Awareness 101

Four Basic Moods

Awareness is one of the keys to becoming free from a sense of being stuck or locked up. Awareness is understanding that something is happening or exists. Applied to ourselves, awareness is an understanding of who we are in the moment. This is self-awareness.

A foundational idea in this discussion is:

The more aware we are of ourselves, the more choices we will have. The more choices we have, the more control we will have over how we show up in the world.

One element of self-awareness is acknowledging that we all have moods. Below are four basic moods that will help you identify and become more aware of yourself.

This list is not exhaustive and will serve as a guide in your becoming more aware. As you read below, take note of any experiences you are having inside your body… contractions or expansions, temperature changes, increased heart or breathing rate…just notice as if you were on a train and you were noticing scenery. Resist judgment or analysis. (eg, “I noticed tightness in my throat when I read about….”:

Resignation

A resigned person does not see the future as a space of possibilities in which his/her actions can contribute to make it different from the present..that is, the person feels they have no choice and often no hope of choice. There is an association between resignation and depression.

Resentment

In this mood there is a story that says we have been wronged by someone who has done something to us. The tricky part here is that the person causing the harm might be you! Someone in resentment often views themselves as a victim and is inclined toward retaliation. Retaliation often leads to greater dissatisfaction.

Acceptance

An individual in the mood of acceptance is willing to acknowledge a disturbance or unfavorable situation while choosing to move forward. We don’t have to like what happened. In fact, acknowledging that we don’t like what happened and moving on is an act of courage. (eg, “I see that I didn’t get the promotion, and I am choosing to move ahead with my career path. I don’t like the fact, and I am willing to move on.”

Ambition / Excitement

In this mood a person sees or senses possibilities that others may not. Taking the example above, the individual takes the setback as an opportunity, choosing to believe that something better lies ahead. This is an active choice that acknowledges the current mood (eg, resignation) while making a conscious decision to declare “I am choosing to be excited about the next thing that is about to happen.”

Please understand that at some point in life we all have experienced each of these moods. The greatest challenge is to suspend judgment when acknowledging a mood (Avoid thinking that…Resignation = Bad… Ambition = Good) when we are becoming aware of ourselves.

If you would like to explore these moods in greater depth, or you have general question about how to shift your moods, please reach out to me at
[email protected].

Keep in mind that we are not responsible for the mood we wake to or find ourselves in the moment, but we are responsible for the mood in which we choose to reside.

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