Everyone gets into a big ol' bad mood sometimes. I'm talking about the kind of mood that throws a spanner in the works, has you fuming at every little thing and threatens to ruin a perfectly good day.

Sometimes these moods happen just when you don't want them to and they can get in the way of doing what you want to do in the way that you want to do it. Here's how to shake them off quickly so that you can get back your life.

1. Leave the room

Get a change of scene. Right now. Bad moods can be triggered by all kinds of things and often it's something around you that ticked you off, and if you stay in the same environment it'll continue to nag at you and play on your mind. Go to a new environment, surround yourself with different things, different people and different sensations and it's easier for you to leave your bad mood behind you.

2. Give yourself a treat

When you're in a bad mood it's easy to look for things to fuel that bad mood or reinforce it. Why? Because you want to feel like your bad mood is valid, so you look for things to validate it and make it right.

Break that habit by doing the opposite, no matter how strange it might feel. Watch a funny movie, play your favourite song, go for a walk in your local park, grab a coffee and a slice of pie in that great Coffee shop. Do something that feels good and puts a smile on your face, and your bad mood will be history.

3. Have a BMW

When I'm in a coaching session with someone it's pretty obvious if they're in a bad mood. When that happens I say to them, "Right. You have 4 minutes to Bitch, Moan and Whine all you want. When the 4 minutes is up there's no more moaning, deal?". Then they let rip for 4 minutes.

Taking just a couple of minutes for a BMW (as I like to call it) can get everything right out there, everything that's bubbling away. The key is not to pause or think - a BMW session is just getting it all out there. Often you'll find that you run out of steam before the 4 minutes is up and sometimes you'll just end up laughing. Either way, when you're done you'll feel lighter.

4. Hit the gym

Physical exercise has a direct influence on our mood, and countless studies have shown that exercise releases endorphins and serotonin (the body's pleasure chemicals) that positively affect your mood. Hitting the gym not only releases those feel-good chemicals, but it's a great distraction, diverting your attention away from your bad mood and giving you something to do that occupies your body and mind.

5. Let yourself off the hook

Fact of Life # 37 - Bad moods happen. Sometimes, it's just fine to let the bad mood ride. If things are niggling you and bad moods are a familiar deal to you, then it's a good bet that something's not quite right somewhere in your life. Letting the bad mood ride allows you to go to those dark places where you wouldn't normally go and see what's there.

You don't have to wallow in it, but letting it happen can be surprisingly liberating. Your bad moods are just as valid as your good moods and when you come out the other side you might just have learned something about what's really going on.
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