“I woke up on the wrong side of the bed” is a frequently used saying. In fact, it’s a little overused (in my opinion) and meant to convey that someone is in a bad mood – but where you wake up has very little to do with your state of mind.
As with anything, there are exceptions, of course. Maybe you awakened in your ex’s bed and are pissed off that you backslid when you had been doing so well without them, and now you have to reset your “I’m over my ex” counter back to zero.
In this instance, not only did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, but you woke up on the wrong side of someone else’s bed.
That could very well justify a bad mood and set a shitty tone for the rest of the day. But what about when you don’t know what put you in a bad mood – when you just wake up “on the wrong side of the bed” for no good reason?
Whether we are stressed out from work, annoyed with our friends or family, or simply tired, there are many reasons why we can find ourselves in a bad mood. There are some days where it seems like everything is going wrong.
It can be easy to let these small annoyances ruin our entire day. However, there are also times when we can’t quite put our finger on why we are in a bad mood. We may not be able to identify a specific reason, but we still feel irritable and down. In either case, it is important to try to understand the reasons why we are in a bad mood.
There are many different reasons why you are in a not-so-great mood – and those factors can be both mental and physical.
Why Am I In A Bad Mood?
“Why am I in a bad mood?” is a question that we have all asked ourselves at some point or another. There are a lot of different factors that can contribute to feeling down, and it is often hard to pinpoint the exact cause.
However, there are some psychological theories that can help explain why we sometimes find ourselves in a funk.
One reason why you might be in a bad mood is because of something called the “negativity bias.” This is the tendency for our brains to pay more attention to negative information than positive information. This bias is thought to be evolutionarily adaptive, as it helped our ancestors to avoid potential dangers. However, in today’s world, this negativity bias can often lead to feelings of depression and anxiety.
The Decision Lab says, “The negativity bias is a cognitive bias that results in adverse events having a more significant impact on our psychological state than positive events. Negativity bias occurs even when adverse events and positive events are of the same magnitude, meaning we feel negative events more intensely.”
Another reason for feeling down may be due to a phenomenon called the “availability heuristic.” This is when we estimate the likelihood of something happening based on how easily our mood changes from good to bad.
“When it comes to making this type of judgment about relative risk or danger, our brains rely on a number of different strategies to make quick decisions. This illustrates what is known as the availability heuristic, a mental shortcut that helps you make fast, but sometimes incorrect, assessments,” explains Very Well Mind.
“The term was first coined in 1973 by Nobel-prize winning psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman. They suggested that the availability heuristic occurs unconsciously and operates under the principle that ‘If you can think of it, it must be important.’ Things that come to mind more easily are believed to be far more common and more accurate reflections of the real world.”
The Science Of Bad Moods
As we mentioned, there are scientific reasons for our moods and it usually has something to do with what’s happening in your body and brain.
Healthline lists five specific scientific reasons for your cantankerous mindset:
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Lack of sleep
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Hunger
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Too much caffeine
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Shift in hormonal levels
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Underlying mood disorder
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
If it’s “That time of the month,” it could very well explain your cranky mood.
According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, “Your mood can change during the last two weeks of your menstrual cycle as well as two weeks before your period.”
Healthline says “Whether you’re menstruating or menopausal, a shift in hormone levels is believed to be responsible for this rollercoaster ride of emotions. Menstruating women often experience a sudden decrease in the hormone progesterone a few days before the beginning of their periods, which can trigger anxiety, agitation, and bad moods. Similarly, menopausal women deal with lower levels of both estrogen and progesterone.”
There is help for the dreaded hormone-induced crankiness. A study showed that taking omega-3 fatty acids can help minimize PMS symptoms. When a hormonal shift is occurring due to perimenopause or menopause, there are lifestyle changes that can help. You can also talk to your OB/GYN about hormone replacement therapy.
Strategies For Managing Bad Moods
We’ve established the causes for bad moods, but is there anything you can do to snap yourself out of one?
Tiny Buddha has these suggestions to turn that frown upside down:
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Get to the root: “If you’ve ever snapped at someone who didn’t say or do anything to offend you, you’re familiar with this common dilemma: you feel something but you’re not entirely sure why. So you start looking for explanations. The kids are too loud. Or the TV’s too small. Or the car’s too dirty. Maybe you’re afraid of acknowledging someone hurt you because you prefer to avoid confrontation. Or maybe you’re disappointed in yourself but admitting it is too painful. Whatever the case, it’s time to be honest. Lashing out won’t address the problems that are creating your feelings.”
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Be real: “There’s no point in pretending you’re full of sunshine when internally you feel like crying or screaming. You’re entitled to feel the full range of emotions and express what’s on your mind when you need to. Don’t worry about bringing other people down; you’ll only do that if you dwell in negativity. If someone asks what’s wrong, be honest: “I’ve had a rough day, I don’t feel so great, but I’m sure I’ll feel better when I…”
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Complete the “I’ll feel better when I…” sentence: “Everyone has something that’s guaranteed to put a smile on their face. Playing with your dog. Watch reruns of Friends. Jump roping to bad eighties music. It’s helpful to have this Ace in your pocket to pull out when you need a smile.”
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Take responsibility: “Sometimes when you’re down, it might feel like you have to stay there. But the truth is we can influence how we feel by choosing what we do. Sitting around sulking causes prolonged sadness. Doing something proactive will help you to start to feel better.”
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Think it out: “The best way to change how you feel is to change how you think about what’s bothering you. Instead of dwelling on what went wrong, identify what you learned and what you can do with that knowledge to make your next moments better.”
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Change the story in your head: “Sometimes when you’re in a bad mood, it’s tempting to cling to a story that justifies it, and then retell it over and over like a picture book you’ve heard a million times. And then he said this…And then I did this…then I messed up…Visualize yourself closing a book and taking a new one off the shelf.”
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Want to understand: “Even if something happens to create a bad mood, you’re responsible for maintaining it, and it’s easy to do that if you refuse to see the other side of situations.”
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Uplift yourself: “Defuse your negative feelings by generating positive ones. Watch something funny and silly on YouTube. Or watch something inspirational that reminds you that people are good—life is good.”
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Use the silly voice technique: According to Russ Harris, author of The Happiness Trap, “Swapping the voice in your head with a cartoon voice will help take back power from the troubling thought.”
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Repeat: “You’ve tried everything but your mind is still being stubborn. Now it’s a battle of wills: the part of you that wants to let go against the part of you that doesn’t. Repeat this to yourself: ‘I still feel bad. I accept it. I know I won’t always feel bad, and it will change as soon as I’m ready.’ Simply affirming that you won’t always feel bad—that you’re not destined to feel angry, sad, or frustrated forever—and that you are in control of your feelings might motivate you to let them go.”
When To Seek Help/Talking To A Therapist
If you find your bad mood is hanging around for more than a few days, it may be time to talk to someone. You could be dealing with an underlying or undiagnosed condition such as depression, anxiety, or a mood disorder.
“Depression is diagnosed when a person experiences five or more specific symptoms for more than two weeks,” according to the American Psychiatric Association.
Talking to your doctor can help you determine if there is something deeper behind your lingering bad mood and the next steps to take.
How do you turn that frown upside down when a bad mood hits? Share with us in the comments!
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