Recently, I had a bad day that evolved into a bad week and ultimately put me in a bad mood. I usually feel extreme guilt over being in these moods because of how sensitive I am to other’s moods. I always find myself apologizing after snapping at someone or being unnecessarily short. It’s ok to be in a bad mood but it’s not ok to be mean or hurt others because of it. So I’ve had to develop methods to manage these mood changes with little effect on those who are important to me:

1. Communication: I used to focus on feeling bad about my mood as opposed to how it affected others. The reality is I am going to have bad days and bad moods. While I understand how it negatively affects me and I do want to push past it, I think it’s ok to not feel ok sometimes. I found that telling people about the space I am in up front is helpful for the most part. A lot of people give me grace and allow me space to either talk it out or the room to myself that’s necessary. And I find that talking it out with someone helps me get over the mood quicker than my usual go-to method of people avoidance.
2. Gratitude: I was forced to write out things I was grateful for this past week as part of a cleanse and I realized how helpful it was to refocus my mind on the positive things in my life instead of the negative. This is also helpful on days when I “wake up on the wrong side of the bed”. If I think about the good things in my life or even just focus on the positive things about myself it helps me to push back the negative emotions.
3. Laughter: humor has always been a way to lift me out of bad spirits. Finding humor in the small moments or laughing with my family or good friends always helps to distract me from my moods.
4. Solitude: sometimes communication and community help alleviate my bad moods, but often I need time away from people to process and discover the source of my feelings. I am very avoidant so I can often bury a traumatic moment underneath so many other things to the point where I am unable to recognize where my mood is coming from. Sometimes, taking time away from everyone and getting into a quiet space allows me the room to get to the root of the issue.
5. Prayer: I am guilty of avoiding God like I avoid others when I am in a bad mood. But it never ceases to amaze me how much peace I find in my prayer time. Talking to the One who has searched me, knows me, understands my thoughts and plans my future is like drinking from an oasis in the middle of the desert.

How do you get past your bad days?