Bad moods are inevitable. You can’t be walking in the clouds all the time.

But wait!

If you let your bad mood take control of you, you’re going to start attracting some pretty yucky stuff into your life. (Like attracts like, remember?).

And that’s no fun. No fun at all. You definitely don’t want to end up in the sneaky hate spiral.

This past week, I was riding on cloud nine. I felt great!

And then suddenly I stumbled.

On Saturday, I felt myself slipping into a crank-tastic shit-storm of anger. Once I realized what was happening, I pulled on my big girl pants and decided:

“I’m not going to let this bad mood take over. I’m going to do whatever I have to in order to climb back up! Go to hell, energy-sucking mood of doom!”

 

So what did I do to climb out of the nasty, no-good pile of yuck?

EVERYTHING HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

You see, I have a Good Mood Tool Box: a collection of actions to take whenever I begin to feel angry at the world. 

 

If used haphazardly, it only takes a few hours to use the Good Mood Toolbox to snap out of a crap mood.

If used properly, you can go from major ick to happiest person you know in a few minutes flat.

Keep an open mind. Some of my strategies are a little woo-woo, but I promise that they work. Try everything! It’s worth every ounce of craziness that you have inside of you to get happier!

 

#1 – CALL A TRUSTED CONFIDANT

Say this:

“Hey! I need to be totally selfish for a few minutes because I’m having a cruddy day. Can I just tell you about it? It would really help. I promise to only bitch for 6 minutes and then we can (a) talk about something else, and/or (b) I’m going to move on with my life. How does that sound?”

 

#2 – SAY “THANKS”

Say “thanks” to your trusty friend. Say “thanks” for breathing. Think about people who have totally awful problems. Say “thanks” that you don’t have those problems. (This will help).

Say “thanks” for a penny that you found on the ground — yeah, the dirty one that you just ran over with your car. Say “thanks” for clothes and food and alive-ness.

 

#3 – READ SOMETHING INSPIRATIONAL

Not sure what to read? I’ve got a whole library of ideas for you.

 

#4 – MOVE YOUR CUTE BUTT

Seriously. Stand up. Put on your shoes and go for a walk. Put on a happy song and dance. Run. Do yoga. Flail around in the air if you have to. Endorphins work WONDERS.

 

#5 – ACCEPT REALITY

All suffering comes from a failure to accept what is.

If you can’t change the circumstance, then you have a choice. You can:

(a) Complain about it.

(b) Embrace it.

The latter choice is never easy, but if you use the rest of the tools in the box, you’ll get better at it.

 

#6 – GET SOCIAL!

It’s amazing how much hanging out around other people makes your problems seem less dramatic. Connecting with others is a fundamental human need. Call up a pal and grab coffee! It’ll help you to get out of your own head.

 

#7 – DECLARE YOUR INTENTION

Take a dry erase marker and write on your bathroom mirror: I AM THE HAPPIEST PERSON I KNOW! Think about how you want to feel and scribble it down in your journal.

Psst! you can use this tool to get anything you want. For example, need a little motivation? Write down, “I am filled with excitement to finish ___________.”

 

#8 – HELP A SISTER OUT

Or a sister. Or a cat. Or a dog. Or a grandpa. Better yet, do something nice for a total stranger! Pay the barista for the next person’s coffee (especially effective on Monday mornings). If you need a quick fix, THIS is the best way to get yourself in a better mood.

#9 – MEDITATE

Buy Sharon Salzberg’s book, Real Happiness. (On my resources page). It comes with a meditation CD. I’ve been using this for over a year and it’s the most simple, useful guide to meditation that I’ve found.

 

#10 – WATCH THIS VIDEO

This one. Especially if you’ve just gotten some negative feedback.

 

#11 – GIVE SOMEONE A COMPLIMENT 

I’d been holding a grudge against someone who had scarred my ego for a few months. I recently gave her a HUGE compliment (a genuine one!). She deserved it. I needed to get over my ass-hole ego. Making her feel good about herself was totally worth it!

 

#12 – GIVE AWAY YOUR MONEY

But not necessarily to charity. I’ve found a lot of value in the practice of tithing, or giving 10% of your income back to the people who feed your soul. It’s scary at first, and I won’t lie, I’m not perfect at it, but it makes me feel amazing to give back to the sources that make me even better at what I do.

 

#13 – WRITE A GREEDY LETTER TO THE UNIVERSE

This activity I stole from Denise Duffield Thomas, author of the amazing books Lucky Bitch, and Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!. Write down everything you want in life. Big and small. Extravagant and simple. The big house, the organic veggies, the iPhone, the successful business, the $10,000 client. ALL OF IT. This will help you to take your focus off of the crap happening to you and put it on what you want.

Note: what you focus on expands. I bet you’d rather expand these desires than your crappy mood, right?

 

#14 – PAINT YOUR NAILS AND LAY IN THE SUN

I literally just did this. I feel glamorous. I feel rejuvenated. I feel like I’ve taken care of myself. Take an hour today to do something totally luxurious for yourself. Get a haircut, get a massage, spend time by the fire with a good book.

 

#15 – EAT PLANTS

Or, eat foods that serve your body rather than perpetuate the feeling of ickiness. My go-to items are smoothies and salads.

 

#16 – FIND LOOSE CHANGE SITTING AROUND THE HOUSE

Pay attention to the good things that come into your life, not matter how small. Also, I read about 5 books this month that recommended picking up loose change and thanking the Universe for it, so I figured I should mention it here 😛

 

#17 – WRITE DOWN YOUR IDEAL, PERFECT, MOST AMAZING DAY

I’ve been doing this every morning on 750 Words. Keeps you focused on your goals.

 

#18 – BREATHE. LIKE, DEEPLY.

Get that oxygen into those lungs, yo!

 

#19 – DO NOT RESORT TO ALCOHOL (OR DRUGS). 

Tempting, right? They don’t help! They make it worse!

 

#20 – LET YOURSELF OFF THE HOOK

So what, you didn’t finish everything on your massive to do list this week? NEITHER DID ANY OF US. Go rent a hillarious movie (you know, one of them that picks fun at the life events that, if they happened in real life, would make most of us want to die). It’ll help you realize this one major point…

 

LIFE’S NOT THAT SERIOUS!

Now go play. Have a ball. Laugh your ass off.

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