Mood swings can be a funny thing, can’t they?
Sometimes something happens that immediately changes your mood from good to bad.
Sometimes the cause is obvious. Perhaps you got some lousy news or you smacked your head on the car door.
But mood can be an insidious little devil too.
It can creep up on you out of nowhere and maybe you’re not even sure why.
It could be a current ongoing stress that hits you with it’s random peaks and valleys, or something as simple as a lack of sleep.
Whatever the cause, I think we can generally agree that bad moods suck and snapping out of them ASAP should be a priority.
Below are a few things that have helped me minimize bad moods recently. Maybe a few of them can help you too.
Gratitude: Even on the worst of days, there has to be at least three things you are grateful for. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, mind you. It can be as simple as “Damn, this is a good cup of coffee”. Take a couple minutes and acknowledge these blessings. I can say today that I am grateful for: family and friends, this blog and my health.
Share the Gratitude: Randomly share your gratitude with others. Thank them for being a part of your life, supporting you and enriching your existence. Be it by text, phone call, DM, whatever. Let them know how much they mean to you. Who knows? Maybe their mood sucks today too and you helped make it just a little bit better
Write It Down: Open the note app on your phone, a paper notebook, a napkin, whatever. Start writing. It doesn’t have to make sense. But as you keep drilling down, you may get to the root cause of your poor mood. Maybe after 5 or 10 minutes of writing you realize that yeah, you really are pissed off at your friend(s) for canceling dinner plans at the last minute.
Listen to the Music: Throw on some tunes and enjoy. Get lost in the music for a little while. Sing, dance, play air guitar. Who cares? Take a few minutes to let go and get lost in the beat. If I listen to some vintage 80s rock and metal, I promise you’re going to have a harder time ruining my day.
Exercise: Get off your tail and move. Simple as that. I don’t care if it’s weights, cardio, shooting some hoops or what have you. You’ll burn off the stress and do something to improve your physical fitness at the same time. Talk about multitasking! Personally, I like barbell curls and dips, because every day is arm day in my universe.
While these few steps won’t solve all your problems, I hope at least a couple of them will resonate with you and make your day just a little bit better.
Remember that every step forward is a step in the right direction.
The Beginning At Last 
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