Bad Mood? Easy tips to help you click the switch!

What I want to talk about today is the importance of caring for our mind-spirit as much as we care for our body. In todays world we tend to be pretty conscious of taking care of our bodies - we know we are sick when our throat starts to feel sore, we realize we are tired when we begin to yawn, we feed our hunger cause the stomach growls, etc… And the solutions for the above are pretty obvious. BUT sometimes the solutions for caring for our mind and spirit aren’t as overt or accessible.

I had an interesting experience the past week …

I came down with a cold. About 5 days in, I realized that my mood had gotten dark. I was feeling gloomy and I noticed my brain had gone into a self-critical place. That’s not how I like to roll.

So then….

I got more even more bummed out because I know that our thoughts manifest into things and I was aware that my inner Eeyore taking hold LOL

The result was a lot of thinking about what I could do to help bring myself back to a Tigger or Pooh state of mind :)

It can be hard to change direction when the brain has begun a descent into darkness. It is a challenge to change our thoughts when we are feeling low.

Here are some tips that helped me to deal with the downward spiral….

1. HALT

YES it’s a therapy expression (what do you expect from a mental health advocate like moi?)

HALT stands for Hungry - Angry - Lonely - Tired. We will often find one or more of these four things are often triggering our emotional distress. When we can clearly see it’s a physical trigger, as it was in my case with the cold, or in circumstances of being hungry or tired.

HALT yourself and take care of it!

2. Give yourself permission to HALT
In continuation of the above….

We need to remember that our moods and our joy are tied to our physical wellness. I realized that part of my Eeyore came from a feeling of fatigue and a stuffy sinus induced brain fog.

In our digital, high-speed, microwave world, it can feel wimpy to take the night off and chillax, stop working to grab lunch and recharge or cancel appointments to rest. However, It’s imperative that we give ourselves permission to take care ourselves. When we do? Life actually gets easier when we pick back up again.

3. Name your feelings
We’ve covered the physical. Now let’s take a look at the emotional….

Dig into how you are feeling. We often hesitate to acknowledge our darker emotions (like, anger, or loneliness) because we fear that it will exacerbate the negativity. However research shows that when we take a time out to name what we’re feeling it actually helps us to process and release the emotion.

4. Express Yourself!
Is there a situation that’s creating this emotion?

Is there something tangible I can do about it?

IF YES - brainstorm a plan an begin the steps (baby steps rock :)

IF NO - Just allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling and work on those baby steps to process it. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do for ourselves is give ourselves permission to let go and move on.

IF it’s physical? see #2 :)

5. Allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling
No judgment - Give yourself permission to feel what you're feeling.

It’s OK not to be 100% perfect 100% of the time :)

6. Be kind to yourself
One of the big things that made my realize that things were super awry was that I noticed my brain being really mean to me :( Not good. Remind yourself to speak to yourself as you would a friend who was feeling sad or unwell. Speaking harshly to your beautiful self is only gonna perpetuate the gloomy cycle. Use this as an opportunity to care for your spirit.

7. SEEK JOY
They say misery loves company …. So it’s helpful to stave off misery with something that fills your soul. Even something small. Happy tends to beget happy.

What fills your soul? Go to that well and start filling the bucket.

You can also click back to This Article for more insights in that department

https://www.meredithblis.com/blog/3-easy-ways-to-create-joy

Moods, colds, challenges, transitions are all temporary. SO remind yourself

You Will #SHINEAGAIN - speaking of which ....

We are still kickin’ up the awareness campaign on Instagram -

if you’d like to join us? it’s as easy as a selfie and a Hashtag!

For more Info: Go to https://www.meredithblis.com/shineagain-project or send me an email.

Sending you BIG LOVE, MANY BLESSINGS and LOTS of LIGHT!





P. S.

Please note I wrote this article as insight for a temporary mood swing, if your sadness persists or becomes debilitating, you may be struggling with a situation that requires a doctors care.

Click here for some helpful resources on depression and mental health questions.