“And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a slump. And when you’re in a slump, you’re not in for much fun. Unslumping yourself is not easily done.” That quote is from the great sage, Dr. Suess in Oh The Places You’ll Go. I think we can all relate to being in a slump. Slumps can be long periods of feeling stuck, and these can often be a reason that people seek out therapy. Slumps can also be shorter—extended bad moods that people just can’t seem to work their way out of for hours or days. I’ve had numerous people describe to me that one bad thing can wreck their whole day because a bad mood just lingers and won’t go away. Frankly, I can completely relate to this as well. Sometimes many of us simply connect with what Terri Clark sang about back in the early 2000’s and say, “I just want to be mad for a while.”

The company Calm, who has a well-known mindfulness app, has an article** about this topic. They identify the causes of bad moods as:

Stress–this is probably the most common cause of bad moods.
Lack of quality sleep–this can damage the mood and cause irritability.
Lack of quality food–the typical American diet is high in sugar and highly processed foods which can cause a lack of essential nutrients and cause inflammation.
External factors–this includes news and social media.
Physical health–our overall health is very connected to our mental health.
Personal expectations–being overly critical of ourselves or having unrealistic expectations can affect the way we think about ourselves.
Lack of downtime–having time for hobbies or doing what we enjoy is rejuvenating, and without this time we can start to feel burnt out.

The Cleveland Clinic recommends* embracing the slump. Like Dr. Suess said, they aren’t much fun; however, they are normal for everyone to experience from time to time. Getting help can be important when we’re down, but it’s also important to take a look inward. Most likely irritation, sadness, and anger are sitting on top of a core feeling that needs to be understood. It’s not only alright, but also sometimes necessary, to sit with the feelings and allow them to wash over you. Journaling could be particularly helpful for sorting through difficult feelings. Sometimes we can get especially down on ourselves when we’re in a bad mood. This can lead to a lot of self criticism. Many of us say and think some pretty awful things about ourselves, but most of us would never talk to a friend like that. Next time, imagine what you would say to a struggling friend and apply that same grace to yourself.

Getting out and socializing is also recommended* for beating the slump. Introverts may hear this and cringe, but there’s no denying that we are social animals. Connecting with friends and loved ones is a great way of boosting one’s mood, and there aren’t strict rules for what that connection has to look like. Maybe that connection can be through phone calls or video chats in addition to in-person get-togethers. Isolation tends to worsen bad moods. While you’re getting out, also consider the importance of upping your physical activity as well. This is a fantastic way to get out of the slump.

Other important forms of self-care* for dealing with a bad mood include:

Practice mindfulness through the use of an app, a class, a youtube channel, or even just being present with the movement of your breath.
Creation, which can include–journaling, art, gardening, baking, construction, or any other way in which you can bring something positive into the world.
Clean up or organize something in order to create some satisfaction and reduce the anxiety that can come with clutter.
Listen to mood-boosting music.
Take a little break from work. When I’ve worked at stressful places I’ve found that eating my lunch in a peaceful place can be much more relaxing than the break room.
Get into nature.
Plan a vacation.

There are a lot of ways to beat the slump, but these tips are no substitute for digging in and uncovering what doesn’t feel right in the first place. Even if your slumps are short-lived, it is still helpful to figure out what is contributing to them. If you’re having trouble getting these answers on your own it can help to talk to someone. There is plenty of value in talking with friends or family when we’re down and struggling. Some problems can run a little deeper, and in these situations it can help to speak with a counselor in order to find the answers you’re looking for. Just please remember that the slump isn’t permanent. It can take hard work to break out of it, but to finish with another quote by Dr. Suess, “Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.”

*https://health.clevelandclinic.org/not-feeling-like-yourself-lately-how-to-get-out-of-a-funk

**https://blog.calm.com/blog/how-to-get-out-of-a-bad-mood

There’s something that I frequently recommend to clients that often results in some groans of complaint. That thing is journaling. Journaling is a very effective form of self reflection, and there is a ton of research pointing to it being very effective in improving mood and processing negative beliefs. I often meet some resistance from clients when I suggest this, but I can say that those who do their journaling homework typically come back saying that they found it to be helpful. Psychcentral calls journaling* an expressive coping mechanism that allows people to release feelings onto a page or document. The idea is to take something from inside of us and place it outside of us. This is actually why I tend to recommend not going back and re-reading previous journal entries. After a significant amount of time has passed (maybe a year) it could give people a sense of their growth if they read an old entry, but going back and re-reading something difficult that they recently expressed tends to have the effect of reabsorbing the feelings they’ve previously expressed.

Journaling helps with many different mental health* conditions. It alleviates anxiety because anxious thoughts tend to feed each other, causing people to ruminate or dwell on them. This can often feel like a snowball going down the hill picking up more snow and growing larger. By journaling, people have the opportunity to process the worries differently and even reflect on other ways to think about anxiety-producing situations. Journaling is also very helpful with depression and trauma when used correctly. Studies show that journaling about the activities of the day do little to relieve depression symptoms; however, writing about deeper emotional experiences and the accompanying thoughts can (over time) help reduce depressed mood and feelings. It can also help people on their path to recovering from trauma to write about the experiences that they’ve been through. This can be very triggering, so it would be much safer for people who have been through trauma to do this while undergoing counseling.

Gratitude journaling is another option, or one that can be incorporated into other forms of journaling. We’re wired to notice the bad more than the good. It’s actually more of a survival strategy passed down from our ancestors, and it likely helped them survive in a more primitive and dangerous world. Still, this negativity-bias can contribute to or worsen negative moods and feelings. Taking time to write down* what you’re grateful for can be a way of countering depressive thoughts and feelings. If you’ve had a terrible day that started with stepping on a lego and only went downhill from there, you might tell yourself that there’s nothing to be grateful for. There’s always something to be grateful for, though. You can be grateful for the breath you just took, the sun on your face, the rain that keeps plants alive, or this giant space rock that we all call home.

Psychology Today gives 10 reasons** why it’s a good idea to journal:

Similar to what has already been mentioned, journaling relieves stress and anxiety.
It helps to stimulate creativity and the development of original ideas.
It helps to improve memory, which would be especially beneficial for those who are at higher risk of age-related memory conditions.
Boosting self-awareness and personal growth.
As mentioned previously, it improves mental health and reduces the symptoms of a variety of mental health conditions.
It helps improve motivation.
It improves relationships by helping people to better understand the people in their lives as well as a reminder to be grateful for them.
It improves productivity by helping people create structure for themselves.
Finally, journaling can be a form of legacy that is left behind for descendants, should you choose to make it available for them.

Journaling is an effective tool for coping in the moment. However, the best effects of journaling are cumulative. Ongoing journaling on a regular basis* is significantly more effective than when it is used as an as-needed tool. Having said that, I would still tend to say that anything a person does with the intention of improving their life, physical health, or mental health is a good thing, even if it isn’t done regularly. An important thing to consider is what method works best for you. You might want a specific leather-bound journal and a fancy pen, you might want a spiral notebook and a broken pencil or cheap give-away pen, you might prefer to type into a hidden folder on your computer. It doesn’t actually matter what method you use, and if it’s necessary to experiment with different tools, that’s fine too. Your method of journaling, like your thoughts themselves, belong to you.

*https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-health-benefits-of-journaling#depression

**https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/modern-minds/202301/10-good-reasons-to-keep-a-journal