Emotions, like the weather, come and go. Moods hang around for longer.
Just as a climate shapes the sort of weather that is likely, moods shape the sort of emotions we will feel.
When we're in a low mood, we feel more low emotions - sadness, tiredness, loneliness, hopeliness etc.
We also feel them more INTENSELY and they LAST LONGER.
We might still feel some upbeat emotions, but they're harder to find, we don't feel them very intensely and they pass quickly.
When we're in a more buoyant mood, we feel more upbeat emotions - joy, excitement, enthusiasm, motivation, belonging.
We also feel them more INTENSELY and they LAST LONGER.
We might still feel some low emotions, but they're harder to find, we don't feel them so intensely and they tend to pass quickly.
We might know why we're in our mood, or we might not. Sometimes we just seem to "get out of bed on the wrong side!"
Why is this important?
Because our moods and emotions also colour our THOUGHTS. (If you generally have a growth mindset, you have probably noticed times when you really don't!)
Moods affect our outlook on life and our behaviour with ourselves and others, including our dogs.
When we're aware of this, we can become more open to learning how to navigate the more difficult times.
Also consider the possibility that dogs have moods too.
More of my thoughts on this soon :).
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