Free-Range, Organicly Grown Emotions...
...Not a good thing!

So this morning I woke up and I just lay there. I lay there thinking of all my problems and just how many hills I have to climb. I went through several emotions; melancholy, anger and resignation to name but three.

It took something like 30 minutes for the intelligent part of my brain to kick in - which is very poor by my standards. This part of my brain acts as a watchdog - making sure the rest is behaving as it should. As I have said in previous posts, the mind likes to play dirty so you have to be on your guard unless you want to fall into depression.

I have realised this morning that the mental training I do in order to keep my mood on a high has been rather slack of late. I say slack, more like non-existant. I have been dwelling on things and avoiding issues - the top two things I'm NOT meant to do.

So remembering what I have learnt, I got up out of bed and decided to go downstairs to the computer and share my training with the world. It's not complicated, it's not difficult and it will sound bloody obvious but the trick is to keep an eye on yourself and take action rather than the knowing what action to take.

• If lying in bed dwelling on things, make yourself get up. Make a cup of tea, change the sheets - anything. Your mind is trying to put you in a miserable mood using the snowball effect (i.e. one thought leads to a worse thought that leads to a worse thought, and so on). Getting up and doing something will give your mind a new focus. This is not the same as avoiding the issue (see next point).
  
• If you can feel that you are in a bad mood (lets face it, we all have off days), take any opinion you come up with with a pinch of salt. That opinion will be tainted by your mood and is therefore biased. For instance, if you are in a bad mood and look in the mirror, you might see a worse looking person to the one you see when in a good mood.
  
• ALWAYS keep in mind that you can be a good person if you choose to do so. There is ALWAYS choice. It is not egocentric to have faith in your abilities, noris it egocentric to believe that you can be a force for good in the world. Remember that little things will always make a big difference. Saying hello to people with a smile, for instance, will often make the other person smile, who will then go on to make other people smile and so on. A rather simplistic example I know, but I hope you get my point.
  
• Personally speaking, I do not believe in organised religion (please remember that belief in a god and belief in a religion are two separate entities). However, their more general teachings are the basis for a happy life. For instance, treating others how you wish to be treated will often lead to them returning the favour. However, for me, if they fail this test, then I begin treating them how they treat me. Only fair, but I give them ample opportunity.
  
  I do believe in peace of mind and feeling secure within yourself. So I always remember things like this - if I treat people with respect, and they show me none, then I am the better person and I should feel proud for being the better person (as opposed to feeling sad/anxious because I am treated badly).
  
  To me, if you are secure in yourself then you do not need religion. However, many people find religion equally as beneficial. So whichever route you take it doesn't really matter as long as you have your dignity and belief in your own abilities.
  
  Nobody but nobody can take away your self-respect and have absolutely no right to tell you how to behave. Suggesting or advising is one thing, ordering/forcing is another. You are not wrong for resisting this type of treatment.

There are many further tips I could give, but I would end up writing a book. In fact, much of this advice is already in books. One of the books I gained a hell of a lot from reading was this one. I would recommend it highly.

So now, guess what? I am in a far better mood than when I started this post. Writing this has helped me to remember a few points I had forgotten. So I am going to get a lot done today and stop avoiding things. For instance, I have a lot of washing to do. There is also tidying up, cleaning and - the most important of all some would say - eating!