Taking Control of Your Mood

Reading the newspaper, listening to the news on television or podcasts, or checking one’s social media feeds, is an exercise in strength – inner strength. “Real Estate Prices Rise Pricing Home Buyers Out of the Market.” “International Markets Wary.” “Country Polarized – Frustration Mounting.” Sometimes, the only way to keep a smile on your face is to quit listening, watching and reading!

Of course, shutting off all outside information is one way to control your mood. However, becoming un-informed about the world around us, on purpose, can be self-defeating. We need to understand this ever-changing dynamic, in order to prepare ourselves for the future.

So, what do we do? Well, we make choices. Sometimes, we have a few exceptionally good options, and the challenge becomes trying to pick the best one. Sometimes, there is a big difference between two options, and it is easy to pick one or the other. And sometimes, those choices aren’t everything we wish they would be, but we make them because the current alternative may be worse.

Ultimately, it is our choices that define us. They are reflections of what we believe to be true about ourselves and the world around us. We can decide to dwell on the negative, build scotomas (blind spots) to anything positive, and generally feel miserable all the time. Or we can look for the positive, find it because we are looking for it, and give ourselves the ability to meet each day with a smile and expectations that something wonderful will happen.

We all have this choice. We can either get bogged down in the negative, or look for the good. If we look for the good, more than likely, we will find it. Our minds are built to let in those things we feel are important to us, and we can use that built-in ability to find both the good and the bad. It’s up to us which one we choose.

So, in a world threatening to be overwhelmed by the negative, why not choose to look for the positive? It might just provide some perspective on the craziness.