Episode Summary
In the last couple of episodes, I have shared a couple of ways that we can break ourselves out of a low mood. But what happens if we hang on to that mood, even though we know there are things we could at least try to help shift it.
In this episode I share my thoughts and experiences of that issue.
Episode Show Notes
00:04 – The background to this episode.
00:59 – It is very easy to talk about changing moods when you are in a good one.
01:30 – As part of my own journey, I have been in some very dark places.
02:43 – According to Tony Robbins, there are three things we can shift to help change our state:
- The way we move our body (Physiology)
- What we are thinking about (Focus)
- What we say to ourselves (Language)
03:09 – When I think back to why I would hang on to my low mood and even wallow in it, there are 4 possible reasons:
- 03:21 – The downward cycle of self-loathing I found myself in would tend to drag me down deeper.
- 03:56 – I was probably addicted to feeling that way (meaning to change would have felt different and different might be perceived as being “wrong”).
- 04:54 – Making rational decisions about how to feel with my pre-frontal cortex is difficult when my amygdala has commandeered all of my mental resources.
- 05:24 – Rapid changes from a deep emotional state would undermine the foundations of that state.
- [Post recording notes – I am struggling to find the words to explain this but it is along the lines of a) I identify with the mood, b) to change it rapidly would threaten or challenge my identity]
I know there are things I can do to change my mood, but I just don’t want to.
There are two questions I have:
- 06:54 – How could I find the mental resolve to change my mood when I am feeling low?
- 07:07 – What could I do whilst I am in a good state to reinforce or strengthen my state of mind so I am less likely to drift back into a low mood?
