Sometimes, bad moods are inescapable. For whatever reason, you’re experiencing a day, or a week, or a month, where you’re just not yourself. That’s okay! I try to put out good energy, be good energy, and be someone who always has a smile easily available for whoever needs it. I think we all aspire to be that kind of person but some days, some weeks, it’s hard. And that’s okay. While it’s important to sit with all of our emotions, even the negative, there comes a point where the more we wallow in it, the worse it becomes. And we start to take our bad mood out on the people we love. I’ve had one of those days – or maybe more like one of those weeks – where I’ve been in such a negative head space that my bad mood has been sucking the soul out of me and everyone around me.

It’s a complex little combination of things that have led me to this place. I’ve stopped traveling and living a life that had me experiencing new and wonderful things + meeting new and wonderful people nearly every day for a very long time. I’ve come back to a place I had no intention of coming back to and now find myself most likely staying for much longer than I had wanted to. I am essentially starting a life from scratch, which is exciting, but is also complicated and sometimes disappointing. With no job, no traveling, and most people I know often busy with their own jobs and families, I struggle to find a purpose for all of this. Essentially, I’m struggling to readjust.

And, to top it all off, it’s snowed – a lot, and more than once – and it’s technically still meant to be summer. Or at the very least, I could accept fall. Instead, Alberta has plummeted into a blanket of snow and temperatures far colder than any I’ve experienced in nearly two years.

So, today my bad mood really hit me and it led me to a lot of overreaction, a lot of tears, and an absolutely foul mood. Maybe you’ve also just come home from traveling and find yourself in a bit of a post-travel depression or maybe you’re just in a bit of a funk. While we can’t just snap our fingers and feel better, and there are no magic quick fixes, these are three easy things you can do in a single day to help you snap out of it and get back on track to being the joyful person that you are.

ORGANIZE YOUR SPACE

At the moment, “my” space is my bedroom. My travel backpack was still half emptied, a mix of bathing suits and sundresses were tangled up in my warmer winter clothes, my dresser drawers were stuffed with clothes I had just bunched up and shoved inside, and I had about three different currencies of change laying around. Everything around me either reminded me of things that I could no longer use (even though I desperately wanted to be on a sunny beach), or I constantly got frustrated being unable to find anything.

Organizing, cleaning, or de-cluttering your space can actually reduce stress and anxiety. At a moment where I really do not feel in control of anything, I am totally in control of my space. So I tossed my hair up and got to work. I organized every drawer that was a mess and folded all of my summer clothes into them. I cleared the top of my dresser from unnecessary things and left just the stuff that made me happy: mainly seashells, a buddha, candles, and coconut oil. I hung up my winter clothes. I created a cozy nook of a bed full of throw pillows and warm blankets.

Maybe you feel overwhelmed and not in control of other areas of your life. If that’s the case, make your space a sanctuary that brings you joy. You’re in control of that, at least.

MOVE AND NOURISH YOUR BODY

Even though you might feel like sitting and crying in a corner all day, force yourself to get up and move. Roll out your yoga mat and stretch your body out. Go for a walk, a run, a visit to your local gym. Dance around the kitchen. Whatever you do, just get up and move. I have spent countless days binge watching Netflix shows (like, I’m talking an easy 6 hours a day, for days on end). Don’t do that, it doesn’t help. Today, I finally did some of my favorite workouts and jumped into my headstand practice that I love.

Just as important as moving is to fuel your body with healthy foods. Even if you feel the overwhelming urge to eat emotionally, try shoveling handfuls of blueberries into your mouth rather than sitting with an entire pint of ice cream and a spoon (I may have done both of these in the last two days). Better yet, stock up on your favorite produce and cook up a deliciously healthy meal.

DO SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW BRINGS YOU JOY

This can be anything that you enjoy. Maybe you’re artistic and don’t paint as often as you say you will. Me? I like to go get myself things that make me happy. So today that meant going into a tea shop, buying myself a warm latte and wandering around a bookstore for an hour. If you haven’t guessed, I like things that inspire coziness and warmth. I brought home three new teas, a new book, and a slightly better attitude.

They’re little, easy things and they’re not going to magically make you a happier person but they might help get you back on track. If anything, you might get a little bit of distraction out of them. It’s important that we take care of ourselves in any way that we can, as often as we can. While there are little tricks that can help boost your mood, an even better idea is creating and committing to a wellness routine.

It might sound daunting, but taking some time to discover what nourishes your physical, mental, emotional health can really improve quality of life. I’ve created an easy guide to developing your own wellness routine that might be a good place for you to start. Once you’ve come up with some ideas, do your best to make time for it regularly. And if that gets put to the side, it’s something you can always come back to at times like this when you need it the most.