Whenever you find yourself getting habitually surly and you notice that your moods have become all too dependent on external factors or circumstances, it’s time to rein in your emotions. You must consciously be in control of your disposition so as not to affect your performance at work, unnecessarily hurt a loved one or even yourself.

It pays to make time to reflect about your attitude and how you react to your surroundings, other people, or a bad situation. You must keep yourself from being just a reactor of what the world throws at you. Here are some simple tips to lift your mood no matter what situation you are in.

Listen to a happy song that reminds you of happier moments. Thanks to portable audio gadgets around, this is a pretty easy habit to start. Listening to your favorite song does wonders after a depressing situation. It helps you refocus from your negative emotions to a more positive one. Not only that, while doing your activities, you become attuned to the context of the song, it’s like a musical pep talk you give to yourself.

Write down your thoughts. Writing down your thought, be it positive or negative, is a constructive way of venting. Instead of unnecessarily displacing negative emotions on other unsuspecting people, especially loved ones, write down all the nasty things you want to say or do. After venting, you can read what you wrote and see if it’s still how you feel, minutes after you wrote it. You’d be glad it saved you from doing something rash.

Step out of your comfort zone. All of us tend to get stuck in a daily routine, that we become a little devoid of excitement. It’s good to change some habits once in awhile. If you’ve always had your hair done a certain way, do it differently this time around. Be a little more adventurous with your style. You won’t know how many compliments you’ll get unless you try. But make sure to consult a professional hairstylist first.

Take a deep breath. When you find yourself getting mad, slowly inhale and exhale. Deep breaths help bring in more oxygen and slow down your body, relieving stress buildup. When you start getting upset at someone, take deep breaths, to face him/her more calmly.

Talk it out. Having someone trustworthy to talk over your emotions with is always a good thing. You not only get to “unload” your problems, you also get feedback about how to react to these problems. But one must be careful to moderate your sob stories. There is healthy unloading and there is constant complaining.