How are you
feeling right now? Great? Bored? Mixed? Unsure? A pretty broad question to ask
considering the current global situation. And also the fact that if you were
asked this same question a couple of minutes or any other measure of time from
now, your answer could change and very much at that, depending on a lot of
factors and situations that may or may not be within your control.
Having a bad
mood is nothing new or anything out of the ordinary. How long it lasts, how
often it occurs and the intensity of the phases are what you can take
deliberate steps to change or at least, affect. Humans respond to stimulus,
obviously. Different stimuli have different effects, from instant and fleeting,
like a bright flashlight in your face at night, to prolonged and lasting, like
bad news. The effects the stimuli have on you, is shown by your mental or
emotional state-your mood.
This period,
almost like others, has with it a lot of different potential moods you’ll have,
and many will recur. The fact that we get to see the same faces, morning,
afternoon and night, almost everyday(which is not bad anyway), is already a
stimulus of its own. However, these are a few tips on how to respond to and
create some of your own. In better words, how
to boost your mood.
Good sleep
A good sleep
can do wonders. It’s your day’s jump-start. Lay off social media or maybe work,
for a good night’s sleep and note the difference. Also, a short nap during the
day can be almost unbelievably revitalising.
Note, too much sleep has almost the same effects as no sleep.
Laugh and smile
Laughing and
smiling have proven health benefits and have direct effects on anxiety. And it
doesn’t even have to be real. Just making a smile or forcing a laugh can have
similar effects as the real ones. Plus, you don’t even have to be psycho to
laugh at nothing. And there’s the tendency that you’ll end up laughing at
yourself for laughing at nothing.
Make plans, and realistic ones
Setting goals and making plans can have substantial effects
on your mood. Accomplishing daily set goals no matter how little can raise your
levels of confidence, satisfaction and happiness. Why realistic plans? Setting deadlines
for long-term goals can have opposite effects when they aren’t achieved. So a
step by step or day to day approach is much better. For long-term goals, it is
important to know that even with commitment, not meeting up is not equal to
failure.
Focus on positive thoughts
Negative thoughts
and people will leave you drained. It can be really hard to think otherwise when
a situation is messy but deliberate attempts still produce results. Think about
what went and has been going well, about things you enjoy, compliment people, daydream
a bit. Literally count your blessings.
Get some air
Take a walk,
or jog. Exercise. They’re as good for
your health as they are for your mood. Just round your house or apartment can
be okay. Or even at a balcony, just taking in early morning sun or breathing in
fresh air, can really help clear your head.
Music
You can’t be
complaining of a bad mood and still be listening to depressing songs. Happy thoughts,
happy songs.
Music speaks to the soul
Pour it all out
Sometimes,
bottling up negative emotions either makes you burst or spills over to people
who were not the reasons or causes of those emotions. Sometimes, you need to
vent your feelings, frustrations or whatever is behind your mood to either a good friend or someone in a position to
listen and genuinely help. It can be very relieving. It’s good to vent once in
a while, but if you vent often, GET HELP.
Try them
out, one at a time or as many as you can. Record the results.
Stay not
just safe this period, but also sane.
Share your
thoughts.
DO COMMENT .
11 comments
Soft writeup my G,stay blessed
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot man. Stay blessed
DeleteThe part about music is tested and trusted😁
ReplyDeleteHehe... And guaranteed
DeleteNice
ReplyDeleteThank you very much
DeleteThis is food for the soul. Thanks for the everything you put down.....quite helpful.
ReplyDelete....Thanks for everything you put...
ReplyDeleteThank you so much sir
DeleteThis piece helped..with all the stress I really needed it. Thank you Bob (Gold).
ReplyDeleteGlad to help... Thank you so much for sharing Gold
Delete