How do you cheer yourself up?

A few weeks back I asked you guys “How do you cheer yourself up, snap out of a bad mood, and switch from negative to positive thinking?”…

7 brave soles responded, and here are the replies below!

(and right at the very bottom, I’m adding a link to my personal massive list I’ve been building for a while 😉)

*****

Laura G. says…

I remind myself that no amount of worry has any impact whatsoever on the outcome.
I leave the room, or the chat, or the FB page, or whatever if the conversation turns negative.
I block the aholes.
I get some sunshine and fresh air out on the deck, or take a walk.
I work on the budget! Doesn’t sound uplifting but it centers me and reinforces my why.
I remember that this too shall pass.
I take a short drive, looking at the scenery.
I avoid discussing politics and/or religion unless I’m very well aware of with whom I’m speaking.
I find a quiet space to meditate and get some peace.
I ask myself “how important is this?” Usually it’s really not that important at all.
I count my blessings, out loud, frequently. At least ten of them, and they have to be different than what I said last time.

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Jason B. says…

“Every day at the dinner table we say one thing we’re grateful for…”

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April K says…

Exercise, getting out in Nature, smiling
Take a moment to give yourself permission to feel what you feel, then realize it doesn’t serve you to dwell long term.
Turn on happy music and sing along LOUDLY!
Gratitude—reminding myself that this a moment to remind me how grateful I am for good times

(Sunrise photo from Kevin taken last week in Palmetto, FL)

Jason R. says…

“It’s rare that I have a very bad day. But when I do, I go down that rabbit hole hard. This recently happened when I looked at my investing results for September. It wasn’t good. So how to snap out of that situation?

Stop looking for more bad. September might have been my worst investing month EVER. But I intentionally didn’t go look at past results to confirm. There is nothing constructive coming from answering that question.
Focus on YTD. Are we trending in the right direction? Looks like the answer to that is yes.
Based on what we know today, are we doing the right things moving forward? I think, yes.
Go and reflect on what others in the family are doing and are they having success? I think, yes.
Given that investments in September went badly, did that actually open up any opportunities? I think, yes.
Talk with family and kids about what’s going well for them.

If all else fails to snap out of it, sometimes you just have to stall it out. Tomorrow will be better.”

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Accidentally Retired says…

1. Gratitude list. I’ll make a list of everything that I am grateful for and try to think of as many things as I can, from people to things to foods, I try to list at all. The result is that I end up feeling much better, because I realize how much good there is in my life that I appreciate.

2. My Happiness Tracker. Every day I write down the top three things of my day and I score my happiness on a scale of -2 to 2. The result is that I now realize the little things that bring me joy and I try to do more of them. I also accept the bad days for what they are and I know that even in my bad days there are still at least three good moments…

(Link to AR’s Happiness Tracker!)

(Fall weather taken by Kyla last week in Albuquerque NM)

Kyla B. says…

“One of the things that helps me a lot with a positive mindset is the practice of a daily gratitude list. Sometimes I’m better about actually doing this than others, but it definitely makes a difference. I even look for the aspects of things that I can be grateful for about negative things – that I have the tools to solve my problems or that they won’t last forever, etc.

Time outside helps me a lot- hiking or biking always make me feel better.

Also positive social contact can work wonders.

When I get stuck in negative thinking it’s most often when it involves somebody else like when a relationship, job or friendship isn’t going how I want it to and it’s especially hard for me when it’s out of my control. I’m not always good at getting out of that sort of negative spiral, but what is effective for me is focusing on the things I can control- my own goals, habits, etc.

Another saying that helps me a lot is ‘Don’t let what you can’t do get in the way of what you can do’. I can’t get any work done because I only have 10 minutes until this meeting becomes Here’s how I can make the most of my 10 minutes.”

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Bec V. says…

I feel that my focus creates my feelings. If I focus on the correct things I am much more JOYFUL. One way to do this is read your emails and follow other blogs or on others on social media that share our positive, happy, joyful mindset.
Doing something for someone else. I am so VERY blessed and helping someone reminds me of how blessed I really am.
I find that doing something physical helps. My favorites are going for a walk in the woods or for a hike. Seeing the beauty of the outdoors always changes my thinking.