How to keep your cool when others' bad moods get you down?

There are times when a good day can go completely south, all because someone else's bad mood is dragging on. Whether your mom was fretting about finances on your nightly phone call or your boss suddenly put you down, other people's emotions can override your own.

However, you struggle when your stress is negatively affected by others' stress. In those situations, you have to learn how to not let someone else's mood affect you - even though you can relate well to others, you must put yourself first.

1. Put a name to the feeling.

Being sensitive to other people's energy can make it hard to distinguish whether what you are feeling is yours or someone else's. By naming your feelings, you can help yourself cope with them.

When someone joins you in the middle of an excellent day, anger might arise that doesn't belong to you. Differentiating and naming your feelings can help you determine which ones belong to you and which ones belong to others.

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2. Become grounded.

If you find yourself absorbing the energy of those around you, ground yourself back into the present. Choose a nearby object to focus on. Describe what you see around you. Feel something that has a unique texture. Breathe deeply to rejuvenate yourself.

By focusing on the experience instead of the feeling, you can keep the energy around you separate. Meditation and mindfulness can also be helpful. It's less likely that you'll take on others' negative emotions if you're fully present.

3. Become self-aware.

It's important to be self-aware when you're sensitive. Take time out for yourself. Get in touch with your emotions. Don't judge your feelings. Find out what triggers you negatively. Take note of what gives you joy.

Knowing your own feelings, moods, and triggers will help you identify when you are picking up someone else's energy.

4. Imagine a glass wall.

The energy of other people can be separated using a variety of techniques. Creating a glass wall between yourself and the other person is one technique.

You can see the emotions of the other person through the glass wall. Emotions, however, cannot penetrate the wall. If they hit a wall, they'll bounce back to the other person.

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5. Embrace curiosity.

When you are curious about the other person's feelings, you will be able to separate their feelings from your own. If you want to avoid taking on someone else's bad mood, ask them about what they're experiencing.

Empathizing with the other person can allow you to keep your own feelings separate, no matter how empathic you are. Curiosity can help someone begin to process their experience through sharing, which can help you feel closer to them.

6. Establish strong boundaries.

If you are empathetic, it is very important to have strong boundaries. Since it is natural for you to understand and empathize with others, you might easily become a dumping ground for their negative emotions.

It is essential that you know yourself and what you are and are not able to handle. You might need more alone time than others to feel energized. Certain people and situations might be particularly draining for you and you may have to limit your exposure to them.

Effective boundaries help you set limits based on your own needs, feelings, and energy levels. This way you can limit your exposure to those people that consistently drain your energy.

7. Let go of your emotions.

Incorporating all the above will still result in you absorbing the emotions of others. To avoid becoming overwhelmed, you can use another visualization technique. Imagine leaves floating down a stream. Imagine writing down your feelings on a leaf.

With the leaf flowing down the stream, the feeling leaves with it, and you're left with only the calmness of flowing water. The next time you are able to pick up on someone else's emotions, give this a try.

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It's a gift to be empathetic, but maintaining a strong sense of self is the key to being empathic without the negative side effects. The ideas above may be helpful if you are an empath and find yourself absorbing negative energy around you.

So that your compassion, understanding, and healing energy can shine through. Go for a walk, drink some water, or wear headphones and listen to a song that makes you happy.