Do you ever get grumpy or sad for no reason? Wow, I definitely do from time-to-time. I get in these moods where being productive just isn’t possible and the thought of making life happen makes my stomach churn. It can be so hard to get over it and forcing it just seems to make things worse.
This past weekend, I found myself in a bit of a bad mood. It all started when I wasn’t as productive as I had wanted this weekend and spiralled from there. I tried to force it but my body and brain just weren’t interested so instead I did things like watch movies, read a book and “bake” a raw cake (yum!). But by Monday, my case of the blues still hadn’t gone away and I knew I was ready to get past it. My boyfriend was coming home from work after a week away and I wanted to be back to normal and enjoying every moment that we are together. I also wanted to be able to wake up and get back to my old productive self. It was time!
Banish that Bad Mood!
>> Accept It and Go With It
At first I was in denial that I was having a bad couple of days. Instead I was telling myself things like “you are lazy”, “you are unproductive” and “why even bother trying?”. Finally, I realized that I was not doing anything wrong or being a bad person, I was just having a slump. This made things so much easier to deal with. I forgave myself for not being able to work instead of beating myself up and feeling guilty, put on some comfy clothes and went with it.
>> Listen to Your Body
Resisting and trying to force yourself back to normal just doesn’t work. It only makes you feel worse. Instead, trying asking yourself what it is that you need. Do you need a nap? Do you need to write an email? Do you need to do some yoga? Do you need to have ice cream and watch Anchorman? Try to align your actions with what it feels like your body is telling you to do. For me it was to not think about business at all and just relax with veggie sticks, crackers and dip while watching funny movies. Also, listen for the source of your bad mood. What is causing it? What flares it up? Things flaring it up for me were my computer and cell phone. This told me that I was putting too much pressure on myself lately and just needed to veg out. Listen and you might hear something good.
>> Check In With Yourself and Be REAL
Yesterday I had a check-in with myself and decided that it was time to return to society. You can check-in by meditating, chatting with a friend and being honest or just feeling the push and going for it. Don’t let yourself slump for too long, because you can fall into the rabbit hole and have a hard time getting out (even though it can be so comfy in that rabbit hole!) Instead, I was feeling deep down that my body was ready to move and I know that healing my thoughts starts with moving my body. Something inside me got me movin’ again. When it’s right, you will feel it! But it’s important to listen.
>> MOVE, Breathe, Affirm and be in nature!
If there is one thing I have learned through all of my work on myself, it is that moving your body and being in nature changes your mood profoundly. My thoughts were still needing some healing, but I got my shoes on and went for a walk. I walked for 2 hours and it was amazing – just me and my thoughts. At the beginning, my inner resistance was chattering way too much, so I chanted an affirmation (“I invite change and I think healing thoughts“) in my head to quiet it and invite new, happy thoughts and breathed deeeeeeply. It worked a treat! By the second hour I was feeling SO much better and so grateful that I took the leap to getting myself out the door. Maybe try some yoga in the park, garden or go for a meditative bike ride.
So there it is, I hope these steps help you out on those days when getting things done just feels impossible. Most important, don’t beat yourself up for feeling like that sometimes. We all do. Life is an amazing adventures with ups and downs just like any adventure. So don’t stress, just love yourself for being awesome and beautiful and uniquely you.
Have you started following me on facebook yet? I’ve posted a handy 5th step for banishing a bad mood up there ;) Like my page for updates and great tips and inspiration not on the blog! <3
This is a great post! I can totally relate to this, I felt crumby then I was beating myself up on this because I was assuming what I was doing was bad. You have so helped to reshape the way I was thinking, thank you! x
So glad it helped! I do exactly the same thing so don’t worry, you’re not the only one :) Always good to have some strategies for dealing with things like that. Xo