Moods and emotions are a domain of the body that have garnered mixed reactions and afforded little attention especially by those who have prioritised rational thought over feelings. According to Raphael Echeverria they are not benign but inextricably part of our being and contribute significantly to those actions we are able to take in life.
To understand moods and emotions is to accept that they both play a significant role in the way we take action as a human race. They are inextricably linked to our linguistic maps and can keep us where we are if we do not pay attention to their grip.
Emotions are produced whenever we experience a change in the flow of life. They are associated with what we have called breakdowns i.e., interruptions in the transparency of life. Whatever we do, we always do it within a given space of’ possibilities. If something happens that leads us to a different assessment of what it is we can expect in the future, we would call this a breakdown. A breakdown always implies a change in our space of possibilities.
Essentially I am saying that emotions are reactions to external events and as such determine the set of possibilities open to us from this emotional space. Loss evokes sadness and good news evokes joy etc…We do not have to linger in emotions they visit us.
Moods on the other hand are with us so to speak we live from a mood space. In an earlier blog I described the four big mood terrains, Resentment, Resignation, Acceptance and Ambition. Once in a particular mood, we become what that mood allows us to be. In this sense, we cannot only say that we have moods, it is also true that our moods have us. We are possessed by our moods.
The good news is that we can alter the mood space we act from and design a more productive operating space. We have said that moods create a certain range of possibilities that alone we see are possible. The opportunity then is to explore the possibilities and have conversations to alter these. In many ways this is obvious but because moods have not been transparent it often eludes us that we can intervene and redesign a new mood.
Some guidelines for design;
1. Consider the conversations you are having and not having and be responsible for the mood you are inhabiting
2. Observe and identify the mood you preoccupy- Resentment, Resignation, Acceptance and Ambition- which one?
Consider these four questions
- What is my world view
- How am I assessing people around me?
- What assessments do I have of myself
- What assessments do I have about my future?
This should give an indication of which mood you are occupying.
3. Be aware of the stories that surround your mood and the stories that perpetuate the continuance of that mood.
4. You are not responsible for the mood you are in but you are responsible for staying in it.
5. Once you have examined these assessments try to ground them or any other linguistic act you can observe, i.e. declarations, assertions etc…A nuance to any of these can shift your mood or your ability to stay in it.
6. If you know you dwell in a recurrent mood build some repertoires to support yourself. Call a friend, take some physical exercise or avoid those conversations or places where the mood is likely to prevail.
7. Don’t forget your body if you change your physical posture you can shift your mood space.
8. We are always in a mood good or bad but it is helpful to know you can design ways to shift your mood.
Like most things reviewed in this blog space it calls for practice. Enjoy!