10 Simple Ways to Shift 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 exactly wrong, but everything feels slightly off. I was more tired than usual, a little unfocused, and strangely unmotivated by things I normally enjoy. It wasn’t dramatic enough to name, but I felt it in everything.

Sometimes it’s there the moment you wake up—a heaviness you can’t quite explain. Other times, it builds slowly, almost imperceptibly, until you realize you’ve been moving through your days at half-capacity. You’re getting things done, technically, but without your usual clarity or energy. And the more you try to push through it, the more it seems to linger.

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

My instinct is always to fix it. To reset, optimize, get back on track. But I’ve learned—through much 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 more like a pivot. Stepping outside for a few minutes longer than usual. Putting on music while you make dinner. Letting yourself move a little slower 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 overhaul my routine or suddenly 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 usually, that’s enough to start changing the tone of everything that follows.

How to Get Out of a Funk, Stat

When you’re in a funk, even deciding what to do can feel like too much. There’s a tendency to overthink it—to search for the perfect reset, the right routine, the thing that will fully snap you out of it. But often, the fastest way to feel better is simply making a choice and following where it leads.

Again, we’re trying to create a small shift—something that interrupts the loop you’re in and brings you back into your body, your environment, and your life as it actually is. Even a slight change in energy can be enough to build momentum.

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

• Step 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 hi
• Take a short walk (around the block counts!)
• Put your phone in another room for 10 minutes and notice how you feel

The goal isn’t to fix everything. It’s to feel a little bit better than you did five minutes ago.

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

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

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

I’ve learned to start there first. Not with a full reset or a perfectly structured routine, but with one small, immediate act of care. Something that doesn’t require overthinking—just a way of telling my body I’m paying attention.

Try this:

Before you reach for your phone or try to push through the feeling, pause and do one thing to support your body. (Check out the list above.) Start with what feels easiest, and notice what changes.

2. Move Your Body (Even a Little)

There’s a version of this advice that feels easy to ignore—the one that suggests a full workout or some kind of structured routine when you’re already low on energy. That’s not what this is.

When I’m in a funk, movement works because it shifts something almost immediately. It changes my environment, 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 doesn’t have to be much. Truly: the smaller it is, the more likely I am to actually do it. A short walk. A few minutes of stretching. Even just standing up and moving around instead of staying in the same spot where the mood settled in.

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

Try this:

Step outside and walk for five minutes. Or put on one song and move your body for the length of it. Let it be brief, and let it shift your state rather than your schedule.

3. Get Out of Your Head

One of the quickest ways I know I’m in a funk is how inward everything becomes. My thoughts loop, my perspective narrows, and I start overanalyzing things that wouldn’t normally hold that much weight. Even when nothing is technically wrong, it can start to feel heavy just from sitting with it too long.

What helps, almost every time, is shifting my attention outward. There’s something grounding about connecting with another person—stepping into a conversation, even briefly, that isn’t centered on your own internal dialogue.

Try this:

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

4. Name What’s Actually Going On

Sometimes what feels like a vague, all-encompassing funk is actually something more specific that hasn’t been fully acknowledged yet. I’ve had days where I thought I was just off, only to realize—once I slowed down enough to notice—that I was anxious about something, avoiding a decision, or carrying around a thought I hadn’t fully processed.

A shift happens when you put words to it. It doesn’t necessarily solve the problem, but it takes away some of the weight of not knowing.

Try this:

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

5. Change Your Environment (Even Slightly)

It’s easy to underestimate how much your surroundings shape your mood—especially when you’ve been sitting in the same place for hours. I notice this most on days when everything starts to feel a little stagnant. But even a small environmental change can interrupt that feeling. A different room. A cleared surface. Fresh air. We’re not going for anything dramatic. It just needs to be enough to signal that something is moving again.

Try this:

Open a window, step outside, or move to a different space entirely. If you’re staying put, clear one small area—a desk, a nightstand, a corner—and notice how it changes the way the room feels.

6. Step Away From Your Phone

There’s a specific kind of funk that sets in after too much time on your phone. Your energy dips, your focus scatters, and your mood starts to feel a little flatter than it did before.

It’s not just the time spent, it’s the constant input. You’re taking in more than you can process, often without realizing it. And when you’re already feeling off, that added noise doesn’t help—it just makes it harder to hear yourself think.

Try this:

Put your phone in another room for 10 minutes. I’m talking fully out of reach. Then do something simple and analog: make tea, stretch, sit by a window. Pay attention to how the shift in input changes your energy.

7. Do Something Slightly Different

A funk can sometimes come from sameness—the same routine, the same inputs, the same pace day after day. Even if everything is technically working, there’s a point where it starts to feel a little flat. Instead, explore introducing something small and unfamiliar—just enough to break the pattern and bring a little curiosity back in.

Try this:

Side quests are trending for a reason! Take a different route on your walk, listen to something you wouldn’t normally choose, or swap one part of your routine for something new. Just a small change that reminds you there are other ways to move through your day.

8. Create a Small Anchor in Your Day

When everything feels a little scattered, it helps to have something steady to return to. I think of these as anchors—simple rituals that gently bring you back into yourself.

It’s less about what you do, and more about giving your day a point of connection. Something that feels consistent, even when everything else doesn’t.

Try this:

Choose one small moment in your day to treat differently. Sit outside with your coffee. Step away between tasks and take a few slow breaths. Let it be brief, but intentional and notice how it shifts the pace of your day.

9. Let Yourself Rest Intentionally

Not all rest is the same. I’ve had plenty of moments where I’ve tried to relax by defaulting to scrolling or zoning out, only to feel just as off (if not worse) afterward.

What actually helps is a different kind of rest. The kind that feels chosen, not passive. Something that gives your mind a break without overstimulating it—where you’re not consuming more, just allowing a little space.

Try this:

Set a timer for 10–15 minutes and step away from screens. Lie down, sit somewhere quiet, or do something simple with your hands. Let it be unproductive on purpose, and see how you feel on the other side.

10. Shift Your Focus Forward

When I’m in a funk, it’s easy to get stuck in the immediacy of how I feel. Everything narrows to the present moment, and it can start to feel like it will last longer than it actually does.

Don’t try to force optimism or map out a full plan. Explore creating a small sense of forward movement. Something that reminds me this moment isn’t permanent, even if it feels that way.

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

Try this:

Write down one thing you’re looking forward to. Keep it simple and specific, and let it be something you can return 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 insights.