6 Ways to Kick That Sour Mood

Without going too much into detail, I’ll say that I have been having a rough week. Maybe it is the eclipse or maybe something is in retrograde but there has been some serious bad karma this week. So what do you do when your stars seem to be playing football, instead of being aligned? Here are 6 mood brightening ideas that work for me

1.) Indulge in Your Favorite Comfort Food

People will tell you that food isn’t happiness or that it can’t fill any sort of a void in your life, but it can sure as hell make you happy. Indulge in the food that makes you happy, even if you have to then spend an additional hour in the gym making up for all the unecessary calories you ate. For me it is mint chocolate chip ice cream or cake or chocolate — actually any kind of dessert. One heavenly bite and my frown is automatically turned upside down.

2.) Organize

When bad things happen, even for a little bit, it seems like your world has gone topsy turvy. It is easy to feel out of control when external factors are causing problems. What can you do? Organize your life in some way. Whether it is balancing your checkbook, clearing your inbox, cleaning out the refrigerator or straightening up your bedroom, organizing will give you a sense of accomplishment and help you regain control of your life and that is a good feeling!

3.) Let Go of the Stress

When I am piping mad, my first instinct is wanting to break or punch something. I know, violence isn’t a very intentful way of living but sometimes you need that release. When you cannot take your anger out on the cop that gave you that ridiculous ticket, go home, close your doors and windows and scream at the top of your lungs. Jump on your bed, punch your pillow or even break something useless. Get rid of all that negative energy that is filling you up.

4.) Escape Somewhere

When you have those days, your life is the last one you want to be living at that time. So pause your life for a moment and escape into some other world. Watch your favorite movie or read a great book. It can be something that will make you laugh or you can even experience a whole new world: travel with Frodo and the hobbits as they try to save Middle Earth or take a jourey to ancient rome into a world of Gladiators and Caesars. Even if it just makes you stop thinking for a while, it is worth it.

5.) Exercise

The last thing you are going to want to do when you are pissed off is go to the gym. But exercise is the best natural way to improve your mood. When you work out, your body releases endorphins – which are your body’s natural pain killers and mood improvers. So when you are in a terrible mood, go out for a run or swim a few laps or spend some time in the gym. It will help your mood and the accomplishment will be an added bonus.

6.) Help Someone Else

No matter how terrible things are in your life, there is someone somewhere who is worse off. So if you can’t fix your life, try lending someone else a helping hand. Go volunteer at a local soup kitchen or help clean the beach or make a microloan to someone in need. When I was feeling terrible, I decided to make a loan through Kiva.org. The feeling of fulfilling my lendee‘s loan is honestly one of the best. Knowing that my little bit helped make a huge difference in somebody’s life, fixed my bad mood in no time. Helping someone else can help you too.

So next time you are in a sour mood, try one of these and hope you feel better