We all have days, or weeks when small things that never bother us seem to really peeve us off. It might start with lack of sleep the night before, a gloomy day, not getting acknowledged for the crap load of overtime you’ve been doing at work, getting a parking ticket, someone not replying to your text message, an empty toilet roll on the toilet holder…is this sounding familiar??? These things can easily steam roll into a mammoth negative feeling of blah+yuckiness and you’re a little more snappy & crappy than happy.
Here are my top tips to release that grumpy cat scowl.
#1 Vent Better out than in in this case! Talk it out with a friend or write it down. Research shows the action of writing down your problem, scrunching it up and tossing it out triggers the brain to acknowledge that the bad vibes are gone for good.
#2 Tame Your Triggers When certain irritations are repeated enough, they turn into triggers that set us off (even when things aren't so bad). So try to recognise the triggers and emotions that arise - is it despair, anger, overwhelming, frustration or loneliness? Then consciously give it the flick.
#3 Change your Perspective It’s really easy to get caught up in the negative and continue to fester about it, which only sends out bigger negative vibes. STOP and change tracks by asking yourself "Is this worth being in a bad mood for?"
#4 Start Happy Habits Here are my go to happy habits - exercising, drawing, writing, listening to music, following a deep-breathing app.
#5 Create a “Good Vibes board” on Pinterest Choose images that gives you inspiration to really help snap that crappy to happy. Check out my Pinterest page for ideas.
#6 Get Sweaty not Snappy Get some natural endorphins from a moderately intense workout: Fifty minutes of running, cycling, power flow yoga and swimming will crank up the production of your body’s endorphins to boost your mood.
#7 Nourish your Body You may reach for the chocolate, but here are my favourite good mood foods - sweet potatoes, eggs, bananas and quinoa are high in B vitamins which pump up neurotransmitters (serotonin and dopamine) that improve mood. Avocados, fish, walnuts and pumpkin seeds are loaded with omega-3, which have been shown to improve mood and feelings of low self-worth.