Whether something bad happened to you, or you just literally woke up on the wrong side of the bed, it is so important to find ways to elevate your mood. Learning about ways to feel better can make such an impact on your life, once you figure them out. Instead of letting your mood cause for an entire bad day, let’s talk about a mixture of simple and more complex ways to flip on the calm and happy switch.
Anyone else just sometimes wake up and you’re in a bad mood? For literally no reason at all? Many times when I want to truly feel better, I think about what caused me to feel this way in the first place. Maybe I had a bad day yesterday, and it’s still affecting me today. Or maybe I just didn’t sleep the best. But sometimes, I truly just wake up feeling stressed, on edge, sad, pissed, or a little bit of everything.
These moods don’t happen all the time, for me anyways- BUT when they do happen it completely sucks. I usually recognize it pretty quickly and want to do whatever I possibly can to start feeling more myself.
So let’s start feeling better! Let’s dive deep into all the ways to elevate your mood when you’re having a hard time.
This post is all about the mixture of ways to feel better when you’re just simply having a hard day.
Ways To Feel Better
As I am typing this, I actually had a pretty shitty day. How ironic, huh? I’ve learned since becoming a mom, these days happen more than I would like. But it makes sense. Whether you work full time or are a stay at home mom, you just have more responsibilities now. You have way more on your plate than you could have ever imagined pre-mommy era. And over time, it is something you just learn to slowly get used to. But that doesn’t mean you just get over it and don’t experience shitty days. Because you do. You’re human.
how to recharge yourself
Let’s dive right into this topic and talk about some deeper habits that will help you feel better. These habits might not have an instant type of affect on your mood, BUT over time they will have a major impact on your life.
These type of recharging habits might not be appropriate for the situation you are in now. And that’s okay! Maybe you are truly just needing a quick little fix to turn around your day. Or maybe you are actually in a rut and need some serious help (seek a professional if it’s real serious please). For the girls that have been just going through it, this is the section for you.
when’s the last time you saw your friends?
As humans, we are social creatures. We NEED socialization. And if you’re a stay at home mom, chances are you need it more than anyone. I will at times literally make any excuse up to not leave my house. It’s not that I don’t want to be with my friends, I just really love being at home and comfortable. And the more I stay in my comfort zone, the harder it is to get out.
BUT, I am telling you- go see your friends. If you guys don’t live in the same city, plan a trip together. If that’s not possible right now, plan one in the future and FaceTime about it.
meet/talk with new people
You know that feeling when you meet someone for the first time, and it feels refreshing as hell? There is something so amazing about meeting new people that have a different perspective than yours. Don’t get me wrong, it is extremely intimidating and scary. I hate it, but it is truly so amazing at the same time.
I love my family and friends, but sometimes you need to hear a different opinion. Sometimes your close friends are just way too in line with your thinking. Like you guys are just too similar. This is when meeting and talking to new people is extremely beneficial. You get a whole new outlook on whatever is going on, and it may be just the thing you need to start feeling better.
Had a baby and feeling disconnected to your partner? I got you <3
plan a trip
The benefits of traveling is way more than to just get away from work or whatever you are leaving. I recently saw this IG post where it listed all the different benefits of travel. Honestly, I don’t remember everything it listed. But what I do know, is every time I come back from a trip I feel like a whole new person. Whether it’s because of the culture, environment or people- I feel like a brand new woman. And it feels amazing.
lessen your caffeine intake
It’s no secret that caffeine can make you feel a little extra anxious. Now I would never tell anyone to quit their morning cup of coffee or matcha. Whether you’re a mom, student, or lawyer- I don’t care. You probably need some form of caffeine. We all do. And if you’re like me, it is what gets you excited every day. It’s basically like a ritual.
So don’t cut it out completely, but decrease how much you’re drinking. I actually sat back and did the math and realized I was taking in over 300 mg of caffeine some days. Maybe that’s whatever to you, but I am a little over 100 pounds. My body does not need that much.
So figure out how much you are drinking and maybe cut that number in half. Or by 50-100mg. I did this and within like 4 days I noticed a total flip in my mood.
switch up your birth control (or get off it completely)
We are all different. One form of bc might be great for your friend, but it might be shit for you. Get your hormones tested and see if this is the reason you have been feeling off. And honestly, if you can, just get off it in general.
switch up your diet
This is another section that can be super controversial. So I am just going to speak from my own experience with my body. Sugar makes me feel like shit. Alcohol makes me feel like shit. When I am dehydrated I feel like shit. And sadly, too much carbs make me feel like shit. When I am really on my A game with my diet, I eat lots of fruits, vegetables and lean protein. I also prioritize my water. This is when I feel the best. You maybe don’t totally agree because your body is different. It’s okay! Do whatever feels right, but if you recently have been eating like crap- maybe this is just what you and your body need!
are you taking your vitamins?
Sometimes we don’t get everything we need out the food we eat. I always have liked taking a multivitamin. It’s another thing that I don’t actually know if it works, I am just more so trusting that it does. BUT, the one thing that I for sure like to take is a vitamin D supplement. I recently have been using the liquid form from Athletic Greens, but I am sure any is fine. I recently heard that liquid drops work better and faster? Again, I don’t know. It’s just what I’ve been doing lately.
get into a routine
After I had my son, I felt so all over the place. I had no idea what I needed to be doing anymore and was totally off. I was literally in pure survival mode. When I started my new job, same thing. I was so lost and immediately missed my routine.
There are 5 sections of our life. You have: your social life, work/school, me time, sleep, and hobbies. Once you learn your top 3 out of those 5, start figuring out what routine you need to be in, in order to make those things happen.
change up your routine
There are many situations in life where we need to switch things up. Or maybe you need to feel a situation out and then go from there with your new routine. Like I mentioned in the last section, we need to figure out what are top 3 priorities are going to be. And with life, those 3 priorities change. So maybe this is your time to reflect and figure out what needs to change in your day to day.
limit your screen time
I love my phone, and I love my computer. I love social media too. All these things are amazing for me but definitely with balance. If I go straight on my phone as soon as I wake up at 530 AM, my day just feels shot. I definitely allow myself to freely scroll IG during the day, but I have to hold myself accountable with this. So if you are looking for simple ways to feel better, try just limiting your screen time. If you can’t trust yourself, then turn on the screen limit setting.
therapy
Better Help. Yup, that’s it. Just do it. It will truly be the best investment you have ever made.
how to make yourself feel better (quickly)
So maybe your problem isn’t that deep. Maybe you just are literally having a bad day for basically no reason at all. That is exactly what this section is for. Those days that just suck and your mental sort of sucks.
retail therapy
This is my favorite way to make myself happy. Is this the healthiest way to make your day better? No, definitely not. But sometimes this is just what I have to do in order to feel better. Buy some new shoes and move on.
release your steam (safely & appropriately of course)
So like I said, today I had a pretty shitty day. I’m not going to get into it, because if I were to talk about it- it would sound like nothing. This is something I have came to realize since becoming a mom and learning more about myself- things are always so much worse in our heads.
Anyways, today I decided to deal with my crappy day with blowing off some steam. Now this method I highly recommend. This is probably one of my most effective ways to genuinely start feeling better. The problem with this method is it takes major brain power to convince yourself that it will indeed help.
So I had a bad day right, and I just could feel all this built up tension and energy within me. This is typically how I feel when I am in a bad mood. I remember listening to a podcast once that talked about this feeling. And how the best way and most effective way to cure it is by doing some form of cardio to release. I mean I don’t know actually how scientific this claim is, but it makes sense to me.
So I try to remember this idea whenever I am feeling like shit. Today, I went out and mowed our backyard. In the moment, I thought that this would do absolutely nothing for me but make me more tired. I also thought there wasn’t anything that would make me feel better, so what is 30 minutes of mowing my lawn going to do for me?
But yup, I was wrong. It was amazing for me and a total reset for my brain.
get out of your house
I know you so badly want to do Walmart delivery this week, but get out of your house and get some socialization in. You don’t have to get dinner with friends and family to hit your socialization meter. You can still “socialize” by just being out of the house and around other people. And chances are, getting out of your usual space and comfort zone will get you out of your funk.
grab a new book
There are some type of people who just say that they hate to read. And I get it, reading might not be for everyone. BUT I do think some people that say this, just haven’t found their favorite genre yet. Reading is a great way to subtly stimulate your mind, without the lights of a cell phone or computer.
Every time I read it literally is like a movie going off in my head. It instantly distracts me with whatever went on in my crappy day.
find a new youtuber
I love YouTube. Youtube might honestly be my favorite over any other TV app. I love reality TV so it makes sense why I love YouTube. The thing about YouTube is there is something out there for everyone. And once you find someone new that you like, you probably now have over 100 videos to watch.
start cleaning
Cleaning is something that is very pleasing and calming to me. I’m not always in the mood to clean, and I might not be in one when I am in a bad mood. BUT I have found that the distraction helps. And then once I am done, I feel incredibly accomplished AND happy that I now have a clean kitchen.
yoga
For a workout to be successful you don’t have to burn 300 calories by doing cardio. I used to have this thinking when I was younger. Yoga and pilates are both amazing workouts for when your day has been shit. Again, you might try to talk yourself out of it by saying it won’t help. I promise, even just after a 20 minute session you will feel the difference. To get me off my phone and into the yoga zone, I turn on my TV and go to Youtube and watch Yoga With Adriene. She’s amazing and has all sorts of specific yoga sessions.
force yourself to physically write out a list of what you are thankful for
You can’t be in that bad of a mood once you start realizing and writing the things that are actually going well in your life. 😉
get some fresh air
Once I step outside (even if the sun isn’t out) the immediate feeling of the air hitting my skin makes me feel better. It’s literally that instant.
be with nature
Maybe it is just the plant girl in me, but anytime I go out and am around plants, I instantly get happy. I don’t even have to go buy anything. Just looking at plants, at a nursery, is enough for me.
Bad days can be extremely shitty. And it really sucks when they last the ENTIRE day and sometimes into the next day. Try a few of these ideas today and let me know how fast your day & mood has turned around 😉 xxx