Who here is guilty of letting one bad moment ruin your whole day? You wake up late for work, don’t do well on a test at school, forget your lunch at home, or get stuck in traffic on the way to an appointment and end up carrying this bad mood with you into the rest of your day. It can seem like one small negative integration causes a domino effect and you’re doomed from the start. Why can’t we let these moments go and move on? There is actually more science behind a bad mood then you probably realize. What triggers a bad mood is different for everyone depending on the level and type of stress in our lives, but the reaction within our bodies is the same. A bad mood causes our body to respond the same way as it does in any other stressful situation – our blood pressure and heart rate rise, our digestion slows, and our adrenaline is pumping as our body prepares to react. This takes up a lot of our energy, which can leave us feeling drained and tired for the rest of the day. Some psychologists believe that we use up all of our will power in an effort to “avoid temptation” during these situations, which drains our cognitive resources. This can leave us feeling more irritable and more likely to respond negatively to future situations. Research studies have even found that being in a bad mood gives you a sense of tunnel vision. When you’re in a good mood, you have a wide field of vision and are more likely to find the positive in your situation versus continuing the negativity. So what can you do to make sure you don’t get stuck in a bad mood funk? Truthfully, doing anything that helps get your mind off the bad moment will help you feel better. Exercising to get those endorphins flowing, listening to your favorite song, journaling about your feelings, and snuggling your pet are some super quick fixes to boosting your mood! Choosing to focus on the good in each situation your find yourself in throughout the day, making an extra effort to smile at someone as you walk by, and doing something nice for someone else can help you remain upbeat and positive. Remember that it’s OKAY to be upset, sad, mad, annoyed, etc.… it’s just not healthy to stay in that place for a long time. By facing your feelings head on and not bottling them up inside, you are able to learn about yourself as a person and continue to grow. There is SO much to be thankful for in life that it would truly be a waste to spend all of our time feeling down. Next time you hit snooze one too many times or you’re sitting in traffic on the way to work, choose to keep your field of vision wide and find something positive to focus on… it may just change your whole day!
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