10 Simple Ways to Change Your Mood

Maybe it’s the change in seasons, but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how to get out of a funk—that in-between state where nothing is wrong, but everything feels quiet. I was more tired than usual, less focused, and strangely unmotivated from things I normally enjoy. It wasn’t amazing to say the word, but I felt it through everything.

Sometimes there is something when you wake up—a weight you can’t explain. Other times, it builds up slowly, almost imperceptibly, until you realize you’ve been going through your days at half-strength. You do things, technically, but without your usual clarity or power. And the more you try to get through it, the slower it seems.

Featured image from our interview with Mary Ralph Bradley by Michelle Nash.

My idea is to always adjust. To reset, prepare, get back on track. But I’ve learned—through a lot of trial and error—that getting out of a funk is about interrupting the pattern with something that shifts your energy just enough.

It’s not a full reset, but it’s like a pivot. Go outside a few minutes longer than usual. Putting on music while making dinner. Allowing yourself to go slow instead of trying to catch up. The kind of choice that doesn’t feel like a solution, but changes something anyway.

When I feel this way, I don’t try to rearrange my routine or just become a different version of myself. I look for a small opening—a moment where I can re-enter my day with a little more presence. And often, that’s enough to start changing the tone of everything that follows.

How to Get Out of the Funk, Stat

When you’re in a funk, even deciding what to do can feel overwhelming. There’s a habit of overthinking—searching for the perfect reset, the perfect routine, the thing that will completely get you out of it. But often, the fastest way to feel better is to simply make a choice and follow where it leads.

And, we’re trying to make a small change—something that breaks the loop you’re in and brings you back to your body, your environment, and your life as it really is. Even a small change in energy can be enough to build momentum.

If you’re not sure where to start, start here:

• Go outside for five minutes—no phone, just light and fresh air
• Drink a full glass of water and eat something with protein
• Text or call someone you trust, even just to say hello
• Take a short walk (around the block counts!)
• Put your phone in another room for 10 minutes and notice how you feel

The goal is not to fix everything. Feeling a little better than you did five minutes ago.

1. Do One Thing That Supports Your Body (For Now)

When I’m in a funk, my first instinct is to figure out why. I need a mental explanation of what isn’t working, what needs to change, what I should be doing differently. But often, the problem is not what I need figure out. It’s something I need to support.

Low mood can come from incredibly simple places: not enough sleep, not enough water, low blood sugar, too much time inside… And when your body feels drained, your mind follows. What feels like a lack of motivation or clarity is sometimes your system asking for something basic.

I learned to start there first. Not with a full reset or a well-planned routine, but with one small, caring act. Something that doesn’t require too much thought—just a way to tell my body that I care.

Try this:

Before you reach for your phone or try to push the feeling away, be still and do one thing to support your body. (See the list above.) Start with what feels easiest, and notice the changes.

2. Move Your Body (Even A Little)

There’s a version of this advice that sounds easier to ignore—the one that suggests a full workout or some kind of structured routine when you’re already exhausted. This is not the case.

When I’m in a funk, movement works because it changes something quickly. It changes my surroundings, my breathing, my pace. It interrupts the mental loop just enough to create a little space between me and whatever I’m feeling.

And it shouldn’t be much. Sure: the less, the more likely I’ll do it. A short trip. A few minutes of stretching. Even just getting up and moving around instead of staying in the same place where the air is still.

There’s something about changing your physical state that reminds you that you’re not stuck with how you feel.

Try this:

Go outside and walk for five minutes. Or put on one song and shake your body for the length of it. Keep it short, and let it change your mood rather than your routine.

3. Get Out of Your Head

One of the quick ways I know I’m in a funk is how internalized everything is. My thoughts grow, my vision shrinks, and I begin to analyze things that wouldn’t have that much weight. Even if there’s nothing technically wrong with it, it can start to feel heavy by sitting with it for too long.

What helps, almost always, is to take my attention outside. There’s something basic about connecting with another person—engaging in a conversation, even briefly, that isn’t focused on your own internal conversation.

Try this:

Reach out to someone you trust—a quick text, a voice note, or a short phone call. Ask them how they’re doing, or share a little something from your day.

4. Say What Really Happened

Sometimes what sounds like vague, all-encompassing funk is actually something much more specific that hasn’t been fully acknowledged until now. I’ve had days where I thought I was gone, and realized—when I slowed down enough I realized—that I was worrying about something, avoiding a decision, or harboring a thought I hadn’t fully processed.

Change happens when you put words to it. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it removes the weight of ignorance.

Try this:

Take a few minutes to write down what’s been sitting in the back of your mind. No structure, no sorting—just get it out of your head and onto the page, and see what’s clearer.

5. Change Your Location (Even A Little)

It’s easy to underestimate how much your surroundings change your mood—especially if you sit in the same place for hours. I see this a lot on days when everything starts to feel stagnant. But even a small change of environment can disturb that feeling. Separate room. Removed area. Fresh air. We don’t want anything spectacular. It just needs to be enough to show that something is moving again.

Try this:

Open a window, go outside, or go somewhere completely different. When you’re sitting, open up one small space—a desk, a nightstand, a corner—and notice how it changes the way the room feels.

6. Step Away From Your Phone

There is a certain kind of funk that sets in after too much time in your phone. Your energy drops, your focus dissipates, and your mood starts to feel softer than ever.

It’s not just a waste of time, it’s a constant investment. You take in more than you can process, often without realizing it. And when you’re already feeling relaxed, that extra noise doesn’t help—it makes it hard to hear yourself thinking.

Try this:

Put your phone in another room for 10 minutes. I speak fully where I am unreachable. Then do something simple and analog: make tea, stretch, sit near the window. Pay attention to how changing the input changes your power.

7. Do Something A Little Different

Funk can sometimes come from sameness—same method, same input, same pace day after day. Even if everything works technically, there’s a point where it starts to feel a little flat. Instead, try introducing something small and unfamiliar—just enough to break the pattern and bring back a little curiosity.

Try this:

Side quests are trending for a reason! Take a different route on your trip, listen to something you wouldn’t normally choose, or change one part of your route to find something new. It’s just a small change that reminds you that there are other ways to go about your day.

8. Create a Small Anchor in Your Day

When everything feels scattered, it helps to have something stable to fall back on. I consider these anchors—simple rituals that gently bring you back to yourself.

It’s less about what you do, and more about giving your date a point of contact. Something that feels constant, even if everything else doesn’t.

Try this:

Choose one small moment in your day to treat yourself differently. Sit outside with your coffee. Take a break between activities and take a deep breath. Keep it short, but purposeful and notice how it changes the pace of your day.

9. Intentionally Allow Yourself to Relax

Not all relaxation is the same. I’ve had many times where I’ve tried to auto-pause scrolling or segmenting a scene, only to feel drained (if not worse) later.

What really helps is a different kind of relaxation. The kind that feels chosen, not passive. Something that gives your mind a break without overstimulating it—where you don’t eat too much, you just allow a little space.

Try this:

Set a timer for 10–15 minutes and step away from screens. Sleep, sit in a quiet place, or do something simple with your hands. Don’t be deliberately productive, and see how you feel on the other side.

10. Shift Your Focus Forward

When I’m in a funk, it’s easy to stick with how I feel right away. Everything slows down to the present, and it can start to feel like it’s going to last longer than it actually does.

Don’t try to force a prospect or plan a full plan. Try to create a little sense of progress. Something that reminds me this time is not forever, even if it feels like it.

It can be as simple as thinking about what might be fun later today, or later this week. Not in a way that adds pressure, but in a way that restores a little pressure.

Try this:

Write down one thing you are looking forward to. Keep it simple and clear, and let it be something you can come back to when you need a reminder that this feeling isn’t the whole story.

This post was last updated on April 18, 2026, to include new information.