Take care of those moods

Emotions and thoughts go hand and hand; they both stem from one's brain.  In effect, they affect eachother.  Epictetus, a Greek philosopher once said, "Men are not worried by things, but by their ideas about things. When we meet difficulties, become anxious or troubled, let us not blame others, but rather ourselves, that is: our idea about things."  David Foster Wallace provides a perfect example of this in his speech, "This is Water", with a short anecdote about a typical trip to the grocery store.  While human beings can encounter some truly troubling obstacles, we often over-exaggerate their severity.  Humans tend to focus on negative thoughts, as well as pity themselves unnecessarily.  Most likely, your individual problem is infinitesimal in comparison to some more pressing issues around the world.  I, personally, try to always put everything in perspective.  If I forgot to bring my cell phone to school, I remind myself that if I really need to contact someone, I could borrow someone else's phone.  Although at the moment I feel extremely vulnerable, I step back and look at the big picture: life goes on.
Sometimes one's mood can be difficult to control, so I've compiled a list of things that I find help me.

• Get enough sleep-  This one is pretty difficult to attain with busy high-school schedules and all the homework assigned, but after a proper eight-or-more hours of sleep, I awake feeling refreshed.  Sleep has been proven to improve one's ability to process information both quickly and thoroughly, so one is less likely to jump to conclusions about that mother in the restaurant who continues to let her baby cry.
• Avoid negative people-  Being creatures that seek approval, humans are often quick to agree with those we are around.  Spending time around negative people can sometimes transfer their nagging and complaining to you.
• Stay organized-  Your surroundings can largely impact your thinking.  Having clothes and papers strewn all over my floor will usually increase my stress level.  (As a side note: Feng Shui states that the following can affect one's mood: colors, furniture and decor, photos, lighting, sound/silence, and scent.)
• Take care of yourself-  This is arguably the most important.  Eating healthy and exercising regularly can help clear the mind and relieve stress.  So take a break from studying for that big test and run a mile or two around the neighborhood!