{"id":1203,"date":"2023-04-09T09:28:21","date_gmt":"2023-04-09T09:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/?p=1203"},"modified":"2024-09-02T23:44:02","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T23:44:02","slug":"who-left-your-mood-in-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/wp-dev\/who-left-your-mood-in-charge\/","title":{"rendered":"Who left your Mood in Charge?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Does This Sound Like You?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

You set goals for yourself, but if you don\u2019t \u201cfeel like it,\u201d you do nothing about them?  You have plans for the day, but if you wake up in the morning feeling down and depressed,  you ditch them for a pint of Ben and Jerry\u2019s and a day of channel surfing instead?  You promise yourself you\u2019re going to work on treating your family members nicer, but in the heat of the moment, you start yelling?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Who Left Your Mood In Charge Here?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re ever going to stop procrastinating and achieve those goals you\u2019ve been shooting for, then you are going to have to consider making a truly profound change in how you do things: You have to stop leaving your mood in charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Might Not Apply To You, Yet\u2026<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If you suffer from debilitating depression or severe anxiety that prevents you from functioning normally, then this advice is not for you. Not yet, anyway.  You need to get professional help, first, before you can make this profound change.  Expecting yourself to ignore your mood to get things done just isn\u2019t fair if you can\u2019t even get out of bed in the morning or out the door.  Make an appointment with a good therapist first, so you can regain normal functioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behavior Does NOT Depend On Mood<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

To stop letting your mood call the shots, you have to do a couple of things differently.  First, you have to understand that your behavior is NOT dependent upon your mood. Really! You can be angry without losing your temper.  You can be productive without feeling motivated.  You can follow through on plans or goals you set for yourself, even if you don\u2019t \u201cfeel like it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s In Charge Here?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Second, after you understand that your behavior is NOT dependent upon your mood, you need to decide who\u2019s in charge. I love old black-and-white movies where some kind of chaos is going on and the authority figure bursts in, demanding to know \u201cWho\u2019s in charge here?!\u201d Yeah!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what I want to know: Who\u2019s in charge?  You Are!
Weren\u2019t you the one who set that goal?  Weren\u2019t you the one who made those plans?  Weren\u2019t you the one who decided that you needed to make that change in the first place? The answer is yes. Yes, you were the one.  You are in charge.  Your mood didn\u2019t decide anything.  You did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can You Just Trust Yourself?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t really make sense to allow your mood to call the shots when you were the one who made all the plans when you weren\u2019t \u201cin a mood.\u201d  Can you trust that you knew what you were doing when you set those goals?  Can you trust that you know what is best for you\u2026 better than your temporary mood does?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Back Your Personal Power<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Try going about your plans even if you\u2019re not feeling as confident or happy when you wake up as you were when you made those plans.  Just try it and see what happens.  Try moving forward with the steps toward your goal even though you aren\u2019t feeling overly motivated.  Try following through, regardless of your mood. See if your mood changes.  See if your mood settles down and lets you get to work on your goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It sure feels good to be the one in charge!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Dr<\/em>.\u00a0Anita Sanz<\/em>, PhD, Psychologist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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