All emotions are normal. We all feel angry, happy, sad, worried, frustrated, cranky, and everything in between. But sometimes we don’t have the luxury of feeling what we are feeling. We just have to snap out of it so that we can focus and be effective. Here are ten pick me ups for when you don’t have time to be cranky.
Get Outside
Something about changing your environment can help change your mood. Going outside in the sunshine and fresh air is even better. Make it mindful. Tell yourself you’re going outside to breathe in a new attitude, then chill. Take a few minutes to let yourself be somewhere else. Enjoy it. When you go back to where you were, take the freshness with you.
Smile
Emotions are tied to physical states. Your brain doesn’t know if what you are doing is real or fake so when you’re smiling, your brain just registers that you’re happy.
Smell Citrus, Peppermint or Lavender
Aromatherapy really helps. These scents are known to change your mood pretty quickly. Go for the essential oils. Synthetic scents don’t have the same impact. And be sure that you’re not sensitive to smells. Even essential oils can give people a headache – especially when you overdo it.
Clean Something
If you go clean the garage, your car, or the bathroom, you may be surprised at how that lifts your mood. Tidying spaces makes the energy open up. When it opens up around you, it also opens up within you. So, you get a nice space and a better mood. If you use a citrus cleaner, the smell also helps pick you up.
Create Something
What happens when you are irritable and you start cooking, coloring, writing, or painting? You usually forget what made you cranky and get into that super relaxed alpha zone. If you’re cranky a lot, perhaps you need to create more.
Listen to Music
The mind links emotions to music. You know how when your jam comes on the radio and you are instantly taken back to a special time when that song is playing? Make that work for you. Create a playlist of songs that make you want to dance or sing – songs that instantly perk you up. Have it on standby for times when you’re not your shiny, happy self.
Move Your Body
Emotions live in the body. If you move your body, your internal state changes. If you’re a dancer, dance. If you prefer exercise, you could jump rope or just walk up some stairs. You can even do this to prevent crankiness if you need to be sure you’re your best self.
Cuddle
Touch is so therapeutic! If you have an animal, child, partner, or even stuffed animal to snuggle, this is great therapy.
Go Somewhere Quiet
Kids take a time out when they are overstimulated or need to calm down. It’s really shouldn’t be used as a punishment, but a reset. Adults can do this too. Just go sit quietly without stimulation or even thinking. Let yourself settle into your core. The inner you is always serene. When you get in touch with that place, you can feel like whatever is bothering you isn’t all that important anymore.
Laugh
Youtube has lots of thirty second or minute long funny clips that are super easy to access. If you watch a couple of those, you’re going to be golden! It’s hard to stay irritated once you’ve started laughing.
We all have times when we’re not as sharp or happy as we’d like to be. We don’t always have time to stop and problem solve. Maybe our kids are coming home, we’re going into a job interview, or we’re on a first date. Maybe we didn’t get enough sleep, drank too much coffee, or Mercury is in retrograde. Sometimes it’s just one of those days when you just can’t get a break. If you have a plan for what to do when these things happen, it doesn’t have to be a “thing.” Just take a time out, get your head straight, and come back and face the day with a smile.