Woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Is your day not going as well as you’ve planned? Sometimes it’s hard to release pent-up anger, especially if there are more reasons that keep building up your bad mood. In some cases, all you need to do is wait a few minutes and your bad mood will just dissipate. However, if things start looking dark, there are a few different ways you can try to distract yourself and lift your mood.
1. Wired? Try A Brain Booster
Try a supplement to help improve your brain function. Supplements that contain L-theanine, a mix of vitamin Bs, brahmi and a stimulant such as guarana or coffee help your brain in several ways. You can improve your memory, cognitive function, stabilize your moods, and feel relaxed. The amino acid L-theanine is also found in green tea, and it has natural calming effects on the brain while boosting your serotonin. A heightened amount of serotonin in your brain helps you feel happy. Expect effects to come into effect within 15-20 minutes after taking the supplement. If you need help finding the best supplement with the best ingredients, you can look at Authority Health to read reviews of different brands.
2. Take A Nap
If you’re in a sour mood, there is not much other people can do for you to help you feel better. Instead, rely on yourself and go to sleep for a quick 20-30 minute nap. Sleep deprivation can lead to irritability, so if you find yourself becoming irrationally angry, it may be due to your lack of sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a quick nap no longer than half an hour improves your mood and helps you feel more awake afterwards. If you nap for longer, you may drift into REM sleep, which may affect your sleep/wake cycle and be detrimental to your nighttime sleep. So, set your alarm, and you’ll be able to wake up feeling rejuvenated.
3. Eat Chocolate
Jumping on the pro-chocolate bandwagon, we want to point out that chocolate has shown to improve your mood and push away anxiety and depression. Eating something sweet boosts serotonin in your brain, helping you feel content. Dark chocolate especially showed the highest effects in different studies, along with the benefit of high antioxidant content, which supports healthy cells. Some studies have shown that the flavanols in chocolate are the reason for improving a person’s mood. Flavanols are more commonly found in fresh fruit and vegetables, and are used in your body to improve your overall health.
4. Take A Walk In Nature
In general, exercise releases endorphins in your brain, helping you feel energized while lifting your mood. Going for a run, swimming, biking – anything that will get you moving will help you feel much better. Light walking also counts as exercise, since you are moving your body and using your muscles. In addition, a study found that people who walk in nature feel more calm than those walking in urban areas. If you feel your mind racing and are unable to defeat the mounting stress, you can immediately relax and feel joy from your peaceful green surroundings.
5. Pet A Puppy
If you’re under a lot of pressure, you are more in tune to movement and your sense of touch. Petting a dog lowers your blood pressure almost immediately, dissipating any of your worries. Even people with high blood pressure who adopted dogs showed a healthy decline in their blood pressure after five months. You can learn a lot from your pet; playing with an animal raises your serotonin levels as well as dopamine, the perfect combination of happiness and relaxation. If you’re feeling alone in the world, having a pet nearby can erase any of those feelings by offering their companionship. The carefree, live-in-the-moment lives they lead are an inspiration to how you should be living yours.
6. Turn On The Radio
Listening to music and feeling the beat can lift any bad mood. Creating or listening to music by playing an instrument or singing can release a creative block you may have had. Music helps you feel lighter and turns your mind from dark, heavy thoughts to a lighthearted focus.
7. Hug A Loved One
Along the same lines of petting an animal, getting a nice embrace from a friend can greatly change your mood. You feel supported and loved; hugs can release any tension you may be carrying with you. There was even a study that showed that men who were more affectionate and who hugged other people more often were much happier than men who had less personal contact with others. Also, being around people who you love releases the hormone oxytocin, which also helps improve your mood.
8. Go For A Run
Exercise, as we mentioned before, is a great stress reliever and basically makes everything better. You can push negative and destructive thoughts out of your mind and leave them in the dust as you pump your muscles. Any kind of exercise, as long as you elevate your heart rate, can improve your mood. Exercise can also boost your self-esteem and assist in weight loss, which is great for your overall health. Feeling good about your body can make you feel great – think about how miserable you were the last time you had a bad hair day! Just make sure not to go too hard and tire yourself out, because that could drop you back down into a bad mood.
9. Plant Flowers Or Create Flower Arrangements
Getting fresh air isn’t just a made-up thing that your mom said to get you out of the house. Being outside around growing things definitely help your mood. Plants purify our air, provide great decorations with their bright colours, and also boost your mood. While looking at flowers may do all this, planting flowers can stimulate your creative vibes. Working with your hands and fulfilling a task can help you feel fulfilled when creating flower arrangements too.
10. Break The Rules
Finally, the most surprising suggestion we have to help you feel better is to break the rules. A quick way to feel exhilarated is to do something against the rules, but obviously make sure whatever you’re doing isn’t life threatening to you or others. Using the same logic as exercise, you can get your heart racing out of anticipation when you’re doing something you know you shouldn’t. So, explore your limits and then give them a push. Take a break from work. Go skydiving. Do silly pranks on your friends. Don’t let fear hold you back, as hesitation and inaction just exacerbate anxiety. A great way to release pent-up feelings is to be a little naughty from time to time too.
