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Have you ever had one of those days where everything just feels off? Like no matter what you do, you can't seem to find your rhythm? Or maybe you've been in a situation where the smallest thing sets you off and you are left wondering, why did I react like that? Well, you're not alone today On the Upgraded Life Project, we are diving into a topic that affects all of us every single day, our moods. If you have ever felt like your moods seem to control your day more than you'd like, then this episode is for you. I want to share with you how our lives are run by our moods, and in the long-term can often become the destiny and life we live, but it need not be like that. By the end of this conversation, I'm going to share with you five tips that help you master your moods and start to take your life back.

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Tips that will help you shift your emotional state quickly, no matter what life throws your away. So if you are ready to take control of how you show up, improve your relationships, and make better decisions, then stay with me. This could be a game changer for your daily life. But before we get into that, welcome. If you are new here, I am Nickel your host, and this is the Upgraded Life Project, the show that's all about simplifying personal transformation so you can live the life of your dreams. I'm on a mission to help a million plus professionals create a life that they truly love. As a transformation expert coach and mindfulness teacher, I've had the privilege of guiding over 10,000 professionals across the globe on their path to self-improvement. As the founder of Mind Wizards Transformation Tribe, I've created a community where we come together to support, inspire, and uplift each other on this incredible journey.

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And with that, let's get started with moods. It's been an area I have been studying for quite a few years and noticing how it underlines our entire waking hours. I noticed how it shaped my life, both at times for the better and at times for the worse. I noticed how others' moods ended up shaping my life again at times, sometimes for the better and sometimes not for such a great day. Well, whatever I learned from that today, I'm excited to share that with you. It'll be one more step on your journey of personal transformation, but a crucial one for sure. Here is an insight. I noticed moods run our lives. What do I mean by that? Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine waking up one morning and it just does not feel like it's going to be your day. Maybe you barely slept or you've got a lot on your plate, emails piling up, deadlines approaching and whatnot.

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And then as you start your day hoping that things do turn around, everything still feels like a struggle. The smallest inconvenience, a spilled cup of coffee, a missed appointment, the Russia traffic, that just doesn't seem to end well. It all does feel like the end of the world doesn't it sounds familiar at all to make it worse, if you share this with someone, often what you get to hear, oh, don't worry, it is just a bad day. Well, it's easy to dismiss this as just a bad day, but here's the thing, the thing that others do not realise, what you are really experiencing is your mood filtering your day. Your mood has become the lens through which you are experiencing everything around you, and it doesn't just dictate how you feel. It starts to dictate how you react, how you interact, and ultimately the decisions you make that day. Well, shall we go a bit deeper? Think back to a recent time when you were in a great mood. Maybe it was the weekend, maybe you were relaxed, laughing with friends, partying, doing things you love to do. Well, generally just feeling on top of the world. Notice how everything just seemed to flow. Your conversations, your decisions, even your thoughts felt light and easy and upbeat. A bit like the sound of a nice dreamy day.

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Now imagine the opposite. A time when you were stressed, frustrated, feeling alone, feeling lost. It's a completely different world, isn't it? Well, here's the truth. Moods are powerful. They are the unspoken drivers behind how we show up in a great mood. Everything just seems to click into place. You are more patient, you are more open to opportunities, and life just feels well right? But in a blow mood, in a bad mood, it can feel like everything is an uphill battle. So why do our moods have so much power over our lives? Let me tell you why. Moods shape your perception of reality. It is like wearing different pairs of glasses in a positive mood. It's like putting on roast tintin glasses, feeling joyous, finding solutions more easily in a bad mood. Those glasses get foggy and dark. Every task starts to feel daunting, every conversation starts to feel strained, and every decision feels heavy.

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And at times, well, why do I have to take a decision? Even that is something we can go through. But here is the real secret. Just like glasses, your mood can be changed, and that's what I want to share with you next. I promise that I'm going to share with you five tips to get better at mastering your moods. Along with that, I'm going to share what you can do about them in the moment. Think of these as the basics to build your mood mastery muscle. Well, let's break it down. Here they are the first one. Awareness is the key. The first step to mastering your moods is simply becoming aware of it. Take a moment multiple times in the day, use this moment to check in with yourself. Ask, what am I feeling right now? Well, if you're curious, ask the second question, what's making me feel this way? This awareness, it helps you recognise patterns in your moods and how they affect your reactions, how things that happen to you, things that you choose to do make you feel a certain way.

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As you go through this awareness process and you notice that you're feeling off, here is something you can try the next time that happens, just take a deep breath and name the mood. If you can name it, you can tame it. It might sound simple, but naming what you're feeling gives you a little distance from it and helps you see things more clearly. The second, change your state. Change your mood. Well, that doesn't mean you pick up your stuff and your luggage. You pack up and you go off to a different state. In a country, what I mean by change of state is change your physical state. Sea moods are like waves. They come and they go, and one of the quickest ways to change your mood is to change your physical state. Move your body, go for a walk, stretch. Well, I even dance to my favourite song, and it's amazing how shifting the body can instantly shift your mood so that next time you're feeling stuck, get up and shake it out for just one to two minutes, jump around, stretch.

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Just be foolish, be playful, or simply take a brisk walk. You will find that your mood follows your movement. Time for the third one, practise gratitude Daily. I know this one sounds cliche, but gratitude is truly a mood shifter. When you intentionally focus on what you're grateful for, what's working for you, it changes the story you're telling yourself. Instead of focusing on what's not working, you start noticing the small wins, the joys, the positives in your life. A quick tip every morning, write down three things that you are grateful for, and they don't even have to be big. It could be as simple as the sun is shining, or I just got a great cup of coffee, or the fact that I have someplace to go and work. Do this consistently. Make this a habit and watch how it changes your mood over time.

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Now down to the last two. So for those of you who love to write, here is the fourth tip. It's called the mood journal. Now, before I get into what it really is, here is a super critical thing to remember When you are doing the mood journal activity, it's not to be typed into your phone or your laptops or your tablets. The way to do this is to actually pick up a physical pen pencil and use that to write into a notebook. Keep a small notebook or use loose pages if that's what works for you. But every few hours, jot down what mood you are in. See what triggered it. Just write whatever comes to your mind around this mood that you're in at that particular moment. Write till the time it feels like you've written whatever is happening to you, whatever's coming to you naturally. And when you feel that's done, just let it be. Over a week, over two weeks, you'll start seeing patterns. The longer you do this, more patterns emerge, and the power lies in recognising those patterns because once you recognise them, you have the power to start changing them.

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Now, to top it all, the fifth one of all of these five, and these is a super powerful one. It's called a mindful breathing reset. Now, there are many ways in which you can do this. I'm going to share with you one, and I'm going to point you to doing a little bit of self-research to what are some of the other ways in which you can try it. So here's one of the ways in which you can do a mindful breathing reset. When you feel a negative mood coming on, try this. It's a breathing technique. Close your eyes, breathe in for four counts, hold for four counts, and breathe out for four more counts. Repeat the cycle at least three times, or you can keep doing this cycle till the time you start to feel a little bit more upbeat. The reason this technique works is because it helps to reset your nervous system, and that is what shifts your mood almost instantaneously.

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If you do a bit of research, you can find other techniques, five counts in five hold, five out, three counts in four, hold five out, and then four to be held again after you've exhaled. And there are other variations to it, try and play around with some of these and see which ones work for you or maybe which one works for you. In which situation. What's important is that you pick techniques and combinations that work to give you results. Try these for a week. See if you can push to 10 days and notice what you learn about yourself. Notice what you learn about how your moods respond to your techniques. You just might be surprised at how a small change can create a big shift for you.

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Above everything else. Here is something that I really want you to remember. Your mood does not have to run your day, let alone your life. You have the power to choose how you respond to life, how you show up, and how you feel. It all starts with awareness, intentional action, and the choice to shift your mood whenever you need to. Remember, transformation isn't just about making big changes. In fact, it's really about mastering the small moments and your mood. Well, it's one of those small moments that can really change everything. So if this episode resonated with you and you found something valuable here that could help you take control of your day, then share this with a friend who might need to hear it too. And if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to the Upgraded Life Project so you don't miss out stories and practical tools to help you transform your life one day at a time. Until next time, be kind. Be mindful.