Starting my week out in a bad mood wasn't entirely what I envisioned, but here we are. For context, I'm not talking about just feeling "off" or "in a funk", I'm talking a raging mood. You know, the kind where you flip between wanting to scream and wanting to cry - yeah, that one. Trust me, it's not the most ideal mood to be in when you have errands to run and things to get done. Most of the time when I find myself in these moods it's during times where I can crawl into bed and sleep it off. But, what about when I can't do that?
Here's what I do to get out of a bad mood on a busy day:
Come up with a Plan
When I get in these moods it's hard for me to focus on what needs to get done. Even with my 3 different planners and millions of to-do lists. So, I make an effort to really go through my day and figure out a plan that's going to work for me. I usually make sure my plan includes all of the things I absolutely need to get done, anything important scheduled, and then a few things that will make me feel better. For example, yesterday my plan looked something like this:
Get ready for the day
Stop for coffee
Get new tires for my car
Lunch with my brother and my dad
Laundry
Drop off dry cleaning
Pure Barre
Dinner with my family
Help my brother pack for college
Some of these things weren't originally on my calendar, but they were important and they made me feel better. Having a plan for your day takes out the added stress of navigating a to-do list while feeling awful. It's just one less thing to stress about so why not make a plan and stick to it.
Get Ready for the Day
Most of the time my "getting ready" for work or for a day or errands is just throwing my hair up, throwing a casual outfit on, doing my skin-care and quick makeup routine, and running out the door. On days where I'm in a bad mood though, I try and put a little more effort into getting ready. Most of my bad days tend to fall on days I'm already stressed or have a lot going on - which usually means meetings or other things that I can get a little more dressed up for. On days like these, I'll spend a little more time on my skincare and makeup routine, I'll pick out an outfit I really like, and I'll do more than just throw my hair up. This doesn't have to take hours - because let's face it, we don't usually have hours to get ready when we're facing an already busy day.
Yesterday this entire process took me 30 minutes. I spent a little more time on my skincare. You know, an extra few minutes ice rolling my face, using my favorite face mask, etc. Since I planned on working out I stuck with my simple make-up routine and used my Dyson Air Wrap to give my hair a little more of a blown-out look and called it good.
Sure, you don't have to do this, and sure, this didn't automatically fix my bad mood but it made me feel better and that's why I make sure to go through the process of getting ready on days where I don't feel great.
Grab a coffee
This might seem silly, but if you typically make your coffee at home, or even if you usually buy coffee out I still think taking time to grab a coffee from a coffee shop automatically makes your day a little better.
I try and go to local coffee shops; especially when I'm in a mood because there's something about going into a small, local business that just really cheers me up! Plus then you have a coffee to fuel you through your day of errands, meetings, or appointments!
Add Something Fun to the Day
Have you noticed that a lot of the time these bad moods tend to pop up when you have nothing to look forward to? It sucks to look at your calendar and see nothing but boring or stress-inducing tasks ahead of you.
That's why I think it's so important to add something fun to your day when it's not going the way you expected. Maybe it's something like grabbing lunch or dinner with family. Maybe it's getting drinks with friends. Hell, maybe it's something as simple as watching a new show on Netflix! Whatever it is, adding something to look forward to is a great way to balance out the stress from a bad day.
Yesterday, I decided to make lunch plans with my dad and brother, and guess what, by then my day was starting to turn around.
There's no magic cure for a bad mood, but making your day a little more enjoyable is certainly going to help!
Workout
I hate being the person that says "working out will make you feel better" but it's true. In fact, part of the reason I think I was in such a bad mood was that I've been off my workout routine for a few weeks.
But here's the thing, you have to find a workout you actually like - otherwise there's no point. For me, that's Pure Barre (and let me tell you the kick a** class yesterday was just what I needed) but for you, it might be something else.
Whatever it is, just get moving for a little while and see if it helps (but trust me - it will)!
Just for the record, I was able to get out of my terrible mood and feel productive by the end of the day! What do you do when you end up in a bad mood? Anything you want to add? Let me know!
P.S. Bad moods are normal, not to mention, they're good for you in some weird way - so don't beat yourself up over feeling bad! Everyone is entitled to a bad day - even if you have plans!
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