Well, it feels like Spring has arrived here in London and right now I am sitting on a train heading into town, glancing at all of the happy people outside in the sun!
It’s amazing how everyone and everything seems so much better when the sun shines. Have you noticed that?
Though, the sun doesn’t have to shine outside for you to feel good on the inside. And on this point, I have been doing some self-tracking to see if I could discover the secret formula to a good mood!
So about year ago now, I started tracking my mood every morning and every evening, giving myself a score from 1-10, 1. being ‘best not talk to me mood’, and 10. being ‘Polyanna eat your heart out’.
The data input didn’t take me long at all, but it has been a very insightful exercise.
Most days my scores range from 6-7, the lowest has been a 4, and the highest a 9.
So, with this insight, I tried to pull this apart to see what led to a 9 so that I could repeat this “feel good” mood, more often!
What I discovered wasn’t really a surprise, but there was indeed a pattern. My mood is affected by some foundational activities that I do such as getting quality sleep; the amount of exercise I do and what I eat and drink. It’s also affected by the thoughts that are going on in my head, which are influenced by what I focus on: what i read, who I talk to, what I listen to, what I see. For instance, I discovered that listening to the news on my way to work puts me in an anxious mood as gives me the impression that everyone is either a terrorist; a racist or a paedaphile. Quite obvious really, but changing that habit so that I now listen to uplifting audio books on my way to work has had a huge impact on my whole day.
Do you know what specifically affects your mood? Why not write a mood journal for the next 7 days, and work out what affects your mood…. the results may surprise you. Don’t forget to pay attention to your self talk.[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/1″][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” custom_height=”25″][vc_column_text]
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