Choose a good mood today…

From the moment you wake up you have decisions to make; whether to leap out of bed with energy or pull the covers over your head for an extra few minutes wishing the day away, whether to wonder what great things lie ahead in your day or what disasters will occur.

And depending on these thoughts and the choice you make regarding which ones deserve your attention, you will begin to carve out your mood. Even when you are in troubled times you still get to carve out your mood and it can align with the darkness of the challenges you are facing or it can shine with hope; hope for a better day, a better outcome and acceptance that everything will work out in the end.

Your mood impacts every decision you makes on a daily basis so whatever you can do to influence it into being a positive one, the better for you; better mood equals better decisions. When you go with the bad or negative mood you give your emotions a free pass to cloud your judgement and interfere with your ability to think logically and allow it to tamper with your creative ability.

How to shift into a better mood

To shift to a better mood, it is always good to understand where the current mood comes from;

• What has triggered it, a person, the environment, a conversation, a thought on repeat?
• Once you have identified the trigger, decide what you need to do about it. Is there an action for you to take? Perhaps you need to leave the place you’re in or change how you see it. Maybe you need to express to someone how you feel following your conversation, assertively not aggressively.
• Get clear on the action and then decide when you are going to take it. Does it need to be actioned immediately, can it wait, is there a more appropriate time?

Then you can focus on what you can do to move your mood into a higher space. A few easy to do examples are:

1. Flash a smile! Smiling impacts your overall well-being and this simple action can shift your thoughts from a downward spiral to a healthier upward outlook
2. Put on your favourite music and have a boogie… Not only can music life your mood, the act of movement releases endorphins, the chemical that interacts with the brain receptors, reducing the perception of pain.
3. Step out into nature, the natural healer of pain. It exposes you to natural light, affects your endorphins and serotonin levels, leaving you feeling lighter, brighter and more relaxed.
4. Count your blessings. Take a moment to write down all the things you have to be thankful for. It’s very easy to forget all the good stuff in your life when things are bothering you and it is in those moments when it’s good practice to create a gratitude list. Remind yourself what you do have; there’s always more things than you think!
5. Meditate. Even if it is a short 2-5 minutes (we all have to start somewhere) take some time to just be. Sit still, focus on the breath.

So even though it’s not always easy to get into a good mood and you need to allow yourself to feel what you feel in the moment, look to get to a better mood because it will affect the rest of your day significantly and let’s face it, no one bad moment should be allowed to strip away hours or days of opportunities.

 Live Blissfully,

YvonneB