Take advantage of your good moods and let your bad moods pass for a happy life.

Moods are useful. As Emerson so eloquently puts it, our moods color the way we see the world allowing us to experience our own reality from slightly different points of view. Moods help us respond appropriately to different environments. In a bright and happy mood, everything is possible. In a romantic mood, we see everyone as more attractive. In a sad mood, we turn inward to examine our own thoughts and to rest.

A good mood is typically characterized by openness, outward facing thoughts, and a tendency to be attracted towards things, while a bad mood motivates us to move away from things and tends to be more closed and inward facing. In a bad mood it is easier to get stuck in our own thoughts and a good mood makes us more receptive to outside stimulus.

And, our moods can be destructive when we fail to recognize that we have them, that they are temporary, and that they do color the way we think and feel. Also, a sustained bad, or depressed mood where the world consistently looks hopeless and dark can be a sign of the illness of depression and should be treated by a medical professional to avoid long term physical and psychological damage.

The key to healthy moods is to be aware that we have them and that they are temporary. When you are aware of the mood you are in and you remember that it is fleeting and will pass, it is easier to temper our thoughts and actions according to our moods. Like Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, sometimes it is best to think about something tomorrow. Likewise, strike while the iron is hot when a creative and happy mood strikes.

Thoughts, emotions and moods are all connected. Our thoughts control our emotions. Our consistent emotions impact our physiology and determine our moods. We can improve our moods and raise our emotional, happiness set point by thinking and acting differently.

Emerson tells us that our moods color our view of life like lenses and George Bernard Shaw cautions us to keep our lenses clean and bright for a better, happier, view of the world.

Take advantage of your good moods and let your bad moods pass for a happy life.

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Affirmation
I am aware of my moods and I use them to my advantage. When I am in a low mood, I rest, reflect, and postpone important decisions or conversations until my mood improves. I know how to improve my mood when appropriate.

Journal or Meditation Question
What is my prevailing mood? How does that mood color my thinking and feelings on key subjects or people? Do I think and feel differently on important topics and people when I am in different moods?

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