What we know from the psychology research on posttraumatic growth is that anyone can become a better version of themselves and have a more fulfilling and rewarding life out of dealing with a hardship or trauma, which is amazing and great news. As an expert in happiness, I recommend a technique that I call “flipping the switch on your emotions.” I define this method as taking an intentional action designed to help you feel better and improve your mood. This is a stopgap measure — meaning that while it doesn’t solve or fix the problem or issue that caused you to be in a bad mood, it will help you feel better.

“Flipping the switch on your emotions” is very much like turning a light switch on or off. Because it is an intentional action, you have to know in advance what things make you happy or feel better. When I coach people, one of the first things we discuss early on is what makes them happy. You might be surprised to know that many people don’t know what makes them happy. My clients and I do an exercise together to come up with an initial list of what makes them happy, which they continue to add to as they move forward. To help you get started using this technique, I am going to provide examples of actions you could take to improve your mood at work or at home.

Flipping The Switch Actions: At Work

• Hang empowering signs, little magnets or other visual signs.

• Come up with a cheat sheet of affirmations or quotes.

• Go get a drink of water or coffee, or use the restroom.

• Text a friend and ask for a pick-me-up text message.

• Close your eyes for a nanosecond and visualize your happy place or something that you love or makes you happy.

• Get on the phone with a friend and have a five-minute chat.

• Remind yourself that everything in life is temporary and that you will get through this.

Flipping The Switch Actions: At Home

• Listen to music you love.

• Go for a 10-minute walk.

• Do something you know makes you happy.

• Take a short nap, if possible.

• Do something productive, which could be a chore from your list, an errand or other task.

• Engage in a hobby.

• Pray or meditate for a short period of time.

• Arrange for a social outing to give yourself something to look forward to.

• Do something nice for someone else.

• Read or watch something that is funny, inspiring or otherwise uplifting.

• Write a thank-you note to someone.

Benefits Of “Flipping The Switch On Your Emotions”

Learning how to “flip the switch on your emotions” is one of the first techniques I train my clients in at the beginning of a coaching relationship. Here is a short list of the benefits of embracing this concept and learning to use it as often as needed.

• You might feel better right away.

• This can improve the quality of your life.

• You might gain more control over your emotions.

• It may increase self-awareness, which is the foundation of emotional intelligence.

• It may increase emotional intelligence, which is one of the most important skills or abilities a person can have.

• It might give your brain a break from the situation or incident, which is very helpful.

• You can develop new neural pathways and connections as you repeatedly use this technique, and your brain will become wired to respond to an upset by “flipping the switch.”

• It is very simple, easy and can be done quickly. Even at work.

We all know that life is hard and often painful. Learning new things can help you achieve a more fulfilling, rewarding and happy life over time as the posttraumatic growth research demonstrates. If being happy was easy, then everyone would be happy. It takes developing certain skills, abilities, habits and attitudes to have happiness rule your life. This technique might help you get there. I sincerely hope that you will give it more than a test drive.