Tag: Depression

How I Nip a Bad Mood Quickly

Life doesn’t always go the way that we want it to, unfortunately, and with that, our emotions and mood can change, sometimes dramatically from day to day depending on what is going on.

I am a very sensitive and anxious person by nature and when something happens in my life that is upsetting, it takes quite a toll on me though I am getting much better about this. I have found a few ways that have helped me kick a bad mood to the curb!

Before I Found a Solution

Going back to my younger years, I used to take every negative feeling and situation and internalize it. Getting out of a rut and trying to shake off a bad mood was a very difficult task to do. I seemed to hold onto being in a bad mood for much longer than I wanted to.

I remember feeling lost and not knowing what to do to help myself. I opted for quick fixes like having a dessert to instantly boost my mood, but my problems were not solved. One thing for sure, I knew that I didn’t want to feel this way anymore. I started looking for solutions and I became really into self-help.

My New Approach

I am a huge lover of nature; it has the power to change a mood around quickly and can help us feel like we are so small compared to this big vast open space. Nature has a way of making us feel like our problems have just vanished as we focus on the greenery, the sounds of the birds, or the sight of water flowing down a stream.

Knowing this, I wanted to incorporate nature into my solution. I went to the store and bought a beautiful notebook and some fancy pens to keep the look interesting and vibrant.

Whenever I find myself in a place of discontent, I would go take a walk to calm myself and try to refocus my mind enough to eventually come back inside the house and try to work through the emotions.

After my walk, or even sitting peacefully outside for a bit, it was time to sit down and work through my thoughts and feelings.

Journal in Hand

I have found over the years that a bad mood will last so much longer if we do not talk about it, or let our feelings out in some way, shape, or form. The more that we hold something in, the more it tears us apart. The longer that we shove our thoughts under the rug and hide from them, the longer they haunt us.

I got my journal and my fancy pens, and I created a self-help exercise that I use whenever I am not feeling content. I will share it with you now!

  1. I write down all of my feelings
  2.  I list why I am feeling this way
  3.  I write down what options I have to tackle this feeling
  4.  I choose a solution from the options that I have created
  5.  I note what I can and cannot control in the situation

I have found that writing out my feelings and seeing ways that I can work through processing a negative mood can help tremendously. Just seeing it all on paper is an outlet and lets us realize that things may not be as bad and that we have more control over the situation than we think.

The Biggest Solution

The greatest advice is to speak your mind and let your thoughts and feelings flow freely, whether that be writing them down or telling them to a trusted someone. Sometimes our biggest issue and roadblock on our way to happiness is not having an outlet to share what is on our minds. We sit and fester in the thoughts that take over our minds instead of letting them out.

Being able to talk, or at the very least write about your feelings is of great importance. One needs to be able to vent and clear their mind to move past negative emotions.

I have found writing to be extremely therapeutic as are the journal exercises that I do. Whether you talk your feelings out or write them, it is a very critical step to moving past a bad mood!

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Brain Fog: Head in the Clouds

It has been a cereal in the fridge and milk in the pantry kind of day (yes, you read that right)! I don’t think that I could have found a better picture to go with this topic. “My brain has too many tabs open.”

Brain fog has been a part of my life for the past 10 years or so. It comes in waves on and off and is a disruption to my day and productivity.

What Brain Fog is Like

It is struggling to come up with certain words while having a conversation, feeling as if there is a mental block, and you cannot think straight. Brain fog is not remembering even the smallest things like what you had for dinner last night. There’s a disconnect and you just don’t feel very mentally sharp.

You may start to lack focus, and concentration, and just feel spaced out. Brain fog is an uncomfortable feeling that makes you feel like you are missing out on your surroundings, conversations, and just recollection in general.

What Your Body is Trying to Tell You

For me, brain fog is always an indicator that I am stretching myself too thin, that I am overworking myself and not taking the proper time to rest and unwind. Brain fog usually hits me when I keep running and pushing myself well past my limits and to be honest, I don’t even know my limits sometimes, I just keep going until it’s too late.

Your body is very good at giving you signals about what it needs. You feel hunger pangs because your body needs fuel, you feel tired because your body needs sleep, and you feel thirsty because your body needs to be hydrated. You are not feeling mentally sharp because your brain needs a break and needs time to not be going full steam.

Brain Fog Is a Serious Matter

Brain fog should not be taken lightly as it is an indicator that something is amiss. Of course, it may be due to lack of sleep, or certain medications, but not feeling mentally clear warrants immediate attention.

Many years ago, when I was still in college, I pushed myself to the point of being completely burned out. I didn’t realize there was such a thing until it happened to me. My short-term memory was terrible and following any sort of conversation, even reading was so very difficult. I would have a conversation with someone or read parts of an article and I was not able to recite back to you what I had just heard or read.

Someone asked me who the president of the United States was at the time, and I wasn’t able to answer them, not because I didn’t know, but because I couldn’t recall who it was no matter how hard I tried. It took me nearly 6 months to recover from this burnout. I truly thought that I was never going to get my mind back, it was a very scary time.

Take Care of Your Mind

We must take every effort to take care of our minds and bodies. We need to listen to ourselves and take breaks when necessary. Our minds are not machines, and they will have a breaking point.

Take action and take time for yourself so that you can come back ready to go and conquer life again. With a little rest and self-care, slowly the fogginess in your brain will disappear.

I Am Afraid to Be Me

I know that this title sounds silly, but it is the absolute truth. I am afraid to be me and by this, I mean that I am afraid to be real, raw, and 100% authentic.

I believe that this way of thinking stems from my younger years. I was bullied a lot for being a shy kid. I wanted to have a lot of friends; however, I didn’t have the greatest communication skills. The friends that I had were more like acquaintances, I felt like no one truly knew me because I had a wall up.

Why I am Afraid 

I am scared of being judged, abandoned, rejected, and ridiculed like I was back when I was younger. I have completely morphed into a very different person today, but that shy introverted teen still lives within me and so do the scars.

Everyone wants to feel love and acceptance and the thought of that being withheld is very painful. I am afraid to say what’s on my mind, my beliefs, or who I am. Parts that I don’t like about myself I try to hide, hoping that no one will notice.

The Outside Doesn’t Match the Inside

I am the kind of girl that hides behind a smile and a face full of makeup, I am the kind of girl that will sugarcoat what I think to not hurt someone’s feelings, I am someone who would rather keep my feelings inside to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. I am the kind of girl that everyone thinks has her life together and doesn’t have a care in the world. They don’t see that I put up a front that all is okay even when it’s not.

I am mostly outgoing and bubbly, I love to joke and have fun, and I love deep conversation and getting to know other people even though I clam up when they try to get to know me. I love to laugh.

I admire those that are real and raw. I admire those that can share what is on their mind and in their hearts without fear. They can share parts of themselves and not care what other people think. They are just them and I love that, I aspire to be that.

As I Get Older 

I am getting better at being authentic. I am learning to share my mind and learning to communicate better to prevent getting myself into an even worse situation. I am trying very hard, and this is a real goal of mine that I am desperately trying to reach.

I am very good at giving advice and terrible at following my own, I am a work-in-progress, and I am truly hoping to continue down this path of being 100% authentic and having true self-love.

An Important Reminder

Each one of us is unique and beautiful and our past has no place in the present or future. Sometimes it is hard to shed parts of ourselves, but we keep showing up every day, learning and growing.

Leave What Cannot Be Undone

How many things are you currently worried about that cannot be changed? For many of us, it is quite a few things. We may be dwelling on a decision that we made, or regret some of our past behaviors. As hard as it is to not worry, analyze, and overthink the past, it is so necessary for our well-being and to be able to move forward.

As much as we may wish, our energy both physically and mentally is not infinite. We must take great care to preserve our energy and save it for things in our lives that truly require every bit of energy that we have left.

When we worry about things that happened in the past, we are using our precious energy on something that truly cannot be changed, it cannot be undone. I’m sure that you can count many times that you have said something like “I wish I didn’t leave my job,” or” I wish that I could go back in time and redo a certain relationship.”

Living in the Past

When we live in the past instead of the present, we are robbing ourselves of energy that we could be taking to solve problems and deal with life in the here and now. The past cannot be changed, what is done is done and I know that is very hard to accept sometimes but accepting that fact and also being able to leave what cannot be undone in the past is so important.

We could spend countless hours of our lives thinking we could have, would have, should have and although it can be a stress-reliever to overthink and analyze these thoughts, it serves us no purpose, it does not keep us from moving forward, it does not allow us to make good decisions now that will shape our more desired future.

Often, I find myself thinking of the past, how I would change certain things about it, and how I would have done things differently, yet if I spend all of my energy focusing on what I cannot change, I am wasting precious moments of my life where I can make a difference. As hard as it is, leave the past in the past. It is a part of you, but it does not define you, nor does it deserve any energy from you.

My Best Advice

Worrying about something that you can’t change is very common human behavior, however, it will get you nowhere. When you find yourself slipping into thinking about things that you are not able to change, then acknowledge that you are feeling a certain way and then let it go. Remind yourself that you are focusing on working towards things in your life that you currently have the power to influence.

Whatever you are worrying about today, know that things tend to happen for a reason, things happen for life to fall into place, and things happen for you to grow as a person, whatever you are worrying about today, know that the past is in the past and the present needs your attention. Though difficult, may this be a gentle reminder to put your thoughts, time, and energy into what you can control. Many blessings to you all!

A Comforting Word

I was talking with my mom the other day letting her know that I had some concerns about the future. Normal worries like where we would all end up living, worries about family, just the uncertainty of the future in general.

That’s just it, the future is uncertain for everyone, nonetheless, my mother was a listening ear for me as I vented my worries. She listened carefully to what I had to say and then her response left me instantly feeling better.

My mom told me two things. One, “try not to worry about the future, we need to focus on the here and now.” Two, “everything is going to work out and it will be okay.” The first reply is something that we all know to be true, yet sometimes we need a reminder. The second reply is something that we don’t know for sure to be true, so why was it comforting?

Words have so much power over us, they can make or break us. When we are spiraling down and overcome with emotions, we look to what others have to say to calm our deepest fears. Those little words, “it will be okay,” meant everything to me at this moment.

Our brains work in mysterious ways, if we think logically, we know that it is not certain that everything will be okay. We can be positive, and we can look back on past experiences and realize that most of the time everything did end up being okay, but we know logically that this may not be true.

The words were comforting regardless. Why? Well, because someone told us so and we are more inclined to listen to others than we are to ourselves. Hearing it from someone else makes it a reality and brings back that hope that all is not lost.

For those of you struggling to make ends meet, struggling with mental or physical health, finances, feeling burned out, relationship issues, or issues related to work and unemployment, I want to be that person that tells you that it will all be okay, keep shining and going strong, it will all work out in the end. This is just a little roadblock and what is beyond this bump in the road is more beautiful than we could ever imagine!