34 Ways to Bust a Bad Mood in 10 Minutes or Less

By Laura Newcomer

Bad days happen. A bombed job interview, a broken coffee machine (when you really need coffee), stepping in dog poop on the way to a date—we know, life can sometimes suck. We can’t get rid of a terrible commute or an intolerable co-worker (sorry), but we do have some sweet suggestions for improving a mood regardless.

So You’re Having a Bad Day…

1-Minute Fixes

• Smile. It’s cheesy, but apparently it’s true: The act of smiling really can turn a frown upside down.
• Jump around. Get happy-making endorphins pumping fast with some jumping jacks, jump rope, or random flailing around (hey, no judgment here) Exercise, yoga, and meditation for depressive and anxiety disorders. Saeed, SA, Antonacci, DJ, Bloch, RM. Department of Psychiatric Medicine, The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, North Carolina. American Family Physician, 2010 Apr 15;81(8):981-6..
• Sniff certain scents. Inhaling the scent of orange (or essential orange oil) or lavender can reduce anxiety and improve mood.
• Chew gum. The repetitive action of gnawing on gum can promote relaxation and reduce anxiety and stress Chewing gum alleviates negative mood and reduces cortisol during acute laboratory psychological stress. Scholey, A., Haskell, C., Robertson, B., et al. Physiology & Behavior, 2009 Jun 22;97(3-4):304-12. Epub 2009 Mar 5.
• Ogle (or buy) some flowers. Studies find flowers provide an instant—and lasting—mood boost. Bonus: they can also make us more productive.
• Eat some chocolate. As if we needed a reason other than delicious: Eating chocolate can make us feel happy.
• Visualize your best self. Let’s be honest: None of us are exactly the person we want to be all the time. But imagining our “ideal” selves—calm, confident, movin’ like Jagger—can make us feel better, even when we’ve got miles to go before we get there Become more optimistic by imagining a best possible self: Effects of a two week intervention. Meevissen, Y.M.C., Peters, M.L., & Alberts, H.J.E.M. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 2011; 42, 371-378..
• Expose yourself to green. Color psychologists say green symbolizes happiness—and can create the feeling of it, too. Throw on a green sweater, pick up a green pen, deck yourself out like the most dedicated of Leprechauns, and it’s possible your mood will be over the rainbow.
• Light a candle. We discovered this hands-on at Greatist headquarters: Flickering flames (as long as they’re contained!) can burn away stress and help us feel better all around.

5-Minute Fixes

• Get present. …read more

  Source:: Greatist