Thread by @ResilienttHuman

7 Proven Steps to DECODE Your Bad Moods

(Psychology-backed methods to give yourself an unfair advantage)

= THREAD =

Thinking clearly is a critical skill.

But it gets becomes muddled when emotions get involved.

- You don't know what you really feel
- You can't decide how best to react
- You don't know how you can get better

And all the critical thinking skills get thrown out of the window.

You descend into anxiety and self-criticism.

Or you make decisions that you regret forever.

The solution?

Know about your emotional landscape and learn to navigate it.

So here's a step by step guide to decode and navigate your bad moods:

TL;DR

1. Explain your emotion like you're five
2 . Distill the flavor of your emotion
3. Figure out your blend
4. Isolate the emotions from the physical symptoms
5. Gather data
6. Figure out your kryptonite.
7. Stop trying to "solve" your emotions

Let's dig in...

1. Explain Your Emotion like You're Five

Children know when they feel sad, happy, or angry.

But grown-ups let go of this simplicity.

They hide behind vague terms.

They are "pissed" or "stoked". Never "angry" or "excited".

Simplify your emotions.

This is the first step.

2 . Distill the Flavor of your Emotion

Identify the basic emotion family.

There is only a handful of them:
Fear, Sadness, Joy, Anger, Guilt, etc

Now dig down and understand the flavor of your emotion.

If you are angry, find out if you are irritated, raging, frustrated, resentful, or annoyed.

If you are afraid, find out if you are anxious, terrified, frightened, shocked, or panicked.

Clear language lets you understand what you really feel.

3. Figure Out Your Blend

You rarely feel any one emotion.

There are always quiet emotions lurking behind the dominant one.

Anger often has some disappointment, fear, or frustration mixed in it.

Get used to this idea of an emotional cocktail.

Decoding them becomes easier.

4. Isolate the Emotions from the Physical Symptoms

The body and mind are connected.

So often negative emotions can rise out of physical discomfort.

Try to isolate the physical symptoms.

Maybe the pit in your stomach is not anxiety but just last night's dinner?

5. Gather Data

Strong emotions can make you feel helpless.

Because you don't know how long this phase will last.

So what to do?

Gather data.

Data is beautiful as well as powerful.

It gives you the power to predict and set expectations correctly.

When you're upset, notice your dominant emotion.

Rate the intensity on a scale of 1-10. Write it down.

Revisit after 3 minutes.

Repeat this a few times more.

See how your emotions ebb down.

You will learn how little the intense emotions actually last.

6. Figure Out your Kryptonite.

Everyone has an emotional kryptonite.

An emotion they are so scared of, that they go the extra mile to avoid it.

Find out what's that for you.

You will find many of your bad decisions were actually the results of trying to avoid that emotion.

7. Stop Trying to "Solve" Your Emotions

Treating emotions as problems backfires.

You try to find a quick fix. But it makes things more complicated.

Instead, simply validate your emotions.

Acknowledge that you are in discomfort.

Choose to move ahead despite that.

The ability to understand your emotions clearly can save you from so many unnecessary headaches.

Follow these steps and get a clear picture of your emotional landscape.

You will understand how to better navigate your bad moods.

Get started today.

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