Photo by » Zitona «.
There are times when no matter how hard we try to avoid it, we sink into a funk or a less than productive mood. We drag our feet, feel unmotivated and lose perspective. When that happens we can either roll with it hoping it will wear off, or we can apply strategies to counteract it.
To help you get moving and back on track again, here are some helpful suggestions to boost your mood.
1. Get some exercise. Exercise is one of the quickest ways to pick yourself up because it stimulates circulation and releases the happy hormones, otherwise known as endorphins. Before you know it you will be ready to take on the world, or at least you’ll feel that way!
2. Have a catnap. If you’re worn out and too tired to exercise, perhaps a nap is in order. It’s surprising how a little fifteen or twenty-minute rest can be refreshing. Not only that, when we nap new ideas, insights and solutions come to the surface from our sub-conscious. Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill and John F. Kennedy were all known to take catnaps to rejuvenate themselves.
3. Listen to uplifting music. Music is the ultimate mood changer! It can take you from the depths of listlessness to the heights of exhilaration. As Plato observed “Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul”.
4. Take a break and have a cup of tea or coffee. There is a reason coffee breaks are mandatory at most work places. Of course you need not drink tea or coffee but stepping away from what you were doing gives you a fresh new outlook and when you get back to it, you’re ready to roll.
5. Focus on the positive. At times when we get involved in a project and things aren’t going well or when we’re having a bad day, we have a tendency to become negative and distort the situation. We forget what has gone well and what is working. When that happens, it’s a good idea to re-focus, look at what is going right, what you have accomplished and how far you’ve come. It will give you the boost you need to keep going.
6.Talk to someone. Expressing your feelings to a friend or colleague can be both therapeutic and a way to get you out of your mood. When someone empathizes or commiserates with us, we feel that the burden is not all ours to bear and that someone understands what we’re going through. Knowing that others care or have had similar feelings gives us a pickup and helps motivate us to move on.
7. Switch direction completely. Sometimes getting in a rut or down mood can be the result of spending too much time on one particular task. In those cases you need a different type of break. The best thing to do is walk away from what you’re doing and engage in something completely different. If you’ve been working at a computer all day, take a break and go shopping, visit a friend or clean out your closet (a popular choice I’m sure). When you get back to the task at hand, you will have a new, fresh mindset.
As you can see, we are not at the mercy of our moods. When we get stuck (and we all do at times), we have the ability to lift ourselves up, rise above what’s momentarily dragging us down and forge ahead.
Thanks Peter!
Great picture.
What helps me is to set my phone alarm for 20 minutes. I sit in a nice comfortable chair and meditate. Sometimes I do fall a sleep but the alarm keeps me from going to deep into sleep.That seems to work very well for me.
Zhereford: thank you for the great article. It’s a great topic for Monday morning :) .
I could use a nap right now, and the day is just getting started!
I like the idea of cat naps, but if I do have one there is a strong possibility the nap turns into a proper sleep…..
These are wonderful, simple solutions that really do work.
I thought I was doing okay on exercise but recently added a daily run and was amazed at how much better I felt right away. You can’t necessarily expect miracles every day but it sure does help. As for that nap – ideas on how to fall asleep quickly and sleep for only a short time would be appreciated! Some people are experts, but the rest of us – if we can fall asleep at all the nap is too long & leaves us groggy and unable to fall asleep at bed time!
I think the “switching directions completely” point is really good. Sometimes its necessary to shake things up and purposefully get yourself out of a rut! Nice one….
Mary: I agree with you about running. In fact I just got back from one :) . Apart from the exercise benefits, I tend to get my best article ideas whilst running. Often I get home and instead of jumping straight in the shower, I grab a pen and some paper and quickly jot down ideas. In regards to the naps, the best method is probably to have the foresight to set an alarm.
I think some people can catnap, others can’t. I had chronic insomnia for years, and I wouldn’t have survived without some quick catnaps. Exercise was another thing that kept me going.
I don’t fight low-energy states. I tend to be enthusiastic, so when my energy drops it usually means I need to recharge my batteries and trust the process.
This was great. Good ideas.
This is a great article. I know that I have followed most of the advice listed above when I was going through one thing or another. All except the exercise. I just can never seem to find the time. I guess I will just have to make the time.
Wakela: it is well worth finding the time to exercise. Once you stop exercising (even for a few days) it is so hard to get going again. My advice: just start. Hopefully the satisfaction that comes from exercising again will get you hooked.
ps – this is speaking from experience. I just recently got back into the habit of regularly exercising.
I like this article. It’s a useful one.
Ernest
…but what do you do when you believe there is no point to life and that anything you do doesn’t matter?
After reading these, I still have to way to get me out of my ‘funk’.
Any suggestions would be great
x7_lostandconfused_7x@yahoo.com
and now that I realize it… take a look at my email name.
I have to agree with this article, the only thing I would add is set a timer or something on the computer to remind you to take a break. I always get working and forget until the phone rings or there’s someone pounding on the door.
Great information. Will definitely bookmark this site for further reference.
Regards
Great to see so many positive comments for this article! Just remember it is a guest article by Z.hereford, so be sure to visit her at http://www.essentiallifeskills.net.
Kev,
Start by getting a self-help book on cognitive therapy, which gives you ways to see life differently. Books by Barbara Sher are good too, like I Could Do Anything if I Only Knew What it Was. Consider counseling and even an anti-depressant. Seriously.
And take a shower! You and everyone else will feel better.
Great list. Also, you can look at inspirational photos on. You can find loads on Flickr, Photobucket and Webshots.
I love all kinds of music and I do find that the type you listen to definitely changes your mood. Definitely important to have some quite time too. Great article!
Peter,
I think exercise is the best way to boost your mood. If you make a habit of exercising every morning, your body will begin to crave that workout. You may not always feel like working out, but if you do it anyways, you will feel great afterwards. I think the great feeling you get is a sense of accomplishment for putting your body to the test and coming out better for it.
Tad
http://growingintoyou.com/
Good good thoughts.. i am in office now..can’t sleep can’t do exercise.. can’t go out..can’t listen music..and so many can’t s… so read different articles like this one was good too..
I totally agree with u here, there are many things we can do to control our moods, and to me music is the best, it can take me from a very positive mood to an incredibly sad one, and from a sad one to a very happy mood, but the point is that we should live each aside and experience these feelings ,, i really loved the article :)
hehehe… take a catnap, and DON’T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT DOING IT! So important!
My two sense is to ‘just keep going’. If you keep moving, be out there in the world, you never know what might pop into your life that could be wonderful. But if you’re not moving, not doing things, not out there in the world, then those wonderful things would be hard pressed to find you.
Really like your writing. Thanks!