Archive for December, 2007

Improve your mood with thought.

Thursday, December 6th, 2007

I noticed the other day that my mood and the emotions I feel at any time, are very often unrelated to the present situation that I am actually experiencing. For example, if I hear my alarm clock go off in the morning and I know that I have to wake up to do something I don’t want to do, I’ll feel pretty annoyed and I won’t be in a great mood. On the other hand, if I hear my alarm clock go off in the morning and I realize that I have to wake up to get ready to catch an airplane to go on a fun vacation, I’ll be in a great mood.

I find it interesting that my mood can be so different even when what I am doing is exactly the same. For example, getting ready to do something I don’t want to do is the same as getting ready to do something I would love to do. I have to wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, put my clothes on, etc. (I actually put my clothes on before eating breakfast!)

If you are unhappy with your job or another part of your life, it is easy to allow that unhappiness to affect other areas of your life. For example, if someone doesn’t like their job, they are not only unhappy during the 8 hours at work. They often are also unhappy when they wake up because they are thinking about how bad the day is going to be, they are unhappy while driving to work because they are thinking of how boring their job is, they are unhappy after work because they think about how boring the next day will be.

What you think about is so unbelievably important for feeling good (or feeling bad). What you think about determines your emotional state much more than what you are doing does. You could be at work doing a really boring job, but have a big smile on your face because you are thinking of a joke that your friend told you. You could also be at a really fun party with your best friends, and be feeling bad because you are thinking about how you are still angry with your boyfriend or girlfriend for something they did a week before.

Try not to allow yourself to feel bad for no good reason. If you are feeling bad, just realize that it’s most likely because of what you are thinking about, not what is actually happening at that moment. What you are actually doing at that moment probably isn’t really that bad. Try to think of things that you like to think about instead of thinking about what you hate. If you don’t like your job, think of a good plan about how you can get a new job, or how you can make your current job better. If you can’t think of something to make your situation better, then think about something else that you enjoy. Don’t just waste your time thinking about how bad something is. That’s ridiculous!

I always look forward to your comments!

Andrew