I’m sure we all have those mornings where we wake up feeling a little less. A little less motivated, a little less confident, a little less happy. And in my opinion that’s perfectly normal! But what happens when one morning turns into two mornings which turns into three? What happens if before you realize it, you’re in that same negative mood for a week? A month? What about longer?
It may sound crazy to some, but I know people who have had seasons in their lives where the negative mood outweighs the good. Where it can feel hard or defeating to try to get out of that mindset, myself included. And the longer that negative mood stays, the harder it is to get rid of it. So I tried to think about how I could get myself out of that negative funk before it lasts too long and gets harder to get out of.
And this is what I came up with!
Reset
Sometimes when I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it can lead to a negative mood that I just don’t know how to get myself out of sometimes. So when I can, I try to catch it and allow myself some space and time. This doesn’t have to be meditating, even though I’ve heard that does wonders for people. It can be as simple as staying exactly where you’re at, closing your eyes, and doing one or a few simple exercises.
One I work on is finding and focusing on my breath. In through my nose, out through my mouth. Over and over for a few minutes. This allows me to reset, to turn my energy and attention over to something that is beneficial to me. Once I feel that my mind has had some time to cool down and reset, I’ll slowly start to address what was making me feel stressed or overwhelmed to begin with.
Distract
Another thing I’ll do when my stress or overwhelm is too much to handle with a breathing exercise is distract myself. I know this method isn’t necessarily the smartest because when we only distract ourselves, things don’t get better. But that’s not why I do it. I know that I will have to handle whatever caused the stress or overwhelm to begin with. But this gives me a minute to separate myself from the problem which most of the time allows me to realize that it’s not actually as bad as I thought.
Just taking some time to do something I enjoy like going for a walk, watching a movie, or spending time with friends and loved ones can help take my mind off the problem (briefly) so that I can come back to it with a different mindset and handle it better. When I let myself be distracted by something positive, it’s easier to use that positive frame of mind to address the problem that I wouldn’t have been able to address with a ‘woe-is-me’ frame of mind.
Help Others
One of the ways that I would’ve never thought could help me solve my problems is helping others solve their problems. I know it seems like weird logic, but when I am trying to help others with something that is causing them stress or overwhelm, it helps alleviate my stress and overwhelm. Sometimes it helps me to realize my position and how it’s not as bad as it would be if I were in the other person’s position.
Plus, studies have shown that there is a connection between generosity and happiness in the brain. By helping others realize how strong and capable they are, it helps us remember how strong and capable we truly are. A friendly reminder to a loved one of how much they’ve been through can sometimes be the perfect reminder of how much we’ve been through. And helping others navigate emotional situations can help us practice regulating our own emotions to be better equipped to handle them next time.
No Secrets Here
Although it may seem like some people are just better at handling highly emotional or stressful situations, they most likely just have more practice. And there’s no secret to how to get better at it, just practice. Practice breathing and finding ways to reset your frame of mind. Practice taking some time away from the situation so you can come back ready to tackle what you couldn’t before. And practice helping others so that you’ll be better equipped to handle yours down the road.
What about you? Is there something that you do to help yourself get out of a negative mood and turn a bad situation around? Share in the comments below! You never know, this could be the place where you can help others with their stressful situations! And if you’re looking for more ways to navigate difficult situations, check out ETM’s blog here.
As always, thank you so very much for being a part of ETM’s community of Mommas! I encourage you to join discussions, interact with Mommas alike, and be unapologetically yourself! Until next time, I hope I’m able to help make your life as simple as could be. (:
With all my love, Brandolyn – Earth To Momma
