{"id":174,"date":"2011-10-24T04:17:35","date_gmt":"2011-10-24T04:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/areasontosmile\/?p=174"},"modified":"2011-10-24T04:26:37","modified_gmt":"2011-10-24T04:26:37","slug":"qa-self-control-or-how-to-manage-your-moods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/areasontosmile\/2011\/10\/qa-self-control-or-how-to-manage-your-moods.html","title":{"rendered":"Q&A: Self-control; Or, How to manage your moods (VIDEO)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It really is all in your head<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Question submitted via Formspring.me<\/a>:
\n\u201cHi Dave, do you have any advice on controlling moods.
\nToday was a kinda off day for me. A guy was trying to flirt with me at the grocery store, and I completely blew him off. He said hi and smiled at me, I said hi back in a not so friendly way! LOL\u201d<\/p>\n

We’ve discussed how to feel happy in an instant (with a video on how to do it<\/a>) already, so here let us discuss how to control your feelings rather than be controlled by them.<\/p>\n

The number one thing to keep in mind is: just because a thought pops into your head, doesn’t mean you have to believe it!
\nRemember, your emotions are supposed to be a navigation system; a way to know if you are on or off track.<\/p>\n

The challenges arrive when you start trying to let emotions make your decisions; that is your Conscious Mind’s job.
\nLet’s look at a standard situation: say you get yelled at at work, and you leave an go to the grocery store. A nice guy comes up and says hi, and you snap at him since you’re still irritable from before, and you end up missing out.<\/p>\n