Do you ever get in a bad mood?  Ever feel low?  Down?  Frustrated?  Annoyed?  Upset?  Angry?  Yeah, me too, sometimes.  I have come across some neat tricks to help me turn those moods around.  Note: This does not mean ignore the issue at hand.  It simply means I pick myself up to a place where I can better deal with said issue.  Do you remember when I asked you to get your happy self down on paper?  That’s still a tool I recommend.  Here’s another I picked up from Louise Hay and Cheryl Richardson at the I Can Do It! Vancouver conference earlier this month:

The moment you realize you are feeling less than great, ask yourself: “What can I think right now that will make me feel better?”  Begin with gratitude.  Always, begin with gratitude.  It is really easy to find at least one thing you can be thankful for.

The other day I was taking out the garbage which is not really my favourite thing to do.  This was a particularly nasty bag, it was the end of a really long day and all I wanted to do was get in my pyjamas and crawl into bed.  As I leaned over to wrestle the overstuffed plastic out of the unforgiving container, I noticed my feet – the feet I loathed as a teenager for being too big to look pretty in sandals, the feet I crammed into shoes too narrow just because they were fashionable.  Suddenly, I saw them for what they truly are: companions that have carried me throughout my whole life, everywhere I have been.  In that really bizarre moment hovering over a stinky bag of chicken scraps and diapers, I loved my feet.  I felt a certain endearment toward them for never failing me despite how I have treated them.  I even felt comfort at knowing that these feet will be with me in some form or other for the rest of my time here on earth.  Thank you, feet, I love you.  (Honest to God, I said that in my head!)  I was so wrapped up in this grateful feeling, I couldn’t even remember feeling tired and annoyed just moments before.

You try it.  The first step is to notice when you’re in a foul mood.  Really notice it.  Sometimes we are overcome with a negative emotion and we embrace it and hug it and dig ourselves deeper into it without even realizing we’re doing that.  Once you become aware of your mood, ask yourself what you can think right now that will make you feel better.  Keep it simple.  It doesn’t have to be complicated, right?  I mean…FEET!

Try this for an entire day this week.  It doesn’t just work for getting you through household chores – it helps when you’ve been hurt by someone else, when you’re anxious about a future event, when you’re regretful over the past…so though it is simple, don’t underestimate its weight.

Was it tricky?  Or easier than you thought it would be?  Share your experiences here with us!  And of course, don’t just stop at one day.  Make it a daily habit – it gets easier with practice.

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