Moods. And how to survive them.
Musings on Heart Powered Human Leadership
Moods. I know a lot about them.
Here’s the bottom line: We all have innate wellbeing and resilience — and in reality nothing can keep us down apart from our own thinking in the moment. BUT — It really doesn’t feel that way sometimes.
In fact it can be a bit annoying when people say things like this when we are gripped in the experience of a low mood.
When we are buffeted by the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune — when shit goes down. It can feel like that feeling of ok-ness or wellbeing has gone away — and gone to stay.
It can feel like there is something wrong with: other people, life, me. And it can feel real. And we can go down. Low.
I know. I really do. In the past (especially when this blog was written in 2018 — my own annus horribilus) we have been chilli-peppered with challenging life circumstances for us. Painful losses, deaths, illnesses, financial uncertainties about the future, broken promises, emotional upheavals — impending change and more losses. I could go into the details but in a way they don’t matter — it’s just life happening. Not what I hoped, expected or wanted — but you know, the stuff that knocks you down. Where you end up having a lot on your mind about it.
I think I’ve been getting a masterclass in ‘learning to dance on a shifting carpet’.
But you know what all that taught me? For sure: I have bounceback-ability — and so do you — we were ALL born with it. No matter what our circumstances are doing right now, what mood we are in or how we are feeling. I have learned so much about worry and feeling responsible. It is such an energy suck. And how much time I used to spend in that vortex.
In 2018, I was so far from knowing what to do in a particular rather undesirable life circumstance — I had no choice but to let it go. And let it be.
I wondered if this was the lesson the universe had in mind for me?
I have really discovered since that worrying actually doesn’t make any difference and makes my experience shitty — and makes me so self-absorbed and shitty for others to be with.
So I might as well let go, have faith and keep moving forward — feel into and align with what the universe has in store — as somehow the universe always provides. It always has. It’s quite extraordinary how it does every time — even when it looks impossible (although not necessarily to my will or schedule)
I am proud of myself that this last time — more often than not — I’ve just carried on and regularly found things to enjoy in the moment — little things — despite the easy and habitual temptation of letting my mind go to the various ‘disasters’ we have been navigating.
I have even found the capacity to dismiss negative thoughts without a second thought (hah) — such an interesting thing to reflect on — the power of letting go and letting ‘God’.
Quite a few sages have pointed me in this direction over the years — maybe this last experience was given to me (like a ‘Swansong’) to truly demonstrate that I can trust. That…
Control is overrated and totally illusory.
I know I am a traveller in my bones — never happier than in the unknown and in the spontaneous moment of discovery — although in the day to day of life’s responsibilities that spirit can seem quelled — I wonder if I could live even more of my life from that free spirited — life traveller essence.
From Inspired (in)action. From faith. From KNOWING that whatever happens it will be ok.
Because ok-ness — that feeling of home — isn’t a function of what is happening out there. It is inside. It is our true nature — waiting for us when the storm of our current thinking passes. When we can embrace what is — right now.
It’s so nice to feel and see and bathe in the beauty of the now, right now. And feel grateful.
Today there is sunshine — so it could seem that my gratitude is facilitated by the fact that today is going well because of the sun and other X good things and really I could be seduced into thinking it is — but you see — the truth is I have had X good thing — inummerable times and felt all sorts of crap moods.
It’s always an inside job. I am just grateful that I can feel grateful this time.
It is interesting how different platitudes, cliches, ‘old wives’ sayings (Wise Women) can come to have a deeper more visceral meaning when you have a personal, insightful and embodied experience of their truth for yourself.
‘Let go and let God. Be in the now. Control is an illusion. You are what you seek.
When we have the peace that passes understanding of acceptance and surrender available with what we are feeling right now — then gratitude is truly what is left — even on the darkest of nights.
This too will pass.
And when it does - gratitude arrives and it is our only access to joy — right here, right now.
And en JOY ment is the best game in town.
Working with Changemakers to let their wisdom lead real change.
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Check out my free podcast material Elizabeth Lovius — Let Wisdom Lead — lots of short and long audio on here
Check out my free interviews with the wonderful psychiatrist and Mental Health Pioneer — The Dr Bill Pettit Real Change Podcast series — there is only ONE Mental illness: Chronic mental stress https://soundcloud.com/user-880385600/sets/real-change-live-podcast
You will hear plenty of stories of hope for real change.
Also there is a hopeful book just out called Upside-Down & Backwards: The INNOCENT Failure of Mainstream Psychology by Dr Thomas Kelley
Stop searching, stop struggling, stop coping!
It refers to the spiritual path of Ascension and Oneness I mention in other blogs, that helped me so much on my own journey.
This book is based on published Academic Research of Kathy Marshall and Dr Thomas Kelley that just came out in International Teacher Magazine, as well as other published papers —co-authored by Dr Thomas Kelley, Dr Bill Pettit, Dr Judy Sedgeman, and Dr Jack Pransky published in the Journal of Spiritual Psychology and Counselling.
My own work is cited in this book in the DEEPER DIVE BOX on p. 180.
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