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				How to Beat a Bad Mood By Becky Sweat Everyone faces frustrating and irritating situations from time to time. We don't have to pretend they're fun. But we also don't have to -- and shouldn't -- let these things get to us. ou sleep through your alarm clock, and wake up five minutes before you need to leave for work. Even though you slept in, you're dead tired because your neighbors kept you up until 3 a.m. with their fighting. When you see gray storm clouds and drizzle outside for the umpteenth day in a row, you don't feel any better. The commute to work is 30 minutes longer than normal, due to the rain and a major wreck that brings traffic to a standstill. When you arrive at work, the first thing you do when you reach your cubicle is turn on your computer. You immediately hear a strange grinding sound emanating from it. Your hard drive has crashed ... and you haven't backed up any of your work from the last week. At that moment, one of your coworkers walks by your cubicle and, in her ever-perky demeanor, demands you smile. But you feel like snarling, not smiling. Sound familiar? Probably most people find themselves a victim of the "grumps," at least every now and then. Gloomy weather, a run-in with your boss or a coworker, not feeling well, receiving bad news, encounters with rude drivers on the road, an overloaded schedule, pressures at work, tension at home, misunderstandings with friends -- any of these can set off a bad mood. On those days, you don't feel like smiling. You've had one thing after another go wrong and it's really starting to get to you. If anyone even looks at you funny, you're ready to tell him or her off. But you don't HAVE to get in a bad mood. In fact, it's vitally important to God that we get our attitudes and emotions under control. The Bible tells us, "For as [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). Your thoughts determine your actions, and what kind of person you are. If you allow yourself to get in a bad mood and that happens over and over again, moodiness becomes part of who you are. Certainly, we're all going to face our share of frustrations, disappointments and irritations in life. We don't have to pretend they're fun. But we also don't have to -- and shouldn't -- let these things get to us. In other words, while you cannot control what other people do to you or prevent life's "lemons" from coming your way, you do have complete control over how you react to situations. Here are 10 ways you can break the grip of a bad mood: 1. Take time to pray It's vitally important to spend some time with the One who is able to help -- everyday, and especially when your attitude isn't what it should be. Sometimes we shortchange our prayer time when we need it the most. Maybe we're running late for work and are pressed for time, or we're feeling under the weather and don't feel motivated to do much of anything. So we don't spend a lot of time, if any, that day in prayer. No wonder we find ourselves getting cranky! If we only took the time to pray, we would certainly be in a much better frame of mind. It's vitally important to spend some time with the One who is able to help -- everyday, and especially when your attitude isn't what it should be. James 4:8 says, to "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." That is the number one step to dealing with any kind of difficulty. Ask God to help you to shake your bad mood, and to not be bothered by other people or situations that are out of your control or that don't really matter in the long run. Ask God to help you do what you can to remedy whatever situation has you upset, and then trust Him to do the rest. 2. Hit the gym You also need to address your physical condition. Exercise is one of the best ways to end a bad mood. Physical activity releases serotonin and endorphins (the body's pleasure chemicals), which lift your spirits. Brisk walking, jogging, swimming, tread milling, bicycling, aerobics and tennis are all good tension reducers. Physical activity is also a good distraction, diverting your attention away from whatever has you feeling gloomy. "Moderate exercise is the key here," says Larry Christensen, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Texas A&M University. "You don't want to go out and exercise until you're totally fatigued and exhausted, but you want enough to make you feel energized. You don't want to work yourself so hard that you're totally wiped out because then you'd be counteracting the effect." 3. Get enough sleep If you're not getting enough sleep, you're going to feel irritable and your body is going to feel worn-down. You won't have the physical stamina necessary to face day-to-day challenges. Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, depending on their level of physical activity. "If you don't get enough sleep, you're going to be much more pessimistic and fatigued, and you won't have the patience to deal with problems," Christensen says. "When you get a good night's sleep, you're going to feel like you can handle whatever comes at you, and you'll be a lot more energetic and optimistic." (Now if you're feeling edgy because you're tired and haven't been able to sleep due to noisy neighbors, that is another challenge all in itself!) 4. Watch your diet The temptation when you're having a really rough day may be to treat yourself to a hot fudge sundae, but don't. "A lot of people, when they start feeling bad, instantly go for sugary junk food, which may give them a temporary lift, but then their energy level drops to a lower level than it was before," Christensen says. That is why it is important to stay away from refined sugar when you are down." Colas, coffee drinks, and chocolate all contain caffeine, and should be avoided as well. "Caffeine is a stimulant, and can cause irritability and nervousness -- which is the absolute last thing you need when you're feeling cranky or irked about something," he says. Eating well-balanced meals is always your best bet. Proper nourishment will help you feel better, and give you a more positive mindset. 5. Talk things out Talking things out with a discreet and trusted friend can also be helpful. A friend may not give expert advice, but you may figure out the answer for yourself just by talking things through. Often you just need someone else to listen as you sort out your feelings. But talking it out doesn't mean complaining. "If you go around talking about your situation to all your friends, one after another, moaning and groaning and saying 'Oh, woe is me; isn't my life terrible?' without trying to do anything to get yourself out of the situation, that kind of talk will only make you feel worse," says Jacqueline Persons, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of California at Berkeley, and one of the nation's leading researchers into mood and anxiety disorders. As you talk things out, she suggests you put yourself in problem-solving mode. Try to figure out what you can do to improve your situation. 6. Don't blow frustrations out of proportion Some of the things that bug us the most -- being waited on by a grouchy salesperson, another driver cutting you off or beating you to a parking space, waiting in long lines, a "bad hair" day, receiving poor service at a restaurant -- are really not big deals at all when you look at the big picture. You need to ask yourself, "How important will this be a few weeks or months from now?" Chances are, it won't be a major issue then. Truly, what has you super-irritated at present may not even be a problem once you put things in perspective. That being the case, there's no reason to let it get you down. It's really not an issue in the long run. 7. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones If you are trying to look at the bright side in situations you face, you are more likely to take positive action and have a positive mindset that will ultimately make your life happier. Rather than dwell on everything that's wrong, think about all that you have to be grateful for -- your family and friends, your health, the home you live in, your stocked kitchen pantry, your clothes, etc. The Bible tells us to be thankful for the little things. You might make a list of all the good things you have. That includes the knowledge of the Bible and God's way of life. When you start thinking about the good things God has done and is doing, it gets your mind off the negative and onto the positive. Philippians 4:8 admonishes us, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things." Dwell on what's good and virtuous. If you are trying to look at the bright side in situations you face, you are more likely to take positive action and have a positive mindset that will ultimately make your life happier. However, if you focus on the negative, your attitude will reflect the same...and it'll be just about impossible to get over the grumps. 8. Look for the humor There are often humorous aspects to the frustrating situations we all face. I have had more car-related predicaments than I care to admit, but there's almost always been an amusing aspect to each one. Seeing the humor is often just what is needed to face these situations with a positive mindset. Proverbs 15:13 tells us, "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." Okay, I admit I wasn't smiling the exact moment I recently backed into a muddy ditch with my minivan, and I was getting drenched in mud while standing alongside a country road waving for help and wearing high heels. However, about the time the tow truck arrived on the scene, I began to see the humor to the whole situation, and that helped me put on a constructive attitude. Telling the story to others has made them laugh, too. 9. Act the right part It may sound too good to be true, but acting happy can actually make you feel happy when you're not. According to psychologists, if you change your behavior, your emotions will gradually go in the same direction. "People will sometimes tell me things like, 'I don't feel like going to the church social. I won't enjoy it,' but if they manage to get their body out the door and go to it, they usually end up enjoying themselves and they start feeling better," Persons says. The temptation when you're having a really rough day may be to treat yourself to a hot fudge sundae, but don't. Do the things a happy person would do. Put yourself in a cheerful environment. Open the curtains and let some sunshine in. Listen to some upbeat music. Watch a funny movie or television show. Read the comic section of the newspaper. Get up. Get out. Spend time with some friends who are typically happy and cheerful. If they are laughing and having a good time, it is bound to rub off on you. 10. Do something nice for someone else Do some things to try to make other people happy. Give your elderly neighbor a phone call and ask her how she's doing. Write out a cheerful card to a friend or one of the elderly shut-ins from church. Send a note of encouragement to your child's teacher. Read your children a story, or play their favorite board game with them. Treat a friend to lunch at a restaurant. Pay your spouse a sincere compliment. Bake some cookies for your fellow employees at work. It is amazing how when you get your focus off yourself and try to make someone else happy, you find yourself being cheered up, too. To sum it all up, everyone gets down now and then. However, you don't have to let life's irritations get you down. Have a plan of attack ready for the next time you feel down in the dumps. Take control of a bad mood before it takes control of you. Further reading For more reading, request our free booklet . Copyright 2010 by United Church of God, an International Association All rights reserved.

Related Information:

Other Articles by Becky Sweat
Origin of article "How to Beat a Bad Mood"
Keywords: mood bad mood do good exercise sleep positive thoughts 

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