How to Get Over a Bad Mood

I was in no mood for joy this morning when I started writing this post. I'd just spent twenty minutes in telephone hell, listening to one recording after another, trying to find an actual customer service representative at one of the long distance phone companies. By the time I hung up, I was convinced I was experiencing the final decline of western civilization.

Gradually, as the smoke stopped coming out of my ears, I remembered a certain page that used to appear on my web site -- a discussion board with a post called Finding Fifteen Things a Day to Be Joyful About. So I took an unlikely moment to consider mine. And as I did the smoke cleared, my mood shifted, and life was good again. It really was as simple as that.

On this thread, people listed fifteen things that bring them joy. Some of my favorites:

"A walk in the rain on this lazy Sunday."
"Sitting in my pajamas on the kitchen floor with my three year old grandson, eating spoonfuls of peanut butter before breakfast."
"The moss on a tree outside my window."
"The energy I received walking around the strip in Vegas on a Sunday morning."
"Being in bed, getting ready to fall asleep, and having my cat curl up on my belly and purr like a diesel engine."
"The dancing smiles of friends."
"That my neighbor is an 88 year old woman who grows a garden all year long, and does her own yard work."

There is something almost hypnotic about reading what makes others joyful, yet listing them for yourself is even more powerful. It's remarkably soothing.

No matter how sophisticated we think our brains may be, they don't seem capable of holding both tormented, anxious thoughts and happy thoughts at the same time. So by stopping for a moment, and forcing yourself to think about what makes you happy in life, you get a profound perspective shift. Suddenly, the telephone desert you wandered in only a few minutes earlier is gone, and you're back making brownies in the kitchen with a child, each of you licking a beater. I can't emphasize enough what a powerful tonic this is for healing the furious, fed up, frustrated, or just plain downtrodden soul.

Drop me a quick list of your top three right now - just hit the Comments button below. I'll post mine here tomorrow.

Tags: Self-motivation, living your dreams, joy, happiness

Comments

[Christine]

1. My 7 month old son who gave me his first kiss this morning.

2. The pink cheeks and curly black hair of my sleeping 4 year old daughter.

3. The worn patina of my husbands wedding band on his big paw as it rises and falls with his breathing while he sleeps.

[Eveline]

1. Bengal Spice tea
2. Bird songs in the morning, preferably a Saturday morning when hubby and I can snuggle in bed.
3. Watching movies with my boys.

[Marcia Francois]

1. Curling up with a good book in lovely cold weather with a nice hot mug of tea
2. When I'm helping someone discover their passion and they GET IT - there is nothing like that feeling of pure joy
3. The smell of bread

[Jean]

1. Working at the ceramic studio where I rent space to make art! (I finally made a commitment to feed my inner artist!)

2. Hearing my teenage daughter tell me that I'm doing a really good job being a mom!

3. The excitement of looking at colleges for my daughter, and finding one that makes her heart sing!

[Sunny]

1. Seeing the sun filter through the mini-blinds as I wake up naturally at 5:40 this morning.

2. The sounds of birds outside my window in the still as I write drinking a cup of hot tea.

3. Watching the green shoots rise up from the soil where they were planted 10 days ago and admiring how life goes on. :-)

[Karen]

1. Hearing my children laugh.
2. Watching my husband and boys wrestling on the floor - my 18 month old always seems to win!
3. Colour - anything vibrant makes my heart sing.

[Marie]

Here's my top three:

1) Listening to music
2) Singing
3) A walk in the countryside

[Paula Manning-Lewis]

1. Sunday mornings sitting in bed, drinking coffee and talking about future dreams with my husband.
2. Putting the finishing touches on a new painting and feeling that sense of accomplishment for a job well done.
3. Getting hugs from my teenage sons without having to ask!