5 of the Best Ways to Turn Your Bad Mood into Joy
Have you ever started the day in a pretty good mood . . . okay, maybe it took a couple of cups of coffee but then you were good to go.
I’d like to think I’m a positive person.
But…
Then there are those times when a thought or memory, a post on Facebook, or someone else’s bad attitude can dull my sparkle.
Then there are the times…
When I can’t name the specific catalyst, I decide a bunch of little annoyances have added up and left me feeling annoyed and dissatisfied.
Maybe you can relate.
I’m not talking about sadness because something bad happened or even remorse from living out a choice I wish I could undo.
This is just a plain and simple bad mood that interferes with my attitude, productivity, and relationships.
Okay, I’ve identified the problem – now what?
What do you do when you are in a bad mood?
- Go shopping?
- Eat a candy bar?
- Snap at the closest victim?
Yeah, I’ve done those things, too but even though I might feel better momentarily they don’t help for very long.
So, to help going forward, I’ve made a list of things I know will improve my mood and restore joy to my day.
5 of the Best Ways to Turn Your Bad Mood into Joy
Turn to God
Keep God’s promises close. Write them on post-it-notes, in journals, on notecards, or keep them on your phone. Download a Bible App like YouVersion and keep a list of highlighted verses.
Stop and turn His promises into prayers.
You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on you, because they trust you. Isaiah 26:3
Father, I need your peace. I am depending on and trusting in You. Please fill me with you perfect peace and restore my joy. Amen.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Father, I am asking You to fill me with Your joy and peace. I put my trust in You. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, please help me. I know if I have You, I have everything I need . . . more than enough to live with joy. Thank you for Your grace and mercy. Thank you for loving me. Amen.
Eat Healthy
I am often tempted to grab a coffee and skip breakfast, but I always feel better when I start with something nutritious. I’m at my best when I eat five or six small meals throughout the day and drink plenty of water.
And as much as I would prefer to live on cookies and cupcakes I have finally given in to the fact that sugar is not my friend. Oh, I love it when I eat at the moment but hate how I feel later. It’s just not worth it.
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” ~Jim Rohn
Move Around
Change your view and change your mood.
When I sit and let my mind spin on life’s junk I’m guaranteed a bad mood. So, I’m practicing the fine art of getting up and getting active. It doesn’t take a full workout. Just a few moments of doing something else is usually enough to change my thoughts. One of my favorites is to dance around to a great worship song.
“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.”
~Carol Welch
Laugh
Many things that tank my mood are funny when I choose to look at them from a different perspective. Somebody else’s bad mood, a bad driver or traffic jam, computer glitches, things that break, hard memories and problems can only ruin my mood if I allow them to.
If I think I might laugh about it later, why not laugh about it now. Or call a friend who is great at making you laugh and lightening your mood. Change your thoughts . . . you’ll change your attitude.
Friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Philippians 4:8 (MSG)
Breathe
Take 10 -15 slow deep breaths. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Someone very dear to me calls it, “in with the butterflies and out with the bees.”
Even better . . . think about breathing out junk and breathing in the life-giving Spirit of God.
Breathe out the past and breathe in the future. Breathe out anxiety and breathe in peace. Breathe out discouragement and breathe in hope. Just breathe!
Quotes to Turn a Bad Mood to Joy
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
But let those who follow you be happy and glad. They love you for saving them. May they always say, “Praise the Lord!” Psalm 40:16
“Act the way you WANT to feel.” – Gretchen Rubin
Your help made me so happy. Give me that joy again. Make my spirit strong and ready to obey you. Psalm 51:12 (ERV)
“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” ~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that you can have the same joy I have and so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy.” John 15:11
“A Christian should be an Alleluia from head to foot” ~Augustine of Hippo
So – Stop and confess your bad attitude and ask God to give you a new one.
Yep! That’s what I’m doing and when I get over myself and ask for God’s help . . . He is faithful every time.
What’s your favorite way to turn your bad mood into joy?
My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need. James 1:2-4
Be full of joy in the Lord always. I will say again, be full of joy. Philippians 4:4
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and stop to pray one or two of the requests listed.
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I love all these practical ideas, Deb. My favorite way to turn my mood to joy is probably laughter. Sometimes, I just have to choose to focus on something that’s funny instead of whatever it was that put me in a bad mood in the first place.
We love to laugh around here, Dawn! Sometimes it’s finding the humor it the annoying moment. Laughter really is good medicine!! Blessings!
What a great practical list. I struggle with this…where I find myself in a funk for no good reason. I will be thinking about this list to help me conquer this! Thanks!
Thanks, Kathy! I’m so glad you found it helpful. Sometimes I’ll blame the weather, or too many cloudy days, or an annoying ache or pain… My prayer is to stay focused on the joy around me and by God’s grace to add a little of my own, too! God bless you!
Taking God’s promises and turning them into prayer … now that’s powerful! Great reminders, Deb. Have a blessed week!
Thanks, Lauren! You too!
Deb, your posts are so often exactly what I need to hear (and just as often not what I want to hear, since I’d rather wallow in my self-pity or whatever). Mondays are pretty tough for me because I’d prefer not to be working. Sometimes I’m just in a bad mood for no real reason. Today, I am very tired, as I didn’t sleep well last night. I can’t concentrate and small tasks seem huge. Then I went to get lunch and saw a woman struggling just to push her grocery cart. She dragged one foot behind the other. She clearly had a physical issue. And I thought, “Wow, you’re just in a rotten mood for no reason. But you can get out of your car and walk into the grocery store, buy your soup, check out and return to your car in the time it takes her to get out of her car and into the store.” Often, it’s simply perspective. But all your points are right on! Thanks for that cyber slap!
Your words always make me smile, Mary. Whether I’m over at your place or reading a comment or social media post . . . you have a great way of looking at life. I love your story here. It is easy to lose my joy-filled perspective and I’m always thankful the Lord gets my attention and draws me back to blessing counting. Thanks for allowing Him to use you to be an attention getter. Blessings, my friend!
Deb- this is helpful! I definitely know the feeling and it’s encouraging to know others experience this too!
Thank you for providing such great resources and help! 🙂
#MomentsofHope
I’m glad, Julie! Yep! It amazes me how easily my mood is not what it should be. My prayer is to stay aware so my bad moods are short-lived. Thanks for letting me know I have sisters in this. God bless you!
I love the idea to move around. It’s amazing what a 15 minute walk can do to change my mood. Thanks for the great tips!
I agree, Sarah! Changing the scenery and working out the stiffness can work wonders on my mood. Blessings, my friend!
Great suggestions, Deb! Some good old conversation with God followed by some laughter are my favorites! This post made me smile today ♥
Hugs,
Lori
Love that, Lori! I completely agree – prayer and laughter. Perfect!!
I love that, “Act the way you want to feel”. I am visiting you today from Sitting Among Friends!
Thanks for visiting, Jennifer. I loved Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project. Lots of good advice. Add faith and prayer and with God’s help shaking a bad mood is much easier.
These are all so, so true. Specifically the move around and eat healthy ones for me! Sometimes they are just hard to implement though! Thanks for the encouragement. 🙂
I agree, Ashley! Taking care of myself physically definitely affects me emotionally. I’m doing better and make it a goal going forward. Thanks so much for visiting and stopping to say, hello! Blessings!
Yes, wonderful, practical solutions. We can simply decide to love, but if we need to do something in the natural, then by all means. #6 eat an organic piece of dark chocolate. 😉 Seriously, dark chocolate has health benefits, including naturally boosting the mood!
Dark chocolate is the only sweet I eat. I love it! It is just happy food! Blessings!!
I know what you mean. If something happens in the morning, I feel that it ruined my start of the day, but then, I change my thinking and look at the bright side. This takes work but we can do it. Then, it will become a costume you make every time it needs.
Absolutely, Silvia! I hate wasting a day on a bad mood. All I have is right now and I want to celebrate every moment with God’s help and by His grace! Thanks so much for visiting! God bless you!
Such truth here Deb! I’ve chosen joy as my one word this year and am purposefully pursuing #FindingJoy in many of the areas you listed! Great quotes and reinforcement on what God wants for us a life filled with the joy of His Spirit! Happy to share these insightful tips! Always a pleasure to count my blessings here with you!
I love these and I especially needed to hear them today. Thanks for sharing these. I’m journaling them as we speak
Sugar is not my friend either. Why does it have to taste so good?
Great list. It’s so much easier to turn to a candy bar, though, isn’t it sometimes? But God has given us so much better! Turning to Him and His Word first shouldn’t be so far down our list of go-to mood boosters. And, as you pointed out, He has also given us healthy activities that help.
Gosh! Every single one of your recommendations resonated with me. I can’t choose a favorite. What’s not on the list is just as notable, however: scrolling facebook, having a glass of wine, or visiting Target. These things aren’t inherently bad, but they are temporary pleasures, not the source of eternal joy.
Thank you for this post and the beautiful graphics. I love your focus on God’s promises, He is the best place. If I can remember what He has done, I can make it through anything in His strength.
I love the laugh about it and change your view. Thank you for the post!
Eat a Cadbury cream egg? ha. That’s not a good way to overcome a bad mood, but I confess that I’ve tried it before. (It only works for about 5 minutes.) Thanks for sharing better truths here, Deb!
Yes, we are responsible to lead our feelings in the way they should go. Confessing the bad attitude and asking God to help me turn mine around is essential. Finding things to be thankful for is helpful too.