Everyone gets into a bad mood now and then. When you’re feeling down, it can seem as though nothing will lift your spirits. But there are little steps you can take to turn your mood around. The next time you feel sad or overwhelmed try one of these ten actions to improve your mood:

1. Take some time to be alone, meditate, and breathe

Sit in a comfortable chair or on the floor with your back straight and your eyes closed. Take two deep breaths, inhaling deeply. Then breathe normally and listen to each inhalation and exhalation. Be sure to notice the still pause between each breath. You can even count your breaths as this will clear your head of nagging thoughts. Try not to focus on the external. If you mind drifts to problems you’re having, or current stresses, simply allow your mind to float back to your breathing. Do this for 10 minutes. By allowing your mind to concentrate and be still, you will that you are completely rejuvenated by the end of the session.

2. Focus on your body language

Poor posture can affect your mood so take a moment to adjust. Why is this? Similar to smiling, our mind and emotions react to what our muscles are portraying to the world. If you smile, even when you’re not feeling particularly happy, your mood will become increasingly more positive. If you’re not feeling confident, try sitting with your shoulders back, straight, as though you are a powerful person. You are powerful. Embrace it. Believe it.

3. Move, stretch, and exercise

Get up and go for a walk or jog around the block. Do jumping jacks or put on a favorite song and just shake out your worries and dance. Simply moving your body will enhance your mood. Do some basic stretches or a sun salutation. Remember to breath. When you are done stretching, lay flat on your back with your arms at your sides and your palms facing upwards. Then mentally scan each part of your body to feel the effects of your stretches.

4. Confront the issue at hand

If a personal relationship is making you feel badly be it at work or at home, take a few minutes and write out exactly what you’re feeling. Cry if you have to…this can be your release. When you are done composing, go back and reread what you wrote. How do you feel? What you might find is that you’re unsure of the crux of the issue in which case a one-on-one chat might be helpful to ask these questions. Come from a place of wanting to understand so that you can make changes rather than putting the other person on the defense.

If you discover through your writing that it’s something the other person has done to hurt you and you are upset because the situation wasn’t handled correctly, think about why? It’s possible that the other person doesn’t even know that they hurt you. It’s also possible that they do know and are embarrassed, so they’re avoiding you altogether. Whatever the case, it’s important to talk about these things. First, forgive the person so that going into the conversation you do not have resentment or a need for revenge. Talk to the other person about how their actions affected you by saying “I feel [fill in the emotion here] when you [fill in action here].” This kind of “I” statement approaches the problem practically without placing blame.

5. Take some “me” time and relax

Sometimes when we are dealing with stresses in our lives we’re more worked up than we need to be. A problem may be small but our imaginations start to grow and fester negative thoughts in an effort to try and make sense of what is happening. When this happens, recognize that you’ve become a bit more negative and step back from the situation. You can take a bath, schedule a spa appointment, paint, read, or anything else that makes you happy and relaxed. It’s important to be alone from time to time uninterrupted. If you’re finding it difficult to get this time in during the day, take 10 minutes in the bathroom to breathe before bed. Why the bathroom? It’s typically personal space and the door usually comes with a lock on it. 🙂

6. Give yourself compliments and ask others for them too

You’ve probably been told in the past that you should wake up and say at least one good thing about yourself before you go to work. It’s true. Personal positive reenforcement helps us to recognize our positive qualities. Some people do them before they get out of bed. For example you might say to yourself, “Today is going to be a great day! I am successful and try my best ever day!”. Others look in the mirror once they are ready to leave and say something like, “Wow! I did an awesome job on my hair today!” or “I have a beautiful smile that welcomes people. I’m going to show it off today”. I know, I know. It sounds cheesy but it works!

The other way to feel more confident is by simply asking for compliments. You’re probably thinking I’m crazy, but imagine this: You’ve been working on a project for work and you’ve finished the presentation in Power Point. Maybe there is a particular slide transition that you find creative or just plain awesome. Instead of keeping the victory to yourself, show someone. Go to your neighbor, friend, or boss and say “Look at how great this slide turned out! I can’t wait to use this in the future. Isn’t it cool?”. More often than not, the other person will respond with “Yeah! That’s awesome! Good job!”. Note: Don’t overuse this tip. If you’re constantly fishing, it becomes socially awkward in group settings, but every now and again when you need a pick me up fish away.

Do you use any of the tips above or have any of your own that you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below.