What to Do When a Bad Mood Shows Up
Yesterday, I found myself in a really crappy mood!
It was sneaky. It didn’t announce itself politely. It just showed up—heavy, sticky, and impossible to ignore. I woke up feeling off. My coffee didn’t taste right. My usual morning routine felt grating and heavy. And suddenly, everything—everything—was annoying.
When a bad mood strikes, our first instinct is to fight. We throw everything we’ve got at it: self-help tricks, distraction strategies, mood boosters. Maybe if we blast the right music, get some fresh air, or bury ourselves in productivity, we’ll shake it loose.
Sometimes we try to outthink it: Why am I feeling this way? What’s wrong? How can I fix it? But overthinking just adds more layers to the problem. Like quicksand, the more we struggle, the deeper we sink.
The truth is, all that effort to “feel better” doesn’t really work. Instead, it’s like waving a red flag at the bad mood, inviting it to stick around longer. We give it attention, feed it with our worry, and suddenly it feels bigger, louder, and harder to escape.
Here’s where the inside-out understanding comes in: What if we didn’t need to fight the mood at all?
At our core, we are already peaceful, grounded, and okay. A bad mood doesn’t change that. It’s just a temporary wave passing through—like clouds rolling across the sky or weather that shifts without our input.
The best thing to do about a bad mood? Nothing.
I know, it sounds too simple. But think about it: If you stop poking at a bad mood, stop treating it like an emergency, it will settle down all on its own. Like muddy water that clears when you stop stirring.
Yesterday, I remembered this. Instead of fixing, distracting, or analyzing, I just let the mood be. I went about my day—grumpy and unpolished, sure—but I wasn’t making the mood a bigger deal than it was.
And eventually, without any effort from me, the mood lifted. It always does.
So, the next time you’re in a bad mood, resist the urge to “fix” it. Let it come and go, like weather passing through. Your calm, steady self is still there underneath it all, just waiting for the clouds to clear.
And they will. They always do.