“Temperament lies behind mood; behind will, lies the fate of character. Then behind both, the influence of family, the tyranny of culture; and finally the power of climate and environment; and we are free, only to the extent we rise above these.” ~John Burroughs
Do you ever find yourself or someone close to you is in a bad mood? There can be many causes for this, ranging from life events to hormonal changes. Some people get into a bad mood when things do not go their way. A bad mood has ruined many an evening out, a family fun day, or an entire weekend.
Must we be held hostage to a bad mood until it has run its course? Only if we do nothing to try to change it. Regardless of what has triggered it, it is our thoughts that keep it going. Negative thoughts tend to beget more negative thoughts, so it is easy to fall into a downward spiral. Once a bad mood hits, we may not feel like doing the very things that would bring us out of it.
When we are in a bad mood, it is like some aspect of ourselves is running a brainwashing program designed to keep us in that spot. We can escape the cycle and shift our mood by changing our thoughts.
We can decide to let go of hurt or anger we are carrying towards another—decide to just let it go and have a good day.
We can decide that for the next few hours we will stop thinking about whatever is bringing us down. Imagine putting the issue away in a file folder to bring out later so it is not in the way of what we want to do now.
We can shift perspective, asking ourselves if this issue will matter at all to us one year from now. If not, then it is simply not worth letting it ruin our day.
Finally, we can decide that we are going to stay in the present moment—not thinking about the past or worrying about the future. This day will never come again, so it is best to be really sure how we want to spend it.
(For information on obtaining my MP3, Mood Therapy: Hypnosis for Feeling Better, please see below.)
Copyright © Gwen Randall-Young, All Rights Reserved. Contact us if you would like permission to reprint.
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Mood Therapy
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Stop Worrying and Start Enjoying Life