrilling {not!} and very cleansing {literally!}. I also did the toilets, but that’s a little TMI.

5. Laugh. Like really laugh.

Kim suggest I watch this You Tube clip. It helped.

6. Eat something sinfully delicious.

Chocolate always helps, right?

7. Drink something delicious, or… alcoholic.

Some said to drink a coffee, or a hot chocolate… and then some suggested vodka. You choose.

8. Get a dose of vitamin D

A lack of vitamin D has proven to be a cause for a bad mood. So head out and get a dose of sunshine. Experts say that 10-30 minutes just 3 times a week can make a huge difference. I also take a vitamin D tablet daily as I’m deficient.

9. Bake yourself happy

There’s something therapeutic about cracking eggs and whipping things together, and then there’s the bonus of having something delicious to eat at the end.

10. Start over again

Over on Facebook, Cathy suggested having a ‘do-over’, getting back in bed and then getting out on the right side.

11. Get creative

I know from all the lovely emails, messages and comments I get that Photo A Day is a mood-changer. So getting creative and doing something fun can often change a mood from bad to good.

12. Dipping into the feel good jar

Remember this post? A dip into the jar might help shift the cranks!

13. Be random

I loved Sumaya’s suggestions {over on Facebook}. She said: “Popping Bubble Wrap, Sidewalk Chalking random messages in places that don’t make sense, Swinging at a park, Taking stickers that say things like “You are beautiful” and putting them on mirrors in public places, ordering blended coffees with caramel sauce, grabbing a strangers butt and saying “Oh! Sorry! Thought you were someone else!” You know… lots of things…”

14. Shop it out

I saw a lady wearing these at the hairdressers yesterday, and I think I’m going to buy them for my birthday. Just the thought of owning them is making me smile. Hello boots!

15. Be grateful

There is always someone doing it tougher than we are. This I know for sure. Having a little reality check, remembering to be grateful for all the good stuff in life is a great way to look on the bright side.

16. Put your feet in the sand

This is one of my most favourite things to do, when possible. I love the beach and it always, always, always makes me feel good. It’s nature at it’s best. For the record, a sandpit doesn’t have the same effect!

17. Call someone who cares

It’s amazing once you’ve vented how ‘small’ the issues you have appear. And then the disappear. I have a few friends that I go to when I need to release, and they do the same. It’s nice to know that there’s an ear waiting when you need.

18. Wash it away

A hot shower or a loooooong bath can help wash away the blues.

IMG_119519. Treat yourself

To truly kick my bad mood to the kerb I went and got a head massage {where she pretty much patted my head like a puppy for 15 minutes until my hair went crazy}, bought a trashy magazine and then picked up some yummy soup to take home for lunch.

And I’m good to go.

And one thing NOT to do when you’re in a bad mood? Don’t go and get your drivers licence photo that you now have to live with for 5 WHOLE years. Because you’ll look like you’ve just murdered someone and posed for a mug shot. Yeah… that.

Which one is your favourite? Got anything to add?

Top image source: Chibird

 

17 thoughts on “19 ways to kick a bad mood to the kerb”

  1. glad your day has improved! I’m not too sure about no. 4 though….I started the day trying to get the kitchen back into some sort of order and have ended up emptying all of the cupboards for a complete overhaul…it’s not making me smile…but hopefully the end result will 🙂 I am a firm believer of no. 6 though mmmm chocolate !!

    • Ha. I’m all too aware of getting in too deep with the cleaning. Lacey wanted to do the pantry and I was ‘oh no, we’re not doing that’.

      Small bites when I’m in a bad mood. Small, manageable bites. 🙂

  2. Hahaha! What not to do – I only have one more year, and I can get a new license, hopefully minus the mug shot. I think that I’ll have some chocolate first and maybe try grabbing a stranger’s bottom. : ) I so enjoy reading your posts! I feel that I have a kindred spirit on the other side of the Earth!

  3. I watch Flash mobs and Issac’s live dub proposal on YouTube whenever I’m cranky to cheer myself up. Also. Surprised Kitty.

  4. 1 and 19 work for me. I get a full body massage or have them concentrate on my feet because I think getting my feet rubbed makes everything better. When I really feel badly I take a trip, or become a tourist in my city. Discovering something new in my city helps to take the focus off of me.

  5. i do almost all of those except exercise, instead i go into the garden and pukk the weeds out until i start panting for breathe, then i sit down and cool off, have a coffee then think if i do five more minutes, i’ve achieved a few things, worked out, tidied the garden some and expended the energy that came with the emotion, i do feel better for it.

    Another thing i have tried and it has worked for me, it takes practise but i get there in the end… i stop the anger right in front of my face, then in my mind i give the angry emotiona face and i silently raise my voice at it and expel it, as i breathe out i breathe out angry long breathes, with each exhaling breathe it pushes the anger further away from me until it turns into a white puff and as it’s about to pop i evict it, saying out loud that it has no place in my life. This i do for most feelings i do not like evading my life, because frankly i don’t have time for the negativity. They say everything has a good and bad side, i refuse to allow the bad enter my life, if i can avoid it, i will do so, it creates more run for the good stuff!

  6. I do a lot of the things you listed and sometimes what really helps me get out of a bad mood is to get into someone else’s life weather it’s by watching a movie or reading a book 🙂

  7. This may sound funny but any movie by Kevin Smith makes me laugh.. and pickles. I love pickles!

  8. haha! I’m imagining grabbing stranger’s butt and saying “Oh! Sorry! Thought you were someone else!” … you’d have to choose your stranger wisely wouldn’t you, or you might just create a very very bad mood!

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