How to Get Out of a Bad Mood: 35 Mood Booster Ideas That Work

How do you get out of a bad mood? When you’re in that space, it can feel difficult to come up with ideas. Stop wracking your brain and try these mood booster ideas that really work!

Some days…are HARD, right?

It could be the weather, dealing with a child’s tantrum (in the store, no less), or even another life stress that sometimes just puts me in a bad mood.

As a busy mom, there’s no time to sit around feeling grumpy!

Recently, I found myself in a funky mood that I just couldn’t snap out of. No mood lifter that I thought of worked, so it was time to take a different tactic. I went to Facebook and asked friends and family for mood booster tips that really work to improve their moods.

I was blown away with the ideas and responses! Through this experience I realized 2 important things:

It can feel difficult to come up with ways to bounce out of a bad mood when you’re in the middle of a bad mood
By far, the best way to get out of a funky mood is to take some sort of action.

As I read through the tips my friends gave me, I just knew that I needed to create a blog post about this to help others who were in the same position I was in recently.

Mood Booster Tips That Really Work to End a Bad Mood

Whether you’re in a bad mood and feeling angry or frustrated, or you are in a funky mood and just feel kind of “blah”, there are items on this list that will snap you out of it and help you feel yourself again!

Tip: There are lots of ideas here, and what works for you today might not work for you tomorrow. If that happens, shift your mindset a little and try something else.

Get Active

Exercise releases endorphins into your body which act as natural mood boosters! If you find yourself feeling blue, try getting active to lift your mood naturally! Here are some ideas:

Have a dance party – The activity (and the fun music) will do wonders for your mood
Go take a walk outside (take your dog with you if you have one!)
Clean – You’ll physically work off the bad mood and feel like you accomplished something!
Intimate acts with your partner
Workout- Yoga, go for a run or bike ride, go hiking, take an exercise class

woman walking her dog on a leash outside

Help Someone Else

Talk about taking action.

Taking some time to help someone else helps you in multiple ways because it helps you get active, and gets you out of your negative mental space. Plus, it just plain feels good, all of which will boost your mood.

Try these ideas:

Take flowers to a friend or loved one
Help an elderly neighbor with yard work
Cook a meal for a friend and take it to them
Just do something kind and unexpected for someone else – where you see a need, fill it!
Pay for the person behind you in line

Get Outside

Nature has a way of helping you get centered. Getting outside for some fresh air and sunshine while listening to the birds or the wind in the trees can do wonders to improve your mood.

Try these suggestions:

Garden
Take a walk
Sit near some running water and soak up the sound
Yard work
Go to a park and look at the view

Lean Into Your Faith

Making time to practice your faith or spend time with God is a powerful way to get centered and shed some perspective on your problems. Try these activities:

Spend quiet time with God for 10 minutes
Practice gratitude – write out a list of things you’re grateful for, praise God, etc.
Pray and meditate
Read or memorize scripture

Laugh

One of the very best ways to cast out a bad mood is to laugh! I don’t know about you, but even thinking about laughing makes me feel just a little better. Try these ideas when you need a good belly laugh mood booster:

Love watching the TV show Friends? The show alone is funny enough to lift spirits, but if you want to change it up, watch Friends bloopers. Warning: you might pee your pants a little—it’s that hilarious!
Watch funny videos or your favorite funny person (Ellen, Norton Graham, etc)
Call that one person who can always make you laugh
Look up Autocorrect Text Fails – makes me laugh until I cry every time
Watch a comedy or read a joke book

woman sitting on couch with her laptop laughing as a mood booster

Please the Senses

Have you ever realized how a certain smell can take you back to a favorite memory or how a particular song can make you instantly feel like dancing? Our senses contain a powerful connection with our mood.

Try these ideas:

Drink a cup of really good coffee (tea, hot chocolate, etc)
Listen to upbeat music (and sing – the louder, the better!)
Breathe deeply
Enjoy a glass of wine and unwind
Look at beautiful scenery

Practice Self-Care

Sometimes, a bad mood stems from being too run down. In that case, a little self-care is in order to improve your mood. Try these self-care mood booster ideas:

Practice any form of art that you enjoy: painting, drawing, music, making sculptures, etc.
Enjoy an at-home spa day to pamper yourself
Reading or doing another hobby you love
Let yourself have a good “ugly cry”
Take a long bath
Challenge yourself with getting outside your comfort zone: learn a new skill, etc

woman relaxing in a warm bath as a mood booster

There you go! The top 35 – very effective – mood booster ideas to lift your mood when you’re not feeling your best. Listen to what your body is telling you and then pick something from this list to try.

You’ll snap out of that bad mood in no time!