Mood is the way you feel at a particular time. Before inviting a friend to a film show, you ask him, “Are you in a mood to see a film?” This is because we are not in a mood to see a film all the time.
The trouble with mood is that it changes quickly. One moment you are cheerful and the next moment you are sunk in despair. You may have seen people in a good mood, sad mood, holiday mood, silly mood, foul mood or filthy mood. However, most of us try to be in a good mood to go through life.
What are you going to do if you are in a foul mood? One method is to listen to some mood music, especially romantic music. However, you cannot listen to mood music all the time. Therefore, you have to find other ways to get into a better mood if you are down and out.
As a callow youth I had to work in a government office for some time. My immediate boss was a middle-aged chief clerk who was always in a grumpy mood. We were scared to make the slightest noise in his presence. However, after lunch his mood changed and he became a jovial man. Such mood changes can happen to anyone.
When you are in a lousy mood you tend to snap at people. When you do so, your blood pressure goes up making you vulnerable to heart diseases. In fact, the chief clerk mentioned above died of a heart attack. Later I learned that people who get into bad moods are sleep-deprived. If you do not enjoy seven hours uninterrupted sleep, you will get up with a foul mood.
Internal chemistry
Psychologists say changing moods are reflected in the internal chemistry. Suppose you entertain a feeling that you won’t be getting a promotion can make you unhappy. When this happens, your brain starts pumping more dopamine. As a result, you will be wired and your body gears up for a fight or flight situation. Anyway you cannot avoid such mood swings because all of us need emotions, but we should not allow them to control our activities.
You will never meet anyone who has not experienced foul moods. However, with some effort, you can reduce the occurrence of bad moods. You may have seen people who are chronically angry and hostile towards others. They never have a good word for their colleagues. A 1995 study of over 1,600 heart attack victims by Harvard University researchers found that a single angry episode would double your odds of having a heart attack.
You can avoid a lot of life-threatening situations by mastering your moods. An effective method is to discover why you are getting angry. If you can find the reason, half the problem is solved. The reason for your frustration may lie deep within your psyche.
For instance, most of us do not get what we really want. However much you work hard, you may not get a pay rise or a promotion. Naturally you will get into a foul mood and spoil the day. If you allow the problem to crop up, you can solve it easily.
Biorhythms
Sometimes your moods are caused by biorhythms which determine your peak hours. However, biorhythms are natural processes over which you may have no control. Robert E. Thayer, Professor of Psychology at California State University says the food you eat decides the level of your activities.
According to him, your problem seems more upsetting at night leading to sleep deprivation. Our energy levels are at a peak in the morning and they drop off in the afternoon. When energy is low, stressors will bother you. People feel happy when their body temperature is elevated. If you pay close attention to your moods, you will be aware of the mood swings that occur. A recent study at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has confirmed that sub-optimal amounts of sleep can play havoc with your emotions.
At the same time, you should try to get in touch with nature. Those living in congested cities rarely get a chance to be in touch with nature. The situation in industrialised countries is even worse. However, even those living in mega cities should try to be in touch with nature. To be in touch with nature is not something difficult. If you have a small garden, get busy with pulling out weeds early in the morning. If this is not possible, open the windows and look at the green grass and trees.
Stephen Kaplan in his thought-provoking book ‘The Experience of Nature’ says, “Workers whose offices fronted a natural setting were more enthusiastic about their work. They also had fewer symptoms of illness.”
Get moving
If you really wish to fight a bad mood, get moving. Do not sit in a chair and contemplate what is happening to you. Move out into the garden and see the grandeur of nature. Take a brisk walk whenever possible and avoid taking vehicles for short trips. When you walk you begin to live anew. Walking reduces tension immediately and it will give you a much needed energy boost. As mood swings are often fuelled by neurotransmitters in the brain, eat wisely. Sometimes poor eating habits will make you cranky. If you take a balanced diet, most of your mood problems will vanish. At the same time, limit your sugar and caffeine intake. Drink at least six to eight glasses of water per day.
Most people do not know that dehydration can cause fatigue. What is more, cultivate a positive outlook avoiding negative moods. For that matter, everything around you is essentially neutral. You impose positive or negative values on them. At the beginning, you will find it difficult to get rid of negative moods. If you are unaware of negative moods overcoming you, listen to others. Your daughter or wife will tell that you are in an angry mood. At least then you should be able to do something about it.
