It is no fun to be in a bad mood. While it may be emotionally healthy to be upset, sad, or depressed for a short period of time, bad moods can be hugely detrimental to our productivity, lives, and relationships.
Here are five easy to implement ideas showing you how to keep your bad moods from undermining your ability to be successful.
Eat good mood foods
In her book, The Mood Cure, Julia Ross speaks of the difference between “good mood foods” and “bad mood foods.” Ross explains: “When your food quality or quantity deteriorates, your mood is the first casualty, even before your physical health begins to deteriorate.”
The bad mood foods include, sugar and white flour starches, wheat and other gluten-containing grains (rye, oats and barley), fats made from vegetable oil other than olive oil or coconut oil, and soy (which impairs digestion, increases estrogen to dangerous levels, and can affect the thyroid).
The good mood foods in order of importance are: protein, healthy fats (i.e., omega-3 fats and saturated fats found in dairy, animal meat and coconut milk), vegetables (4 to 5 cups per day), and fruits.
So, eliminate the bad mood foods as best you can and replace them with good mood foods.
Get some sun (or some vitamin D)
If you have ever lived in a climate where the sun disappears in the winter (e.g., Seattle, Portland, etc.) you have probably noticed how good you feel when the sun comes out for the first time in weeks. There is a scientific reason for this.
The sun’s rays hitting your skin produce vitamin D, which is not really a vitamin, but a hormone that regulates the adrenal glands and the thyroid, among other things. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to depression, lack of energy, increased stress, seasonal affective disorder, and PMS.
If you cannot get sun because of the time of year, try taking some vitamin D supplements or getting a good quality sun lamp. If you use vitamin D supplements, you need to be careful because at extremely high levels vitamin D can be toxic. Therefore, it is wise to test your vitamin D levels before taking more than 400 IU per day.
Get into nature
More and more studies have shown that nature is a huge stress reducer and can thereby elevate your moods. So get out there: take a walk, go for a hike, go surfing, sit on a park bench and stare at flowers. Just stop staring at books, computers, and concrete for a while.
I came across a very interesting study about the effects of nature. The study looked at girls living in a housing project. Some girls could see trees and grass from their apartments, while others could only see pavement.
The researchers found that the girls who could see nature were better able to concentrate and control impulsive behavior. They were also able to perform better in challenging situations.
Take at least one day off per week
In my opinion, there are few situations more depressing than having to do the same thing for many days in a row. I once had to be at the office 20 days straight. This sucked. I wanted to quit my job and I was quick to anger.
So make sure you spend at least one day per week doing something other than studying for the bar exam. Ideally, you would not even think about the bar exam. Try to spend time with your non-law school friends if possible.
Get nostalgic
Was there a time in your life when you were always happy? Is there a particular band whose music always makes you feel good? Do you have a favorite book or movie that always makes you laugh?
Revisit these happy memories. Play your favorite music before and/or after you study. Read a chapter of your favorite book each night. Watch that funny movie as often as you need to.
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