Watch out, be careful and on high alert – it can happen anywhere and anytime…your mood can be poisoned. You can be zipping along enjoying your day and run across a jerky person and WHAM! Instantly you are in a foul mood. Sometimes this lasts for about an hour. Other times it can last days, months or even YEARS. You know you have mood poisoning when “things just aren’t that funny” anymore, criticizing others becomes a sport, and you have an uncanny urge to slap happy people.
Self Inflicted?
Sometimes you don’t get mood poisoning from other people, you do it to yourself! It is easy to get into a funk over your weight, money, relationships, etc. These days I find myself getting news overload about the gulf oil spill. I watch the TV coverage, then grab the paper and follow-up and yes, to add insult to injury, I hit the internet for more depth and up-to-date coverage. What am I thinking? At that point my stomach hurts and I’m feeling blue. Ah-ha! News Poisoning!
Try These 8 Great Mood Poisoning Remedies:
- Go on a news fast. Get your update once a day to keep current. If something major is going on, someone will tell you.
- Make up a story about a toxic person’s past. Hurt people want to hurt people. Don’t let the effects of their mood poisoning infect you.
- Stave off negative people with a smile. It is amazing how you can change an encounter with something so simple. Greeting people with a smile almost always changes an interaction for the better. As a bonus, you also change your attitude when you change your face.
- When someone is complaining, be a good listener, but try to move the conversation to something more positive. Mood poisoning always gets worse when you try to beat someone’s rotten story with one of your own. Pity party table for 2? Sorry, no reservations!
- If you are bummed about your own circumstances, plan to make some changes in your life.Seek advice from others and never give up. Every day do one or two things to move toward your goal.
- Connect with someone you care about. Picking up the phone and calling a friend or loved one you haven’t spoken to in a while can be a great blues buster.
- Help someone else. Volunteer. Do a random act of kindness. Not only is it a good thing to do, it is tonic for the soul.
- Don’t walk away from negative people – RUN! Hide that Facebook friend who always has a status of doom. Surround yourself with people who bring energy rather than drain it from you.
Still Slap Happy?
Protect yourself and others from the effects of Mood Poisoning. This epidemic is preventable and it is your obligation to do your part. If you still have the urge to slap happy people, please go back and try the eight great ideas again. On the other hand, you may want to seek help from a professional, pull the covers over your head, grab your magazines and some chocolate and plan for tomorrow to be better than today!