Mind-Over-Mood Techniques of Well-Being

Everybody gets angry, if not bored, occasionally. Feeling awful may be a normal phenomenon and anger may be alright, but what happens and what you do when you are angry and downcast make a big difference. Your anger might be so strong that the feeling gets out of control and causes you to act in ways that are unacceptable and hurtful. Or, the anger might be too subdued and incessant that you become overwhelmed with stress, fear, fatigue, anxiety and self-pity.

The goal is to calm yourself down and try to solve whatever problem is bothering you. You have to accept the fact that living in the world, you have to face many different things, some are good and some are bad. Even the good things may come in different forms to you. There is a good saying says that everything is a best arrangement. The secret is that the good will come sooner or later if you have seen them and if you have set your mind for them. The following simple mind-over-mood techniques could help you feel better and calmer:

Stay In the Present. Focus on things that are going on in your immediate environment. Often times worries and stress are a direct result of focusing on things that have happened in the past or being concerned with things in the future. Staying in the present can be accomplished by making a decision to focus on the simple pleasures in life, like a cup of hot chocolate, or a warm bath. You don't have to spend that much to achieve these.

Use Realistic Self-Talk. It is easy to tell ourselves that things will never get better, that there is no reason for hope, or that life is unfair. These things are simply not the case. Things may feel like they will never get better, but the fact is they usually do. It is a valuable mind over mood tool to be able to talk back to our negative inner voices and remind ourselves of reality.

Laugh. Laughter can be the result of a decision to engage in behavior that makes laughing likely. This can be implemented by watching comedies, listening to comedians on tape, or scheduling some time with a friend who makes you laugh. Using it in this way it becomes a mind over mood tool that can increase resiliency to stress and help counteract negative feelings.

Picture a Favorite Place. Using mental imagery to control our moods is nothing new. Many of us as kids, if we were unable to fall asleep at night, were told to picture something pleasant. Now, as adults, we can expand on this idea to create more control over our moods. Think of a place that makes you feel relaxed. Close your eyes and focus on this for a few minutes at a time, once or twice a day. After you have done this for several days you will find it easier to use in stressful situations, where the benefits of picturing a relaxing place can be most evident.

Practice Relaxation Techniques. There are many ways to relax. One way is to listen to music that is calming. Another is to flex each muscle, one at a time, and then relax it. A third way is to take deep breaths and allow your stomach to rise and fall, which is a way to calm your body, and can counteract our tendency to take short, shallow breaths. Whichever method used, relaxation techniques are a good way to start the day and end it, in addition to any time where you need to relax.