6 Easy Ways to Shake Off a Bad Day

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How many times have you been stuck in a funk all day? Maybe your morning got off to a bad start, and you never really managed to turn that around. Perhaps you had a fight with someone during the afternoon, and your irritable mood persisted long after the actual argument had ended. You may have even simply woken up on the wrong side of the bed. Whatever the reason, you have been having a terrible day. You want to turn your mood around, but the things that originally ruined your day simply will not leave you alone.

Shaking off the sort of bad mood that is determined to cling to you is not easy. Simply putting the argument, bad morning or other irritation out of your mind simply is not enough. You are neither happy nor friendly, and even though you try to let go of your bad mood, it insists on sticking around. When that happens, you need to do more than simply let go of whatever bothered you. You need to purge yourself of the emotional impact of the entire day. Here are six easy ways to shake off a bad day and get back in a good mood.

Find a Laugh

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Most people have heard that laughter is good for the soul. It is good for clearing away the clouds of a bad day as well. If you are unable to shake off a terrible mood, find something that is guaranteed to make you laugh. You could watch an episode of your favorite comedy show or reread some of your favorite jokes. If you are short on time, take five minutes to watch YouTube’s funniest vines or pull up a hilarious picture of your sister on your phone. It is almost impossible to stay unhappy if you are laughing, so take advantage of that fact. Keep a few funny pictures, jokes or videos on your phone for when you are down in the dumps. That way, all you have to do to turn your day around is click through your phone.

Hit the Do-Over Button

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Athletes who have a bad start to a game or competition often have ways to give themselves a mental fresh start. A swimmer may change their swim cap, and a baseball player might switch out their socks. A singer might take their hair down during intermission, and an actress might brush their teeth or reapply some part of their make-up. None of these tricks, of course, actually restart the competition or performance. What they do is trick a person’s subconscious into believing that they have a fresh start, and it is always easier to start out on the right foot than to turn a problematic performance around. If you cannot seem to shake off a bad day, use similar tricks. Change your clothes into something less “unlucky.” Brush your teeth and redo your hair. If you have time for it, you can even take a nap in order to have a new “morning” and start the day out correctly this time.

Strap on Your Sneakers

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Exercise is about the closest thing to a cure-all that exists on planet Earth. If you cannot sleep, you should exercise during the day. If you want to take care of your organs and bones, you should exercise. If you want to have more energy during the day, you should exercise. If you want to turn around a bad day, you should, you guessed it, exercise.

It is not unusual for bad moods to cling to a person throughout the day if there is some underlying stress or anxiety bothering the person. If you want to get rid of the bad mood, you need to get rid of the stress or anxiety that is stuck to your mind, and exercise is an excellent stress reliever.

Even if you are not overly stressed, exercise can help you shake off a bad day. Exercising releases endorphins that give you a brief lift in mood and energy. Exercise also gives you a sense of accomplishment that is sometimes sorely needed on a bad day. Even if nothing else goes right, you at least got in a decent workout.

Play Some Tunes

Music can have an amazing impact on your mood. This is the reason that movies, TV shows and other visual media often have music playing in the background. It does more than simply set the stage for a scene. The background music, though often ignored by the audience, heavily affects how the audience interprets and responds to the scene. This is why deleted, unfinished scenes often have so much less of an emotional impact than those that are removed from the final cut of a movie. There is no music in the unfinished scenes.

When you are having a bad day, take advantage of the power that music has to influence your mood. Turn on some high energy tunes to shake off a lingering sense of misery. If you cannot stand the idea of happy music when you are irritable, start out with some slower, sadder songs and transition into happier songs until you have managed to play your misery away.

Go to Your Zen Place

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To get your mind back into a happy state, you might need to clear it first. In that case, meditation may be the way to go. Find a quiet place where you can avoid interruptions. Sit down in a position that allows you to be comfortable without feeling so relaxed that you are in danger of falling asleep. This does not have to be the traditional lotus or half-lotus posture. You could sit with your back against a wall and your legs straight out in front of you or even in a chair if you prefer. Once you are comfortable, take a few minutes to clear you mind. You could do basic mindfulness meditation and focus on your breathing. You could also do a guided meditation or practice a mantra. If you are in a bad mood because you are angry with yourself or someone else, a compassion meditation might be the best thing for you.

Talk to the Man Upstairs

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When you are having a terrible day, sometimes you need a reminder that someone, somewhere is on your side. In that case, prayer might actually be your best choice for shaking off the clinging misery of a dreadful day. If you have the time and space, a long prayer session might be in order. Pray the rosary, do a devotional or meditate on a piece of Scripture. If you are short on time or are unable to find a place that you can guarantee you will be left alone for long enough to do a more in depth prayer session, you can still do something quickly. Even a small, quick prayer can be enough to help you stand a little straighter. Say a quick prayer in the breakroom, bow your head at your desk or say a prayer for each piece of laundry that you fold. A prayer session to turn a bad day around does not have to be anything fancy. You simply need to remind yourself that there is someone on your side at all times and that you can give whatever burdens you up to God. This will help you feel less alone when facing the remaining challenges of your day and can take a weight off your shoulders since you no longer have to feel like you are carrying everything on your own.