{"id":58790,"date":"2018-07-31T19:09:07","date_gmt":"2018-08-01T03:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=58790"},"modified":"2018-08-03T18:57:42","modified_gmt":"2018-08-04T02:57:42","slug":"7-little-changes-that-will-make-a-big-difference-with-your-mood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/7-little-changes-that-will-make-a-big-difference-with-your-mood\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Little Changes that Will Make a Big Difference with Your Mood"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Picture this: it\u2019s early in the morning. You start waking up slowly. Before you become aware of your physical surroundings, you sort of come back into your body, from the haze of wherever you went while you were sleeping. Perhaps there was a dream that faded behind you \u2013 and you can\u2019t remember details, only that it was not a very good one.<\/p>\n

As you become more and more aware of yourself, your problems start kicking in. It\u2019s not even that they are so pressing\u2026 it\u2019s just that you are used to ruminating about them. Not those particular ones\u2026 just\u2026 problems in general.<\/p>\n

So maybe you think about your boss and the incredible workload that you have. You think about that nasty woman across the desk from you, who seems to be frowning all the time. You cringe when you suddenly get the idea that you have to call your father-in-law to find out when he will do you the honor of receiving you, your children and your spouse for his birthday party\u2026<\/p>\n

You are off and running.<\/p>\n

What kind of day do you think it will be?<\/p>\n

Yeah, I didn\u2019t think you\u2019d say \u201chappy\u201d.<\/p>\n

But you try to make it. You try to push through, you carry these thoughts with you while you get up, brush your teeth, take a shower and get ready for the day.<\/p>\n

Your life force, your \u201csap\u201d, as I call it, is pulsing in your veins though \u2013 a very strong current of well-being, of joy and of happiness. It is so strong, in fact, that you have to make considerable efforts to diminish it and slow it down.<\/p>\n

If you are plagued by anxiety, or even depression, or any other life-sucking current, your moods are not great\u2026 just to state the obvious.<\/p>\n

I was just like that until a few years ago. Drowning in bad moods and unable to shake them off.<\/p>\n

I tried everything I knew\u2026 Reiki, cranio-sacral therapy, talk therapy, massage, energy therapy\u2026 the list is long.<\/p>\n

They all did work. But somehow, my moods had a way of snapping back to \u201cbad\u201d, after the original \u201choneymoon phase\u201d of a new healing modality.<\/p>\n

In the meantime though, with more life experience and two incredible reasons to motivate me to find my way to mental health (my boy and my girl), I found out some solutions that have stuck.<\/p>\n

I would like to share with you seven little changes that will make a big difference in your mood.<\/p>\n

Mood Shifter #1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stretch your mouth into a smile every morning \u2013 even if you don\u2019t really feel it.<\/p>\n

The old \u201cfake it till you make it\u201d thing? Sort of\u2026 It will probably make you mad, at first. You might even cry. And then\u2026 there will come a day when you will start laughing, because it\u2019s \u201cstupid\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mood Shifter #2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make one small healthy change in your diet. Perhaps you can add one piece of fruit, or a veggie that you like. And by one piece I really mean a piece \u2013 in the beginning. It will start flowing into your life, I\u2019m telling you!<\/p>\n

Mood Shifter #3<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do one small thing that AMUSES you, every single day. It doesn\u2019t matter what it is and nobody needs to know. Maybe you like to look at bugs in the garden, like you used to do when you were a child. Just go for it.<\/p>\n

Mood Shifter #4<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cultivate CURIOSITY.<\/p>\n

Even in my darkest hour, there was always, always something that sent a tingle of curiosity down my spine. That is life-giving.<\/p>\n

Perhaps you\u00a0 have an urge to find out who won the World Cup. Or what your heroine in your latest (secret pleasure of a trashy) novel did with that bad boy. Again, don\u2019t judge yourself and nobody needs to know.<\/p>\n

Mood Shifter #5<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make your nights as pleasant as possible.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not saying \u201cget a good night\u2019s sleep\u201d, because if you are having mood problems, chances are you are not sleeping well.<\/p>\n

But you can try to make the best of it \u2013 until the solution arrives.<\/p>\n

If you are tossing and turning, at least try to get yourself a good pillow. Or stop the torment and just watch a movie.<\/p>\n

A good night\u2019s sleep will go a long way to put you in a good mood. And sleepless nights don\u2019t necessarily have to be bad.<\/p>\n

Mood Shifter #6<\/strong><\/p>\n

Connect with people. I am very aware of the fact that some of us are very lonely. Some of us are lonely while being in relationships!<\/p>\n

Good relationships, however, will improve your life more than anything else \u2013 except one thing, which I will write about in #7.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t go for the \u201cbig guns\u201d and don\u2019t try to fix. Just get some \u201cpeople energy\u201d in your system and connect, so you can express your lovely energy with them.<\/p>\n

You might do that with a nice waitress at the restaurant. Or the parking valet. It doesn\u2019t matter that you don\u2019t know them. Connections are powerful.<\/p>\n

Mood Shifter #7<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cultivate self-kindness.<\/p>\n

For a lot of us suffering from bad moods, self-love is a tall order. We know we should do it. But the self-hatred we have is why we are suffering from bad moods to begin with.<\/p>\n

But KINDNESS can be done.<\/p>\n

Pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea. Take yourself for a walk. Gift yourself a movie you\u2019ve been wanting to see. Be a little more patient with yourself \u2013 and a little nicer.<\/p>\n

So now, if I were to ask you \u201cGood morning! What kind of day will this be?\u201d \u2013 what will you say?<\/p>\n

\n

CHRISTINE ELLIS is a former teacher who discovered, after being diagnosed with depression and PTSD, a lasting way to transform her life each and every day: focusing on good feelings. She now writes books and designs online courses about good feelings and feeling good. Christine lives in Brussels, Belgium with her husband, her son, her daughter and some very cute squirrels. All of her stories have a happy ending. She is the author of “The Happiness Switch<\/a>” and can be found at www.findgoodfeelings.wordpress.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Picture this: it\u2019s early in the morning. You start waking up slowly. Before you become aware of your physical surroundings, you sort of come back into your body, from the haze of wherever you went while you were sleeping. 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