If I Am In A Bad Mood....

[Data]

This is partly me talking to myself!

If I am in a bad mood, the best thing that I can tell myself is that it won't last. Its a form of regression to the mean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_toward_the_mean). If I'm feeling bad, then I'm going to feel bad again, but more importantly I'm going to feel good sometime in between. And I'm really going to appreciate those good moments, because I will remember the bad.

I won't tell myself that feelings don't matter. I won't dismiss how I feel. Because feelings do matter, and even though they are illogical, they are what make us human.

I won't tell myself that other people are worse off than me, or listen to people who say that. Although its true, its not relevant and its dismissive and likely to just make me angry.

I won't try and control my emotions directly. I can't change the way I feel about things. Emotions don't usually triumph over logic. For example, I might know jealousy is silly, but that won't stop me feeling jealous.

I will try and do things to make myself feel better. Thats what gives me an an element of control over my emotion. I shouldn't just think of this as distraction, because endless distraction makes life seem a bit pointless. Its about healthy hedonism. Listening to music I like. Going for a walk. Watching something on youtube I like. Reading my kindle, etc etc.

I will accept how I feel, and deal with it.

If I'm aware that I am feeling bad, that's not the end of the world. In fact, its a small triumph. Because bad moods are inevitable. When its dangerous is if I am feeling negative (angry, scared, sad) and not fully aware of how I feel, or not aware of why I am feeling like that. In that state of denial, I make bad decisions (because I might not be aware of how I am letting my emotions drive me), and I don't deal with the emotions well.

I need to keep remembering where I have come from, and realising just how well I've done!

[pepsimeg]

This is really good data.

Xxx