Are you having a day? Do you wish you could get back in bed and start your morning over again? For what it's worth, you're not alone in this. Bad days (or weeks, or months) might just be the most universal experience out there, and they straight-up suck. Maybe you're in a mood because you got a poor night of sleep, were passed over for a huge promotion, or got ghosted by a guy you actually liked. But, no matter the situation, there's always a way to improve your mood.
It comes down to a few key things: What you're thinking, the words you're saying, how you're sitting, and whether you have time to take a quick break. If you make these super-small tweaks, you'll feel happier and calmer in no time. And, in case you forgot, happiness is contagious. Surrounding yourself with cheerful people will likely lift your spirits, which means you'll probably lift theirs, too!
In collaboration with BIC® Soleil Shine™'s Make Your Own Sun campaign, we're going to show you how to manipulate these key points so that you can mind-control your way back into a good mood and even regain control of the worst circumstances. (We swear.) Turning a bad day around has never been easier.
Adjust Your Body Language
Something as simple as sitting up a little straighter can boost your mood. "Emotion is created by motion, not the other way around," explains Julie Holmes, a certified life coach in NYC. If you stand in a victory pose for as little as two minutes, it increases your testosterone by 20 percent, therefore boosting your mood." Put your shoulders back, keep your head up, and maybe even muster a smile. It's easy and effective.
Get Into Gratitude
Your bad day turned into a bad week — and it's tempting to go down the pessimist's rabbit hole and expect the rest of your month to suck, too. "Are you focused on everything that has or could go wrong? If you're in a really bad circumstance, try not to focus on the negative," Holmes advises. "Tell yourself that this too shall pass and focus on the great things that can and will happen in the future." And if you concentrate on the things that have gone right, you might realize you're having a pretty good day after all. Mind over matter!
Take a Nap
Okay, okay. To be fair, if we had the chance to take a nap at work, we'd probably have taken advantage of that #blessing by now. But just taking a break from your desk — or wherever you happen to be — can be enough to improve your mindset. "Even excusing yourself for five minutes to focus on what's really important in life, meditate, or simply change your perspective on a situation can be enough to turn your day around," says Holmes. By removing yourself from your immediate circumstances, you're also removing yourself from the negative feelings attached to them.
Use the Right Words
Who knew those 8th-grade vocab quizzes would come in so handy? "The words you use can have a massive effect on how you feel," says Holmes. "For example, if you say that you feel 'infuriated', it's going to have a more intense effect on your body and emotional state than if you say that you're 'annoyed'." We tend to use the same words over and over to describe emotions — and when you're in a slump, they won't do much besides keep you there. Holmes suggests eliminating the most negative words from your conversations and replacing them with less dramatic ones.
Shift Your Perspective
This is probably the oldest piece of advice ever — and it still holds. "It's all about your perspective," says Holmes. "Everything happens for a reason, and every mistake is a lesson learned." Since your own reaction is the only thing you really have control over, you might as well use it to your benefit. Take a minute to choose how you think, feel, and want to act. It might not get your boss to change her mind and give you that raise, but it'll give you the tools you need to move on and improve — and snag it next time.
This article is sponsored by BIC® Soleil Shine™.
Photo credit: Ian Schneider/Unsplash; Julia Caesar/Unsplash; Ariana Prestes/Unsplash; Aral Tasher/Unsplash Romain Vignes/Unsplash; Morgan Sessions/Unsplash
