We’ve all been there – in the darkness of an indescribable grumpy, negative mood, best described as a funk. Sometimes we know why, sometimes we don’t, and most of the time, as busy mothers with too many to-do lists, and tiny humans to keep alive, we ain’t got time for that. 

When I’m in the funk weeds, I usually can’t think clearly enough to know how to bring myself out, much less take action on any sort of activity to cheer myself up. This leads to me feeling stuck, even more grumpy, and a little helpless. Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s mother nature’s monthly visit, or maybe it’s something kinda rude my kid said, but no matter the reason I need to quickly snap out of it ‘cause like you, I got things to do. 

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Also, the winter blues are definitely a thing. Feelings of depression are shown to increase significantly during the winter months, and I myself feel a slump during colder, cloudier days. By the way, Winter is coming. 

So, since strategy is my middle name, I knew that having a go-to list, already made in advance, of happiness-creating activities I could refer to would be a great resource. This way, when you (or I) feel down but are ready to snap out of it, you can simply scan this list and find something that sounds appealing, fun, or that would help you find joy in the midst of a gloomy day.  

Movement Does a Body (and Mind) Good

It should be no surprise that some sort of physical motion or exercise comes highly recommended when it comes to boosting the mood or flipping negativity to positivity. Remember the magical little endorphins that are created when you workout – also referred to as a workout-high?

Well, not only does movement create endorphins which make you happy, but I personally find that when my body is moving, my mind is somehow able to process my emotions, challenges, and even drama more clearly. I’ve had my best brainstorming sessions during a walk/run, and have used running to help me process some strong emotions before. 

And so the list begins, the top happiness creating activities fall into the physical activity category:

Walking

Running

Hiking

Biking

Swimming

Sitting on the porch

Jumping on a trampoline

Yoga

Dancing

Listening to music

Skiing

Fresh air

Playing sports

Watching the kids play sports

Snorkeling

Driving

Beaching

Laking

Almost every one of us has access to a few of these, and many of these can simply fall into the “Exercise” category of our day. This makes sense to me because I’m personally more likely to feel funky, misaligned, moody, or even overwhelmed when I don’t exercise daily. 

This is also why cold or rainy weather tends to affect our moods. Not only are playdates and park outings canceled, but usually that means we mamas didn’t get out for any fresh air and movement either. It’s not as fun, but some YouTube or DVD workouts can do the trick on such days. 

Tap into Your Creativity

The next best way to cheer up and get back on track as the joyful mom you WANT your kids to see is to do something creative. When we are creating, nurturing, and using the imaginative parts of our brain, we feel as if we’re contributing to society, the home, beauty, or even to ourselves and our families.

Creative happy-mood activities include:

Painting

Drawing

Coloring

Journaling

Singing

Writing thank-you notes

Sewing

Baking

Gardening

Cooking

Macrame

Knitting

Playing a musical instrument

Calendaring

Brainstorming

List-making

Decorating

Creative activities can include making things as gifts for others, painting your nails, decorating the home, designing graphics, or just coloring in a coloring book. Anything you can do that’s out of the ordinary where your brain might have an opportunity to tap into its creative side, can be very helpful in resetting your mood. 

The next two categories are smaller but just as significant. Sometimes movement isn’t possible and nothing creative “sounds good” to you, and if that’s the case, that’s okay. There are times when connecting with another soul or just simply leaning into the mood and vegging out is the solution.

Contact and Connect

When I’m feeling blue, it’s my tendency to pull back, to go MIA, and to duck communication in all forms. I find this terribly ironic because often, connection and conversation are exactly what I need. When exercise isn’t possible, doesn’t provide the boost I crave, or doesn’t sound good to me, and the creative juices just aren’t happening I know the next best thing has to do with human connection. 

Maybe there’s a friend I haven’t talked to in a while, a few messages I need to respond to, or even some cheery social media posts I can comment on. Other activities that create or revive connection with others and might infuse your life with positivity are: 

A coffee date

Volunteering

Helping a neighbor

Good conversation

Message a friend

Call a loved one

Affirmations

Playing with the kids

Heart-to-Heart Hug

Meditation

Hanging out with/listening to your kids

Massage

Loving on your pets

You may have noticed not all of these have to do with connection to another person. Sometimes that’s just not reasonable or feasible, which is when affirmations, meditation, massage, or loving on your pets come into play. These are activities anyone can do, that might spark some joy and allow you to move forward to another happiness-creating activity. 

Maybe Vegging Out is the Answer

Let’s just be real, no matter the reason, sometimes you’re just not going to exercise, feel creative, or reach out for connection. Maybe it’s just a dark day inside and outside. That’s okay. 

Sometimes it’s important to listen to your body and lean in. Sometimes, you really do just need to sleep more, eat ice cream, Netflix all day, have a drink, and just chalk it up to a blah day. I’ve been there!

Sometimes, life’s circumstances and your resulting mood don’t need to be force-quit and jolted toward happiness. If that’s you once in a while, you’re alright. Take a day off, be grumpy, pull the covers over your head, tell your partner he’s the parent of the day, and that you need a day off completely. Wrap yourself in a blanket, get hot cocoa, and chill out. Do it. No guilt allowed. 

Conclusion

For the next time you find yourself in a bad mood, too tired to deal, and in an “ain’t got time for that”  funk of negativity, flip back to this list of happiness creating activities – I sure will! 

Sure, I created this for you, but for myself too, because when I’m all fog-brained and grumpy, I need a list of options I can scan and choose from based on how I feel and what I think will help given my scenario that day. 

None of us can control the world around us, the weather, other people’s actions, or any other mood-affecting alignment of the moon and stars, but we can control the tone of our household. When we take care of ourselves to the best of our ability, even if that means purposely infusing our lives with happiness-creating activities, we’re modeling self-care, self-respect, and intuition for those around us. I can’t think of another better gift we can give our families!