Take charge of your day by taking charge of your state.
What is state? Put simply, it’s your state of mind. It determines your mood and how you think.
Many people are on autopilot and have maybe 3-4 states every day. You may habitually keep your head down and feel depressed, you may lift your head up and feel confident and centered, or you may slouch and feel sluggish and lazy, among many other states.
In all those cases, your body and how you acted determined what your emotions at the time.
If you want to feel more joy, move around like you possess joy. Smile big and dance like a hooligan in your living room. If you want to feel angry, wear a frown for 10 minutes straight. If you want to feel angry, walk around and do things in an aggressive manner.
You act what emotions you feel. And it goes the other way too. Something happens to put you in an angry state. So, you feel all the sensations of anger. You tense up for fight, not flight, and you want to punch someone.
In that case, you could become aware of your anger, decide to smile big, let out a happy yell, and feel the anger dissipate and give way to a more joyous feeling.
Such a simple hack that can provide enormous benefits!
Your body determines your emotions.
I have been reading Awaken the Giant Within several times and I’ve been taking charge of my state first thing in the morning. I have been getting into a happy, confident ‘state’. It is part of my routine.
Sometimes I feel it working. Sometimes it just feels fake. Often, I see results from it in any case.
Just by standing with your shoulders back, head up, and look forward, you will feel more confident and ready to take on life.
No, it’s not my discovery. But it’s a great tool to use to gain control of your state and moods and take charge over how you feel.