Help me - I'm moody!Follow

Emotions last only a few minutes. For an emotion to to persist over a longer period of time, and become a "mood", the emotion has to keep getting re-triggered, either by an outside event or by internal dialogue, where you are dwelling on an issue.

There's two ways to change a mood from within yourself.

First way, focus on something different. Focus very very hard on all the things going on around you, every sight, smell, texture, sound, taste. Focus exclusively on what you are doing, or if you are in a position to, find an activity you normally really like doing, and go throw yourself into that.

Whenever your attention drifts back, or gets caught up again, in the mood, (and what triggered it in the first place, if you know what that is), just note to yourself that it happened, but don't be upset with yourself. Just consciously bring yourself back onto the alternatives you were focusing on.

If you find this all difficult, well, most people require LOTS of practise at it. Once you are good at it though, it works a treat. Some people need classes before they get good enough at it to be able to alter a mood at will.


Second way, if you have particular long term problems with an emotion/mood, is "opposite action". In the case of anger, the "opposite action" is "approaching with kindness". If you are angry with a specific person and that anger isn't justified, then do something nice for that person. Sit and deliberately find some nice thoughts to think about that person.

If you can't bring yourself to be nice to that particular person, then be nice, or think nice thoughts about someone else. Don't try and concentrate on getting rid of the anger, just concentrate on nice thoughts about someone you know. something like "His hair looks really nice/She's really good at guitar." You aren't trying to actually achieve anything in the outside world, you are just trying to achieve peace of mind in your own head.

It's even better when you are just generally irritable, rather than cross with one particular person. You can deliberately act and think in a kind and generous way to anybody around you, and the actions and thoughts should get your mood to simmer down eventually.

(Disclaimer: if an emotion/mood has arisen out of a natural response to an outside event, then obviously you should act to problem solve, or engage with that event, where appropriate.)

/giggle