Thinking back to my teenage years, it seems like I was in a bad mood about something most of the time. You’d think I would have outgrown those sour moods by now. Sigh.
I don’t get moody as much anymore, nor (heaven forbid!) about the same life stuff as when I was younger, but sometimes a mood strikes—one that causes me to slam my laptop closed and walk away.
You?
I ran across this website the other day: Moods and Writing
It contains 5 tips for shooing away the doldrums in order to get back to work.
Listen to some upbeat [or your favorite] music.
“Music affects mood, so choose something that gets you happy and dancing. Try listening to it for just 5 minutes before you start writing, and see if your session doesn’t go better than you thought it would.”
Eat some dark chocolate. (My favorite!)
“Chocolate is good for you, and studies have also found that it can boost levels of the good-mood neurotransmitter, “serotonin,” in your brain. It also boosts dopamine levels, which will give you more energy. As if you needed another excuse to eat some chocolate! Just try to be sure it has at least 70 percent cocoa.”
Give someone a hug.
“A loved one, friend, pet—give someone a quick hug before you start writing. It lowers stress and stimulates the release of oxytocin, which helps boost mood.” (And the cool thing is, you’ll usually get hugged back!)
Dress up. (Not so sure about this one, but hey, it’s worth a try!)
“This can be particularly helpful if you’ve been in sweats all day. Put on something you like and that you think makes you look good. Studies have found that clothes really can affect our mood! (Read more about that here: “What Are You Wearing? Why Writers Should Care”) Better yet, choose something colorful. Green and yellow are associated with happiness, red with energy, and blue with calm.”
Look at nature images—and make sure they contain some green.
“Studies have found that simply looking at pictures of nature can help relieve stress and put you in a better mood. If you want to boost creativity too, make sure the pictures have some green in them. (In other words, no winter pictures!) Studies have found that green helps stimulate creativity.”
TKZers—what would you add to this list? What is your surefire way to combat a stinky mood so you can get on with the fun stuff of writing?
I agree with all the tips, Deb. They are part of my writing routine. I dress for work. I slide on the headphones, music cranked. Go on nature walks, or when the words flow like melted butter, I’ll work outside instead (I’m surrounded by nature with lots of green).
Hi, Sue!
Except for the music & dressing up part (although I was a music major in college), I agree! Since I retired from a busy, noisy cancer clinic, silence is my music. And after being employed since I was 14, which makes it %$&* years that I worked, T-shirts and sweats–nice ones, though–are my new uniform.
One thing that perks me up considerably–and I know you’ll like this–is to watch the collection of birds swoop in to our deck to be fed. Juncos, house finches, sparrows, blackbirds, and many I can’t identify, join us for coffee every morning. What a treat!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Each morning take a few minutes to write something you are grateful for. It might be clear vision, excellent hearing or being able to walk.
Good morning, Hedley!
Now that is a great idea! Loving where I live is one thing I’m grateful for…
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
“Listen to some upbeat [or your favorite] music.”
Yes, this helps if listening to it BEFORE writing, but I can’t have music on WHILE writing. Naturally, we’re listening to music we want to listen to, so if I’m playing it while trying to write, I’ll be busy singing along instead of writing. 😎
As an aside about music and mood: The people at the car dealership yesterday heard singing they didn’t want to hear while I was waiting for my car to be serviced (singing definitely not my talent). I’d started out having a very grumpy day with unexpected car issues, but the first song I heard playing when I walked into the waiting room was Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose”. LOVE that song.
“Eat some dark chocolate.” Highly recommend for ANY mood! But beware consuming too much if you have kidney stone issues.
“Dress up.” ACK! No way, Jose. This is something I’d do to PUT myself in a sour mood.
“Look at nature images” Highly, highly recommend, rotten mood or not. Having grown up in a mountainless state, I go look out the windows at the mountains every chance I get. I’m soooooo thankful to live in a beautiful place.
Hi Brenda…
Love your Footloose story. 🙂 I can see myself doing that, for sure! Only for me, it’d be something CCR, which I know I’d massacre if I tried to sing it!
Have a Footloose day, my friend!
I agree, except for the music and dressing up. I’m into silence too. I have a beautiful view out my big office windows, including a birdfeeder and flowers that draw hummingbirds. When the wind blows (which is often here), chimes tinkle and a sunflower spinner spins. Just staring out the window lifts my spirits and gets my creative juices flowing. After years as a public relations hack, I find coming to work in my PJs makes me happy. Just knowing I’m going to write each day is enough to chase the blues away. Living the dream!
Hi Kelly!
Your “work” space sounds perfect. Isn’t it true that when we love our work, it’s not work? (Well, most of the time!)
I have a view of the foothills surrounding our little valley…I grew up here and only spent 8 years of my life living somewhere else–LA, of all places–absolutely no comparison. These foothills still look the same to me. Dry, dotted with sagebrush, grazing cattle, and sometimes an elk or two wandering down from higher elevations looking for food in colder weather. Gorgeous!
Have a great day!
A friend began “Snazzy Fridays”. Sport coat and shirt to work. He is a creative. His work is spectacular so there may be something to that. I hope the link works. Here he is at work.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10226686619965795&set=pb.1057463081.-2207520000&type=3
Hi Alan!
I might be able to do just one day a week of dress-up. But, how about this?
Pick an outfit that one of our characters might wear…that sparks some ideas. If my character has a fave shirt or hat or shoes–or even just a coffee mug–it’d be fun to do that!
The link worked fine, and what a great picture (and idea of posting work pics). If I still worked a nine-to-five, you’d see me sitting at my desk with a large stack of patient records I had to review and then pass on to the docs. Not so much fun as it seems your friend is having at his work!
Thanks for stopping by!
Great tips, Deb. I’ll have mug of freshly brewed tea, and will put on one of my tailored fezzes to lift my mood. This morning, I wore my Freedonia fez (created in honor of the Marx Brother’s movie “Duck Soup”) while I wrote my morning pages.
Good Friday morning, Dale!
Now, I think I could get into wearing a cool hat to lift a mood! I have a hat I bought in Taiwan years ago that might fit the bill–pun intended–:)
It might even spur some imaginative ideas for short stories. Yes?
Hey, have a great day!
Excellent tips, Deb, esp. chocolate!
The squirrels that climb the patio screen door keep me jumping up from the computer to—uh–tend to their demands. Annoying when I’m on a roll in writing so nature is a double-edged sword for my writing habits. But they make me smile.
Smiling is good, Debbie!
Sometimes our birds get into what we call a wing war over the food I put out. I call them “my little hoodlums”. 🙂
Another thing I do when that gray mood strikes is to watch some of the over 600 Hoka images we loaded on a digital picture frame. Watching her antics never fails to lift my mood. 🙂
Have a smiley day, my friend!
Good one, Deb. When I get into a funk, I need a friend. We can go for a swim or out to lunch. That always lifts my spirits. So does nature, and I’m lucky to live in a condo on the beach.
Top of the mornin’ to ya, Elaine!
(Sometimes I just have to suspend grammar and spelling rules, ya know?) 🙂
Sounds like you have a great remedy going for the “moody blues”. And kudos to your friend(s) for being part of your solution.
Have a good day!
Walking or going to the gym. I have lots of greenery just outside my windows so no problem there. If I’m lucky, I can see a few deer. I have a newborn fawn to watch for. Also, lots of birds and small mammals. At night, dog and cat videos as well as light humor.
And very weirdly even for me, a variation on a Qi Gong breathing exercise. Stand up straight, gather energy and air deep in your lungs, then push it out through the diaphragm while saying “Socks!” in a silly upper class British accent. A bit of Monty Python thrown in will help. The air and energy movement make you feel better and “Socks!” will make you laugh. Extra points if you make a family member or partner laugh, too.
Socks, Marilyn! I think we should just nickname you Socks, hey?
I don’t know about the British accent, though–but just looking at that greeting to you on my screen launched a giggle…thanks!
I like the dog and cat video idea. Sometimes when I’m killing time (translation: murdering time) on FB, I see military German Shepherd/handler videos. What an amazing animal!
Have a great weekend, Socks! 🙂
When I’m in a truly foul mood, the kind of mood that a long walk or an ice cream cone won’t touch, the only cure is making sawdust. A couple of hours spent working in the wood shop is enough to dissipate the stress and frustration that drove the mood in the first place.
Hi Bill!
And…you get to make cool stuff, right? I think our TKZ friend, Steve Hooley, might agree with you…😉
Have a great day, sir.