George S. Pransky writes that moods come and go like the weather changes. No one knows why our thinking suddenly changes the way it does, giving us a different feeling state. Although we may respond to our low moods differently, we all experience our low feeling states in similar ways. Pransky lists these 6 bullet points:
- Our mental activity — or thinking velocity — increases.
- Our thinking gravitates to problems and dissatisfactions.
- We experience a heightened but distorted sense of immediacy. For example, we think we must do something right away about our circumstances.
- We feel self-conscious. It seems we are the center of everybody’s attention.
- We have a pessimistic outlook. We notice limitations and are blind to possibilities.
- We entertain many negative thougths, emotions and concerns.
Pransky emphasizes, it is not the mood, the feeling state, itself, but how we relate to it that determines the quality of our life. It is our thoughts about our moods that cause us distress.
Can you relate to this?
I can.
On Saturday I went on a nice hike walking through the woods, passing fields, crossing small streams, enjoying nature and the time with my companion. The weather was dry and grey. Just before the end, we saw a tiny spot of light blue sky shining through all the grey clouds. Everything was fine then.
Already in the restaurant, my thoughts changed. I thought about worthiness and capabilities. I questioned ideas that I had and my thoughts seemingly questioned me as a person. My mood went down and more weird thoughts entered my thinking. While I was pondering my worthiness I realized these are just thoughts.
In solchen Momenten versuche ich, mich an Buddhas Ratschlag zu halten: „Lass den Gedanken fallen“.
My friend and I noticed something to laugh about and laughed freely. I enjoy that we laugh a lot together. Sometimes I am amazed that we laugh so much. In comparison to other friends, we laugh by far more. It just feels right! My mood went up again.
Kurz bevor ich von Solingen nach Hause fuhr, schlug das Wetter um und als ich an Köln vorbeifuhr, regnete es in Strömen. Meine Laune blieb trotzdem gut. Ich hörte gerade den Podcast „The School of Greatness“. Wenn ich meinen Geist mit optimistischen, positiven Ideen von anderen Menschen füttere, dann ist er auch optimistisch und gut drauf.
I didn’t internalize Pransky’s list of bullet points yet. When my thinking changes and I realize it, I try to let go quickly. I try not to jump onto the thought train and go for a wild ride with it.
I believe being able to recognize the signs is important for me. I want to react quickly when something does not serve me well. This relates especially to my thoughts. I prefer to be in a beautiful state. Sometimes a low state comes. That is okay. I am not okay if I dwell in a low mood for too long.
If it is really true that my thoughts to my moods are causing the distress. Then it is also true that a low mood may be okay for a while.
It all comes down to the quality of our thoughts that we dwell on. Thoughts come plenty. Choose wisely.
Which thoughts do you prefer and/or think predominantly? Are you living in a beautiful state?
