So you feel blah/down-in-the-dumps/grumpy…Actions to take to change course on your feelings

When we find ourselves feeling weighed down by life or even grumpy about things, that’s a sign to pay attention and change direction.

We’ve talked before about building a backdrop of positive emotions.

We’ve also addressed how to escape a negative thought pattern.

But something we haven’t talked about is how those negative feelings might be the arrow pointing to something we need to pay attention to.

When we notice our feelings taking a turn for the worse, a good question to ask ourselves is, “Why am I feeling this way?”

We might find the answer leads us to something we can take action on, be that a big change we need to make or very small.

We may need to:

• Make a change in an activity we’re doing.
• Add in more rest or more action.
• Have a hard conversation with someone.
• Change a few habits to move us in the direction we want to go.

If the negative feelings we’re experiencing can lead us in a new direction AND we follow up on what we learn, those negative feelings will begin to dissipate.

Other times, the negative feelings aren’t pointing to anything at all. We’re just having a down day. It happens sometimes.

Here are a few ways to shake yourself out of that down-in-the-dumps attitude:

• Get outside for a few minutes. Take a walk if you can.
• Give someone a compliment or thank someone for something.
• Savor the things around you. Slow down and notice scents, tastes, beauty etc.
• Call a friend.
• Do a ten minute tidy of your desk, room, kitchen etc.
• Play happy music.

Actions to take:

1. Ask yourself, “Why am I feeling this way?”

2. If the answer leads to something you need to take action on, take that action!

3. If you’re generally feeling down, try something from the list above to shake things up.