Low mood doesn’t always come from big life disasters.
Sometimes it’s just life wearing you down every single day.
Toxic workplace, bad manager, annoying coworkers, fake friends, unsupportive spouse, collapsing economy, unstable political situations – all of these contribute towards a bad mood.
Many of these situations are out of your control. There is nothing you can do about it.
But one thing that is in your control is fixing your bad mood.
You don’t need to fix your entire life or indulge in intense decision-making to decide your future.
Focus on not sinking deeper. On trying to stay afloat and swim to the shores of positivity and happiness.
It’s possible with the help of small steps.
How to Manage Bad Mood
1. Stop fighting the bad mood
All of us try to fight bad mood as if it’s a villain the second we realize it.
The internet is flooded with advice on the importance of having a positive mindset and staying happy. Being in a bad mood feels like a failure.
It feels difficult to acknowledge and accept that you are feeling low.
Fighting emotions only drains you.
You need to acknowledge that today isn’t a good day rather than forcing it to be one.
Acceptance is the first step towards feeling lighter.
When you accept, you can use the energy you waste fighting it to actually do something meaningful to manage the situation.
2. Shrink the day
When you are in a bad mood, the entire day feels so long and heavy.
It might even seem impossible to get through the day or decide what you should do after getting back from work.
Don’t force yourself to plan the day ahead.
Instead, take it slow and make it smaller.
- One task at a time
- One hour at a time
- One decision at a time
Think like this: What is the best thing I can do in the next 10 minutes?
It could be taking deep breaths, or walking for 10 minutes, or writing a one-sentence journal.
Anything that you can do to calm your mind and prevent spiraling is a win.
3. Don’t chase motivation. Chase momentum
Motivation is the first thing that disappears when life gets hard.
Generally, it only appears and works when you are having an optimal or great day.
On bad days, it takes more than motivation to keep going.
You need micro-wins to keep going.
If you are someone who has been doing many things regularly like reading books, journaling, or anything else, try to do the Bare Minimum Version of it.
- Instead of 30 minutes of reading, do it for 5 minutes
- Instead of 20 minutes of journaling, do it for 5 minutes
If you are someone who is getting started or really struggling or in survival mode — follow the 2 minute rule.
That is, you do the task for just 2 minutes and then stop.
Always remember, it is better to do something than do nothing at all.
Keep the momentum alive.
It is difficult to begin again from rest. All your efforts go down the drain if you don’t keep going.
No matter how slow or small.
Related Post: 9 Easy Goals for People Who Are Tired and Burned Out
4. Create instant relief, not instant escape
Binge watching Netflix or doom scrolling gives you instant relief.
These are the very things that give you instant escape but keep you a prisoner of your mind in the long term.
Focus on instant relief — doing things that take the pressure off.
It could be:
- Listening to your favorite songs
- Watching stand up comedy
- Reading a book that calms you down
- A quick brain dump
These things help take your mind off without wasting hours and then feeling guilty about doing it.
These are the right distractions.
5. Talk to someone
Human connection is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.
Talk to someone about how you are feeling.
Just vent.
6. Take the emotion out of your body
When you are in a bad mood, all you can think of is sinking into your bed and doing nothing.
This just makes things worse.
Physically moving your body is really helpful. It can get the emotion out of your body.
You don’t have to do a full 30-minute workout.
It could be as simple as:
- Shake your body for 1 minute
- Go for a 10-minute walk
- Stretch for 1 minute
Do any one of these and see your mood getting better.
7. Separate your identity from the mood
“I am miserable.” “I cannot do anything right.” “I am a failure.”
Such thoughts pop into your mind when you are in a bad mood.
These thoughts are an attack on your identity.
Remember, your mood is a visitor, not your personality.
You weren’t always like this. Think about how far you have come, about your achievements.
A few bad days don’t make you a bad person.
Separate your identity from the emotion.
Tell yourself that you are in a bad mood and things will become better.
8. Focus on the one good thing
It is easy to ignore the small good things that happened in a day when you are in a bad mood.
Maybe you got a message from your long distance friend. Or the weather was good.
Somebody complimented you.
It could be anything.
Take a moment to acknowledge these small things. Because it is the small things that make life meaningful and beautiful.
Related Post: 170 Simple Things to be Grateful for in Life
Conclusion
It is possible to conquer bad mood and move forward rather than bad mood making you its slave.
Bad mood days don’t mean you have done something wrong or that you are failing.
Bad days are a part of life.
You need to navigate through such days.
It’s okay to slow down. But you should never come to a standstill.
I hope this blog post will help you do more than survive on bad days.
You might also like:
➡️9 Simple Techniques to Calm Your Mind for Chaotic Life Seasons
➡️7 Powerful Mindsets That Will Change Your Life
➡️10 Powerful Life Lessons I Learned Through Tough Seasons
➡️9 Easy Goals for People Who Are Tired and Burned Out
➡️How to Finally Build a Self Care Routine That Feels Like You
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