Feel the Feels: Our Top 3 Tips For When You Wake Up in a Mood
What can you do when you wake up in a mood? We all know the feeling of starting your day off on a rough foot. At Sage Family Counseling, we believe that when you wake up in a mood, the best thing you can do is let yourself feel all those feelings. Here are our tips from counselor Misty Covington on how to lean in and get yourself out of a funk!
1. Find the time.
Waking up and feeling down or upset about something is tough. Especially when your life feels like it’s moving a million miles a minute. For some people, the immediate response is to suppress the emotions and try to move on, but the best solution is actually to let yourself sit in those uncomfortable feelings. Whether you are able to take that day to feel it all, or if you need to carve out time on the weekend, ensuring that you do honor your emotions by allotting time for them is a great way to connect to yourself and overcome the things weighing you down.
2. Give yourself affirmations.
Positive self-talk is vital to overcoming a funk. Think of yourself as your best friend, and ask yourself what you would say to a friend who is feeling down? Would you tell them to suck it up and move on, or would you offer them safety and support? Affirmations can look different for everyone. You may feel comfortable listing the things you love about yourself in a journal, you may like saying them in the mirror, or you may just feel good saying them in your head. When feeling bogged down by emotion, remember that it’s okay to feel, and it’s a gift to be able to express a broad range of emotions.
3. Perform internal inventory.
What’s internal inventory? That can be up to you, but it begins with getting in touch with your emotions. We recommend opening up a journal and writing a few things down:
- Where are your feelings sitting in your body? Physically, where do you feel the heaviest or feel the weight of your emotions? For many people, it can sit in your head, neck, or shoulders.
- Where are your feelings coming from in the external world? What in your life is triggering you to feel the way you do? Maybe you are overwhelmed with school, maybe you feel pressure in some of your relationships, or maybe work has been more stressful than usual lately. Locate the source of your emotions to better understand yourself and the way you feel.
- Take a moment to reflect, writing down what part of those feelings belong to you, and what part of those feelings are coming from that external source. This allows you to own the things you need to own, while also letting go of what doesn’t serve you.
- Finally, take time to write about your actionable next steps. What can you do now for yourself? Maybe you want to reach out to someone who you feel is affecting your emotions, maybe you feel like going on a walk to clear your head would be helpful, or maybe you just need to honor your body and mind with rest like watching a funny or sad movie.
At the end of the day, one of the best things you can do for yourself when you wake up in a mood is to find ways to listen to yourself, acknowledge all the feelings, and find a way to take care of yourself through that.
