How To Channel Your Bad Moods

• Buried negative emotions can be stressful:

you can channel too much of yourself into keeping them in check or repressed. It might feel as though avoiding anger or negativity will stop you feeling those things – but it takes a lot of effort to avoid them, and that’s effort you could better direct elsewhere. And anger can be helpful: it can certainly help you understand yourself better, because by thinking about what upsets or annoys you, you become more aware of your personal values.

• Acknowledging these feelings

and feeling what they mean us to feel, can also allow you to let them go and move on. All feelings are there for a reason: the important thing is to decode the feelings, to see if there’s a useful message to take from them, and if there is, to think about it. Frustration, anger and anxiety are all feelings that point to a need for change.

• Take a leaf out of Sonninen’s book and write down what’s most annoying you right now

(don’t worry, you can destroy the piece of paper afterwards). Is it your partner? Your kids? Your parents? A friend? A colleague? Why are you annoyed with them? What’s most irritating about the situation? How does it make you feel? Have a cup of tea, then read what you’ve written and see whether this helps you decipher what you can do to change the situation. But remember: there’s only one person it’s ever going to be possible to change…