Dear Carolyn: I woke up in a terrible mood this morning, for no reason I can think of. What are your best tips to snap yourself out of a funk? Bad Mood
Bad Mood: Mine are pretty pedestrian: I warn people in case I fail at containment; I look for ways to laugh, with sisters or go-to videos, for the physical release and to get out of my head; I do yoga from YouTube, like, Yoga for not punching people at random. I snuggle my dogs.
Unless Im too radioactive for human contact, I do something nice for someone. Even donating 20 bucks toward decency feels like a cosmic correction.
Cute animal videos help, too. Dont judge me.
Heres a sampling from readers:
Exercise. Even if its freezing out, Ill bundle up and take a walk.
One morning I was crabby and didnt want to go to school, and my mom said, Why dont you put on your favorite outfit? I did, and felt a lot better. [Thats so my mom. Sniffle. CH]
I work a crossword or sudoku.
I WALLOW. Grumpiness is a legitimate emotion that deserves to be accepted and owned.
I sing along to pop-princess, girl-power anthems. It is hard to sing Party in the U.S.A. and remain grumpy.
If the Hyperbole and a Half sneaky hate spiral doesnt help you feel better, at least you can aspire to reach sneaky-hate-spiral level before the day is out.
Do something different. If you have been sedentary, exercise. When I am racing and feeling overwhelmed, I will intentionally do nothing. Ideally outside, watching the clouds.
Naps are panaceas for me.
I have a list of movies that bring me out of it some funny, some moving so I can cry, some scary.
I work as hard as I can at my job or gardening or whatever. The satisfied feeling afterward is wonderful.
I make a list of everything thats not bad about my life right now. Doesnt have to be good, just not bad. Like, I had pizza for lunch. Then build up to better things.
Celebrate something, anything.
Sometimes I just retreat into my bedroom and smell my cat. I know it sounds weird, but she loves me and she smells like sanity.
Maybe the laundry just doesnt get folded. Or I let the kid fall asleep watching TV instead of struggling with bedtime. I just pick one or two self-imposed expectations and let them go.
Make a plan to look forward to, even if its just your favorite takeout and a movie.
I treat it like a cold or a rainy day something unpleasant that will pass.
