Throughout the day, we experience a range of emotions – joy, irritation, boredom, worry. No one is happy and in a good mood 100% of the time, every day, all their life.
You don’t need to be happy all the time to thrive. But if you rarely feel happy, it’s important to take action.
When changes occur in our lives, we will react emotionally. If we didn’t, we would be emotionally cold.
Some people react more emotionally than others. It also varies from person to person how well we are in touch with our feelings, that is, how good we are at sensing emotions and understanding what they are trying to tell us.
If we start blaming ourselves for having so-called “negative” emotions like sadness, fear, and anger, we can end up amplifying them. Often, these emotions will subside on their own if we give them space and listen to their messages.
Try this
- Prioritize activities that make you happy: Do things in your daily life that make you happy or that used to make you happy. What is the smallest thing you can do today?
- Engage in physical activity: Physical activity can be helpful if you’re stuck in a heavy mood. A short walk can shift your mood. Regular exercise can lift your mood in the long term, especially if you find a type of exercise that is fun and enjoyable.
- Keep a gratitude journal: Notice the good things you already have in your daily life by writing down 1-3 things each day that you are grateful for or a good thing that happened during the day.
- Address problems affecting your mood: Maybe you need adjustments at work? Maybe you need to set boundaries with some of the people you interact with?
- Seek support: Talk to your close ones. Not necessarily to solve problems, but because problems feel lighter when shared with others. Talk to your manager about the things at work that affect your mood. Maybe they can help solve the problems?