Written by Rita Jabbour

Thumbnail Photo by christopher lemercier on Unsplash

Do you ever find yourself in a bad mood without having experienced a trigger? Does it make you feel irritable and angry towards everyone and everything? It happens! Sometimes we find ourselves feeling a little more annoyed than usual, and every little thing that goes on around us seems to ignite intense feelings of anger. When this happens, a quick fix is optimal, especially when you have essential responsibilities and tasks to take care of throughout your day and other people with whom you are constantly interacting. Of course, doing so in a bad mood is never a good idea. Instead, it would help if you took some time to address your mood and improve it. Here are a few tips on quickly getting rid of a sour mood.

The first and easiest remedy for a bad mood is to get some fresh air. Even though you might be engaged in some activity or a conversation with someone, try to wrap it up. Go outside and breathe in the clean air. Getting fresh air can have more benefits for your health than you may think. When you are indoors all day, you are continuously breathing in recycled air, limiting your body from receiving the appropriate amounts of oxygen. So, regardless of what you are doing, try to steal a moment to step outside whenever you feel your mood taking a turn for the worst. Even if you are in a hurry, make sure that you slowly take several deep breaths before going back inside, taking in as much of your surroundings as you can. If you have a decent amount of time before going back to your responsibilities, maybe even walk around for a while.

This brings us to the second tip: change your scenery. Even though the origin of a bad mood may be unknown, it almost always comes as a result of your environment or an event that has occurred within that environment. So, to amend that, make an effort to get up and change your surroundings. If you’re at home or in your dorm room, leave your house/residence building and go somewhere else. It does not have to be anywhere special; a walk around your neighbourhood or campus might do the trick. If you are not up for movement, just go to the nearest coffee shop or library. Try to spend a decent hour or so outside your original setting to make sure you are not being stimulated by the same scenery as the one you were in at the dawn of your sour mood.

The next tip is one that you may try to avoid: get some exercise. University students seem to have two extreme states: either being too lazy to do anything and would rather lie in bed all day, or doing something completely different like spending time with friends, going out, and partying. However, hearing ‘exercising is good for you’ repeatedly from parents, doctors, and teachers should have convinced you that exercising is, in fact, good for you. If you’re feeling down or just irritated and moody, exercising can be an excellent outlet for all your suppressed frustration and stress. If the weather allows it, go for a jog or walk around campus, downtown, or around your neighbourhood. As previously mentioned, getting out and changing your environment can be highly effective, especially when you get to experience new scenery on your walk. However, if it’s a rainy or windy day and there is way too much snow to even consider walking outside, you can take advantage of your complimentary One Year SMUfit Plus membership. There are so many different programs you can participate in, from Pilates to karate to squash to just working out at the gym. Make sure to check out the SMUfit programs so that you can drop in when you’re in a bad mood and need to exercise. Still, it’s important to keep in mind that getting exercise does not only mean engaging in intense workouts; any activity that allows you to move your body is beneficial to your health both mentally and physically.

Another way you can get rid of a sour mood is by talking to someone. Venting to a friend, sibling, or parent can help you clear your mind and make you feel better. If you don’t feel like ranting about the things going on in your life, then just spending time with someone whose company you enjoy could uplift your mood just as well. However, if you believe that you’ve constantly been feeling down, you can seek help at the Counselling Centre to make an appointment to chat with a counsellor.

Finally, the last tip is probably one of the simplest and most direct cures for a bad mood. For those of you who would instead stick to something that requires zero effort and energy (such as myself) and that would immediately make you feel better, this suggestion is for you. Watch something comical! What is an easier way to flip your mood than to let actors do it for you? All you need to do is reach for your laptop, iPad, or TV remote, stretch out on your bed, and be motionless. Here are a few movie and TV series episode suggestions:

1. Ms. Doubtfire (1993)

2. The Mask (1994)

3. All About Steve (2009)

4. We’re the Millers (2013)

5. “The Box,” Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode (season 5, episode 14)

6. “Slap Bet,” How I Met Your Mother episode (season 2, episode 9)

7. “The One Where Everybody Finds Out,” Friends episode (season 5, episode 14)

8. “Secret Admirer” Full House episode (season 4, episode 11)

In summary, whenever you are in a bad mood and not feeling up to dealing neither with your responsibilities nor with other people, there are several things you can do to calm down and feel less irritable. Try to go outside for some fresh air, change your surroundings, get some exercise, talk to a friend, or watch a comedy movie or TV show episode. When you’re in a sour mood, try not to dwell on how you feel too much; acknowledge it but then move on to something that will make you feel better about yourself. Whether it is leaving your house/residence, just catching up with a friend, or simply re-watching your favourite movie or episode, you can always find at least one thing that will pull you out of your sour mood and allow you to successfully carry on with your day.

How to Patch Up a Sour Mood

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