Every now and then, we all have bad days. It’s human nature, but a bad day is really only bad if you choose to stay in that frame of mind, barring the occasional disaster or tragedy. As Martha Washington put it, “Our dispositions, not our circumstances, determine a greater portion of our happiness or misery.”
In reality, there are some simple actions that can put a positive spin on things and flip your switch from “ugh” to “awesome.” You can improve your day by doing some of the following.
Read more: 15 Ways to Be Less Sensitive 2022 – The Perfect Ideas
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13 Ways to Get Out of a Funk
The good news is that happiness—or funkiness, as I prefer to refer to it—can be learned. It’s not dependent on external factors or a person’s environment. Only if you choose to continue feeling that way can a bad day (or week, or month) truly be bad. Here are 13 suggestions for overcoming a slump. (The severity of persistently bad moods may be higher. If unfavorable feelings continue or are interfering with your relationships, sleep, or appetite, please consult a doctor.
Create Your Own “de-funk” Playlist
![listen to music](https://www.theperfectideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/listen-to-music.jpg)
Occasionally, all it takes to lift one’s spirits is a funky (the good kind) playlist. For me, it’s my “Caffeine” playlist; for Social Media Editor Abigail, it’s her “Anti-Anxiety League” playlist; and for a killer playlist that we all love, “Dance Party! – The Everygirl!” totally slaps (I’ve heard that’s what the cool kids are saying. A de-funking playlist aims to bring together all the songs that bring back pleasant memories and get you in the mood to dance. When you sense a funk (either the good or the bad kind) coming on, turn on the playlist and dance around the living room, remembering that life isn’t meant to be taken so seriously.
Connect With Friends and Family
You don’t have to forgo the advantages of connecting with the people you love just because you can’t be present in person to do so. Keep up with your social schedule routine (like happy hours or coffee dates with your friends—virtual, of course) by texting friends every day to see how they’re doing. You can also FaceTime with family members or use apps like Houseparty to check in with them.
If you think telling your sister or mother about it will make you feel better, then do it. However, think about using your social connections to improve your happiness. Have a laugh with your BFF, watch a rom-com with your college friends using Netflix Party, or check in on loved ones and hear how they’re doing instead of spending the time talking about yourself.
Make Connections
Try establishing a connection with a real person rather than scrolling through your News Feed. You can improve your mood by conversing with the barista at your neighborhood coffee shop. (Here are a few topics for discussion.) In my workplace, we have a practice of checking in with one another before beginning work. Our meetings become shorter, more fruitful, and more action-oriented when we share something that has inspired us or that we are grateful for during the day. This practice also fosters interpersonal relationships.
Make Someone Else’s Day
The advice that giving to other people helps you is cliché because it’s true. Send your work wife a thank-you note, send your grandma a care package, donate money to a local charity that is in need, send a friend $20 for lunch on you via Venmo, or call your aunt to see how she is doing. Perhaps the quickest way to smile yourself is to consider the big and small ways you can make others smile.
Express Gratitude
Expressing gratitude for what you have led to better health, happiness, relationships, and income, whether you do it in person, on the phone, online, or just in your head. The staff at Café Gratitude, a well-known restaurant in Los Angeles, puts this into practice every day, and as a result, it has one of the highest rates of client and employee satisfaction in the industry.
Daydream
Consider what you might be doing if you were six, ten, or fifteen years old. Find a picture online that perfectly captures it, then sketch it or write it down. You can access a younger version of yourself and return to a period before society reshaped your goals and aspirations. Spend time with children instead, if possible. The freedom and carefree feeling of being young can be experienced simply by spending time with and watching children.
Breathe
Shallow breathing leads to shallow experiences, as one of my yoga instructors once said. Contrarily, deep breathing can help you relax, lower your stress level, and improve your mood. An easy way to get started is by downloading The Mindfulness App, which Healthline called “straightforward and simple.” You might even discover that you need to take mood-calibrating breaths less frequently thanks to the quiet alerts, regular reminders, and customization options that can make breathing a routine part of your day.
Avoid the 4 Cs
Avoiding comparison, competition, criticism, and complaining are the four things you need to do in order to avoid getting into a funk (not to mention office drama). Redirect your focus to something joyful, such as a humorous video, for an instant mood booster, if you notice yourself engaging in one of these unhealthy behaviors. (Just be careful that the humorous video doesn’t direct you to the newest scandalous news or celebrity drama.)
Find a Quiet Space
Find a place where you can relax for a moment or move around to get rid of the bad thoughts and feelings, even if that means hiding out in a bathroom stall.
Take a Walk
Take a stroll or try holding a meeting while walking. Aside from its many health advantages, walking has been proven to have incredible mood-enhancing properties. Sometimes all your mood needs is a quick change of scenery.
There are numerous other strategies that can help you turn a bad day around. Sometimes escaping a bad mood is all about remembering that, as author Regina Brett put it, “Really, nobody has a bad life. Bad moments, not even a bad day.”
A bad day is just one out of your whole life; a bad moment is just a tiny portion of your entire day. You’ll experience fewer bad days and they’ll be less obvious the more positive moments you create.
![Creative](https://www.theperfectideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Creative.jpg)
Be Creative
If you’re feeling low, it’s possible that you have extra energy that you don’t know what to do with. Use that energy to create something. Whether or not you consider yourself a creative person, we all have the ability to “create” something, and creativity can be a meditation that helps boost mood. Try to set aside time each day to indulge your creative side, whether that be through journaling, cooking, dancing, playing the guitar, sketching, or scrapbooking.
However, it’s crucial to avoid putting undue pressure on your work. When faced with perfectionism, step back and take the opposite action. If you enjoy painting but are disappointed that your fruit bowl doesn’t look realistic, for instance, create an abstract piece of art that doesn’t have to resemble anything. It will give you perspective and remind you that you’re creating to get yourself out of a funk, not put you back in one with feelings of inadequacy or perfectionism.
Be OK With Feeling “OK”
Not only do we feel bad during the grieving process, but we also feel bad because we don’t like feeling bad. Our brains have been wired to believe that we’re not supposed to feel bad, instead of knowing it’s OK to not feel our best sometimes. Any significant change in your life or the world can make you feel depressed.
It’s acceptable to grieve, whether you’re grieving the trip, wedding, or another significant event you were anticipating or simply the daily routine you were used to, such as happy hour with your friends, working at the office, or going to the gym. Be aware that even though they are unpleasant, negative emotions are normal for people. Allow yourself to experience loss, take the time you need to rest and heal, and then get back up and decide to be happy.
Focus on Yourself
Stop focusing on external circumstances and start turning your attention inward if you’re feeling down because you’re stuck in bad circumstances. Even though it might seem self-centered in the face of all the hardships, putting your needs first will make you feel better and enable you to help others and spread happiness. Concentrating on oneself is perhaps the most selfless action you can take.
Pay attention to what you really need. Do you need to feel accomplished and organize your closet before you can feel better, or do you need to rest and recover first? Do you need a meal that makes you feel like a kid again, or do you need nourishing whole grains and fresh vegetables to feel your best? Prioritize your happiness above all else, and base each choice on how much joy it will bring you. In no time, you’ll be able to shake that funk.
Final Thoughts: Keep Taking Steps Forward
bad moods are a part of life and completely valid, even if you don’t think there’s a “reason” for it. You can avoid becoming overwhelmed by your uneasy feelings by simply acknowledging them. Keep taking steps forward and don’t lose hope—it may take some time, but know that you will come out on the other side!