6 Sure Fire Ways to Give Your Mood a Boost

Moods can be kind of fickle.  Sometimes there are reasons behind their madness.  For example, winter duldroms can have even the happiest person in the world searching for things to smile about.  And of course if something unpleasant has happened, we expect our mood to be dampened for awhile.

Being overly busy can put someone in a bear of a mood also. Before you know it, you’re snapping at people completely undeserving of snaps.  The good thing about these types of moods is that they pass quickly. Once you switch gears and start to unwind, things begin to look a lot better.

Then again, there are the bad moods who’s origins you couldn’t identify if it meant a steak dinner.

Fortunately, when you find yourself feeling as down as Eeyore or as crabby as Lucy, there are things you can do to pull yourself out of it.

1. Do something good for someone else, without wanting anything at all in return.  This one’s sitting at Number one for a reason. The best way in the world to put a smile on your face is to put one on someone else’s first. It’s especially sweet if they aren’t expecting it at all and even sweeter if you expect nothing in return.
2. Eat more protein.  Protein promotes good moods, and one of the first signs that you aren’t getting enough is the presence of cloudy moods.  Good sources of protein are:  lean red meat, low-fat yogurt, soy, seafood, poultry, rice with beans, lentils…
3. Fruits and vegetables are also mood-lifters.  They replenish the brain and body with oxygen and provide energy.   If your mood is suffering from overactivity, eating your fruits and veggies can give you the extra energy you need to make you feel in control again.
4. Laugh!  I know this one seems obvious, but it’s priceless.  It’s also, surprisingly, underused.  When you’re struggling to find reasons for an upbeat mood, laughter is the bolt you need. Different people have diffent sense of humors, so what makes me double over laughing might make you simply chuckle.  The trick is to find the particular feather that tickles your funny bone.  Whether it’s Andy Griffith or I Love Lucy, Family Guy or Seinfield, Everybody Loves Raymond or King of Queens - just lose yourself in the fun and before you know it, you’ll be laughing and feeling 100 percent better.
5. Fake it until you make it!  This one is surprisingly effective.  Give it a try, you’ll be amazed.  When you find yourself in the middle of a feirce “mad on” or you simply feel irritated with everyone and everything….smile the biggest smile you have at your disposal.  Crack a joke or two with the nearest person and act as though you just won a year’s worth of Starbucks, my equivalent of the lottery.
6. Find the source and do a little repair work.  If you can identify where your bad mood is coming from, very often you can alleviate it simply by attacking the situation.  Even if you don’t completely take care of it, your mood will lighten when it realizes you’re on top of things.  For example, if money problems have you down in the mouth, sit down with pen and paper and find ways to start saving more and spending less.  If possible, find ways to make more.  When your mood sees that you’re on top of the situation, he’ll lighten up considerably.

Whatever you do, don’t just “wallow” in the misery - it’s not only the worst thing for you, it’s the worst thing for everyone around you.  Because misery may love company, but company most definitely doesn’t love misery.