How to Improve Your Mood

As human beings, our emotions have always been essential to our survival. We are wired to feel things like joy, sadness, and fear. Fear activates us to flee a dangerous situation. Sadness can show us when we need closeness and comfort. A flood of anger may provide the courage to stand up for ourselves. Our moods are an invaluable source of information, letting us know what we need and motivating us to take action.

Our feelings naturally fluctuate throughout the day and are deeply connected to our thoughts and physical states. Feelings can serve as a source of great inspiration and rich information. We may be motivated to work hard for the surge of satisfaction that comes from learning something or getting closer to a long-term goal. Sometimes, though, our feelings can seem like enormous obstacles that create confusion, cloud our judgment, and get in the way of our goals. Understanding our feelings and how to respond to them effectively is crucial to our well-being.

But let’s face it: knowing that feelings are important is one thing, and actually feeling them is another! They can be uncomfortable, difficult, and intense—that’s why we often try to deal with strong emotions by ignoring them. Consistently avoiding one’s feelings may bring short-term relief, but it can actually cause a mood to intensify and become overwhelming. It also means missing out on the important information they have to offer.

Working through Difficult Moods

Often our feelings seem like they will last forever, but in reality they are always changing. It can be helpful to think of our feelings as waves that ebb and flow. By learning to skillfully ride those waves, we can navigate through life with greater ease.

Strategy 1: Acceptance

It’s a well-established approach: the first step toward change is awareness. Begin to notice when your feelings change or intensify. Try to experience them and ride the wave. Just noticing your feelings and accepting them as “normal” can make them easier to manage. Yet sometimes emotions are so intense that simply noticing and experiencing them is not enough. In these moments, you may need more concrete tools to help manage your moods.

Strategy 2: Tend to the Basics

Sleepiness or hunger can intensify one’s feelings. One of the first steps in learning to manage your moods is identifying and addressing these details. Ask yourself some questions:

S: Substances: Are alcohol, drugs, or caffeine impacting my mood?
H: Hunger: Has it been too long since my last healthy meal or snack?
I: Inactivity: Would exercising help to relieve some tension?
F: Fatigue: Do I need rest before I can think clearly about this?
T: Taken Ill: Am I feeling physically sick?

If any of these factors is out of balance, your capacity to cope may be diminished. You can use the acronym SHIFT to remember these on the go. If you’ve addressed them, but you continue to struggle with an intense emotion, move on to the following strategies.

Strategy 3: Regulate Your Body

Your body and mind are connected. That means you can use bodily sensations to reduce the intensity of your emotions and ride the wave back down. Here are a few to try:

5-4-3-2-1: Take a moment to list (aloud or silently) five things you see, four things you touch, three things you hear, two things you taste, and one thing you smell.
Sensory Stimulation: 1) Touch different objects around you, noticing their texture, color, weight, and temperature; 2) take a cold shower; 3) massage your neck, scalp, legs, or feet.
Breathing: Take a deep breath and stretch.
Music: Listen to a guided relaxation audio track or soothing song.

When you reduce intense emotions by even a small degree, it’s a reminder that you can ride the wave of your emotions. As you learn to work with those feelings, your emotions transform from an obstacle into an incredible resource for personal growth and self-awareness.