3 Tricks I Use To Feel Instantly Happier When My Mood Sucks
Happiness is a fleeting manifestation of your own hard work.
The pursuit of happiness is complicated, messy, and fabulous — sometimes all at once. I believe this is why the concept of “Getting Happy” is being reframed as The Happiness in the Pursuit, rather than The Pursuit of Happiness.
It makes sense, doesn’t it? “Getting happy” isn’t an end goal we reach once we have a beach house, a baby, and a dream job. Like Jen Sincero says, “You don’t just arrive at happiness, crack open a beer, and call it a day.”
Feeling happy is a daily practice, just like eating healthy is a daily practice. It’s a matter of self-discipline, really.
SO! Because we are all on the hunt for ways to feel better in our day-to-day grind, I’m giving you three tricks up my sleeve that work like charms in the realm of feeling cheery on the daily.
Trick #1: I dance.
The afternoon slump is real. Writer’s block is real. And bad moods for no good reason are, you guessed it, real.
When I’m feeling low-energy, uncreative, or foggy, I shut my MacBook, look in the mirror, and dance. A few minutes of shaking my ass and flailing my arms around puts me in a silly mood that does wonders for my productivity for the next few hours.
Sometimes, we just gotta dance it out to remind ourselves that our time spent here on Earth doesn’t need to be taken so seriously. The lesson? A little silly goes a long way.
Trick #2: I scream.
Or sing or cry — depending on whatever feeling needs to come out.
Singing has always been a sweet release for me. I will blast the music and sing at the top of my lungs (usually to Taylor Swift or Tones And I) to a few songs, and will feel instantly better — more grounded, and better equipped to accomplish whatever the task at hand is.
I just go with my gut on this one. If I feel a lump in my throat, I don’t choke it down. I let myself cry. If my body is on the verge of convulsing because I’m so frustrated, I scream.
Whatever my body is telling me to do, I do it. And then I get back to work! It’s therapy, really.
Trick #3: I meditate.
Meditating, aka breathing deeply and loudly with my eyes closed on my patio (sorry, neighbors), helps me realize that whatever I’m stressed about is no. big. deal.
It’s my gentle reminder to calm it down, calm it down, calm it down — especially if I’m getting ready to snap about something that isn’t snap-worthy. Also, if I feel like I need to get something off my chest — and meditating just isn’t cutting it — I’ll call a friend to vent for a few minutes.
Like Tiffany Roe says, “If it’s in your head, it’s going to stay in your head. You need to get that shit out.”
Ashley Alt is a writer based in Connecticut, specializing in making mental health work fun. She believes our fashion sense is what makes us great.
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