About Bad Moods

Here's what I think: there's nothing wrong with them.

Okay, they aren't exactly fun but most of us enjoy them from time to time to some extent. We drag them out, wallow, milk them for whatever they're worth. I've had a lot of useful artistic impulses come from just being really annoyed with something. Bad moods can be very helpful sometimes.

The problem is when a mood interferes with one's ability to get things done. But even then as long as you can get out of bed most of the time where's the harm? Well, and as long as you're not taking it out on anybody else or overindulging in counter-productive escapism.

I've learned a lot about good moods and bad moods in just the last seven months. As I said before, I just experienced a period of euphoria like nothing I've ever encountered in my life. It happened during an otherwise completely ordinary stretch of existence. Everything was absolutely normal - ups, downs, frustrations, fun things, boring things - normal. I got the feeling that feeling good or bad need not be connected in any way with what is occurring in life at the time.

That period is over and I'm back to what I consider my normal state of being: a little on the cranky side. It would be really tempting to try and get that euphoria back. Only I have no idea what brought it on. I rarely know what causes me to feel lousy either.

Mostly I just wait for a bad mood to go away and try to do as much of what needs to be done as I can. I think it works fine. Except those times when I think I ought to be more successful or have a massive circle of friends or be doing some other thing that I'm not.

Feeling crappy once in a while isn't the end of the world or even something to try to prevent. Well and you might as well try to stop the seasons from changing.