Getting out a funk is easier than you think.
Do you notice sometimes that you wake up feeling slightly off, hold on to anger after a fight, or can’t seem to shake a feeling that a situation has left you with?
When we aren’t able to release an intense emotion we have just experienced, often we carry it with us throughout our day, reliving the situation or event that caused it by talking or thinking about it every chance we get. In doing so we are recreating the trigger and keeping ourselves in a perpetual loop of feeling bad.
In order to get out of this loop, we need to be aware that we are doing it. Once we can catch ourselves in the act of perpetuating the so called ‘bad’ feeling, we have the opportunity to change it.
Here are 3 easy ways to instantly lift your mood when you notice you’re not feeling your best.
1. Get Present
You are at peace when you are in the present moment, however how often are you in the present moment?
Many times we project ourselves into the past or the future, two places that don’t physically exist. We experience pain in both of these places because we are reliving things that happened to us or are worrying about things that might happen to us. Either way, we can’t control or change the outcome.
Staying in the past and holding on to the emotions of what we just experienced is how we think we can process things, and yes, by talking about them it makes it easier to let go, but a lot of the times we want to stay in victim mode and tell everyone about the pain we are experiencing or how we were done wrong, and we stay in the emotional state that is bringing us the very pain we are trying to release.
By getting present and acknowledging that what happened, happened, then you can bring yourself back into the moment and check in with how you really feel. Often we can bring ourselves to a place where we think “yes, in this present moment I am ok. I am alive, I am breathing, and I am not in any immediate danger. I am ok.”
By recognizing this simple fact, you can bring yourself into the moment and obtain a sense of relief. Taking a few deep breaths can also help to center and ground you so you have the ability to think and respond from a place of clarity and peace.
2. Journal
Sometimes just getting our feelings down on paper helps take them out of our bodies. A stream of consciousness (aka free write) is a great way to untangle all the thoughts and emotions that might be raging a mile a minute after we experience something intensely emotional.
By writing down what we feel we give our mind a chance to calm down. Thoughts and emotions need somewhere to go, and if they’re not addressed, the energy gets stuck. Writing is one way to release this energy as well as allowing your mind the space it needs to process instead of remembering the details of the experience or the nuances of what you feel.
Frequently as you write you find solutions or nuggets of wisdom (as there is always a message in the mess) that will help you release some of the undesirable emotions you are feeling.
Writing without judgment or a plan to reread the pages can offer immediate relief as it’s better to get things out rather than keep them in. If the situation is very charged you can always burn the paper to fully release what you’ve been holding on to.
And here’s a bonus: When you write, find things to be grateful for in the situation. It’s challenging sometimes if the situation is painful, but you can always be grateful that you are not the person who lashed out. People lash out at others because they are experiencing pain themselves, and you can send that person love and compassion for what they must be going through.
Gratitude is a superpower that will instantly lift you up, guaranteed, every time. You cannot feel the high vibe of appreciation and the lower vibrations of anger, fear, shame, guilt, or worry at the same time.
3. Move Your Body
Movement will lift your spirits almost immediately after you begin. Moving your body allows energy to flow, thus helping to release that which is stuck or being held in.
Dance, exercise, take a walk, or even do some housework. This is enough to get the energy in motion. Anything that you can do to get your blood pumping counts.
By moving you are releasing endorphins that help improve your mood. Ever notice how you feel after a good workout? There’s a thing called “runner’s high” that gives you a sense of euphoria after an intense session as chemicals are released into the brain and body during physical activity.
Because of these endorphins being released, you feel good. And it’s impossible to feel good and bad at the same time.
So no matter what you may have been through in the day, or even in your life, know that these feelings are temporary and can be changed. It is your choice to hold on or move on, and you have the power to be in control of how you feel at any given moment in time.