“It isn’t always stress, with its accompanying low-level fear, that drives our bad moods. But sadness and hurt tend to come out in tears, after which we feel better. Fear most often emerges as lashing out, which is a defense against feeling vulnerable. At a lower, more daily, level, fear manifests as low grade irritability, self-criticism, perfectionism, annoyance, resentment, judgment of ourselves and others, and general negativity.
You can’t stop your mind from being negative sometimes. The job of the mind is to watch for danger. That gives our minds a negativity bias.
But you can commit to a better way of handling low-level fear when it arises, before it spirals out of control.” This article describes 6 practical mindfulness tips that will help you shift your mood.