What do you do when you’re in a bad mood?

If you tell me you’re never in a bad mood I won’t believe you. Sooner or later we all have an occasional bad mood.

I suspect the reason one particular man claims he’s never in a bad mood is because his bad mood is ingrained in his nature. He’s always in a bad mood.

He’s always grumpy and I don’t believe I ever saw his smile.

While I seldom get in a bad mood, it does happen. When it does I like to go for a nature walk and take in all the beauty around me. I inhale the peace and let it fill my soul.

On the rare occasion when that doesn’t work I go for a second walk. I head out to the harbor and sit there watching the waves hit the shore. By the time I leave I’m usually smiling at strangers.

Brief encounters with people usually perk me up. What works even better is thinking of the many wonderful people who bless my life.

When you think of all the good people that care about you it can lift a mood.

Here’s what I’ve come to believe. A bad mood is “in your head.” There are plenty of soothing things you can do to turn it around.

We can’t control what happens to us but we can control how we react.

I don’t let myself linger in bad mood territory for one simple reason. I know life is short and mine is a heck of a lot shorter than it used to be. I refuse to waste one precious day of the time I have left by being consumed by anger or negative thoughts.

We all have different ways of dealing with an occasional bad mood. My wise daughter says she tries to get at the root of what’s causing her bad mood then tries to change it.

I do believe your mind can help control what kind of day you have.

My friend Fran says when she gets up each day she tells herself she is going to have a wonderful day. Regardless of the circumstances in her life she says she focuses on staying “up.”

“If you tell yourself you are going to have a good day that’s exactly what you will have,” she says.

“Never underestimate the power of your mind,” she stresses.

Several of my friends say if they are having a bad day it affects their appetite. “That’s when I’ll eat everything in sight,” says one friend.

Years ago when I was a skinny little thing whenever I had a big problem weighing on my mind late at night I found myself in the kitchen making spaghetti.

My husband learned if I was eating spaghetti late at night it wasn’t because I was hungry.

“What kind of spaghetti is that?” he would ask. “Is it angry spaghetti, depressed spaghetti, or you’re upset spaghetti?”

Thankfully I learned to get over that unhealthy habit. I now save my spaghetti meals for happy times.

My husband, on the other hand, found that it was impossible for him to eat at all when he was upset.

Many of my friends say they improve a bad mood by doing something outdoors.

One friend says her stress reliever is gardening while another says sitting in front of the ocean is like swallowing a tranquilizer.

My grandson Grayson has a great way of beating a bad mood. As an avid drummer, he literally beats it away. He is such a strong drummer that every session with his drum set is also beneficial physical activity.

Just out of curiosity I Googled “How to cure a bad mod” to see what the experts suggested.

It turns out that getting outside was a top suggestion.

Doing breathing exercises and listening to calming music were also top workable suggestions.

One site suggested if you are in a bad mood smile. Smile at everyone. It’s called “fake it until you make it.”

I know it works because of personal experience.

One morning my heart was aching because of my husband’s physical suffering. I was powerless to help and I wondered how I could possibly get through my work day.

But as I pushed open the office door I smiled at everyone. Our receptionist said it was obvious I was in a good mood.

No, I was just faking it. I was quite surprised when my mood did improve.

Experts tell us the act of smiling triggers your brain to release a natural chemical that makes you feel better.

Try smiling the next time you have a heavy heart. You may have to fake your smile at the beginning but eventually your smile will become real.

My absolute sure way to improve my mood is to think of all the blessings in my life. When I think of all the good people who have graced my life I can’t help but feel gratitude.

When I was feeling low because Hurricane Ian took away my home and much of my possessions, I found that not even that kind of loss can’t stop the power of gratitude.

When I’m having a hard time falling asleep it works to fill my mind with all the blessings in my life.

What’s your favorite way of chasing away a bad mood?

Contact Pattie Mihalik at newsgirl@comcast.net.