Expanding Your Personal
Criteria for a Low-Mood

The foundation of this column is that when you are in a “low-mood” under no circumstances should you trust what you are thinking and certainly not act on your thinking. Your thinking in that moment is trying to trick you as well as your feeling in that moment because the quality of your feelings will always equal the quality of your thoughts. We have all experienced this phenomena, especially in relationships with our partners. One moment you are really upset about something and then an hour later you suddenly have understanding and acceptance!  Another way of viewing this is you’ve had two different realties about the same event!  Which one would you like to choose!
 
One annoying but important aspect of a low-mood is:when in one sometimes we don’t know we are!   There are the obvious low-moods states: anger, sadness, impatience, resentment, etc.  It’s the subtle ones that can trip us up. How do we get out of a low-wood? First, become “aware” we are in one! So, discovering what are your subtle low-moods could be important! If you are here on a Sedona retreat with me and I get inspired, I will sometimes torture you by asking you to write what I call the low mood-list!  A low mood can simply be something that doesn’t make us feel good, feel stressed, feel uncomfortable at any degree. Sometimes, you just feel a tiny bit off or icky, not at peace. Here are some examples:
 
Analyzing
Assessing
Rationalizing
Justifying
Projecting
Worrying
Excepting
Tired
Trying to figure something out
Obsessive thinking
Non-acceptance
Needing to make your point
Taking to someone in your head before you talk to them
Wanting
Needing
Wishing
Searching
criticizing yourself
Judging others
Trying to fix someone
Trying to control someone or the world around you (this has many sub-categories!)
Boredom
Numbness
 
I am sure you are getting the drift and the list goes on and on! All these states will automatically block your natural wisdom. These are all personal thinking states or ego states. This is not to say that sometimes analyzing a business situation can’t be productive. But you be surprised how much of the time in business you could just trust your natural creativity and inspiration to flow something up inside you.
 
If you read that list, and as many clients respond, “OMG, this is pretty much my life!” Don’t worry about it—we have to start somewhere! Or if you doubt these are low-moods states in your life, ask yourself a brave and honest question, “When I am assessing or projecting, do I feel at peace?”
 
My suggestion is to explore what are your personal specific low moods states. For example: I had a highly-educated couple here on retreat last week and I noticed that they both did a lot of “qualifying” before they answered a question or even made a statement. That’s a tip off they are in their head or being little insecure and thus in a low mood. They really saw it—it was cool!
 
So you become aware you are in a subtle low-mood, then what do you do? Now, buckle up, this might surprise you! Don’t do anything! Meaning, don’t try and figure out why you are, don’t try and get out of it, etc… Just point yourself in a nice direction and gently wait (without really waiting) for your innate wisdom/mental health to return.  And it always does! And through your natural health, you will “see” that thing you were upset about with greater perspective. If I showed you a film of your life, I could point out a thousand moments when that’s exactly what happened. You were crazy as a looney bird about something and an hour later you had perspective and understanding about that event. All I am suggesting you try is to do it on purpose! Wait it out!
 
Again, use your feelings to gauge when you are in a low-mood, it can be very subtle. The more you expand your personal definition of a low-mood, the more you will be in your natural spiritual intelligence. That’s how it works—low moods obscure our wisdom—if you brush away what’s in front of wisdom—you are in your wisdom. It’s really that simple!!
 
A Ho,
Greg