The thoughts we have and the moods we are in can have little to do with our minds.
Much of what we think about stems from the complicated ups and downs of our bodies. They can be impacted by what we eat, the time we sleep and our blood sugar levels, as well as other bodily functions.
As this short video from The School of Life helpfully observes, when a formerly pleasant toddler suddenly turns tetchy and fractious, the parents know this inexplicable character change is because they need a nap or a long walk around the park. Things will return to normal once they are rested and recharged.
However as adults, we don’t tend to understand ourselves in similar terms.
Therefore when we do experience particularly dark thoughts, it isn’t necessarily because our minds have new reasons to despair. Instead, we may simply lack the energy to disregard our fears and stay in a more positive and helpful state of mind.
Rather than saying to ourselves “I’m having bad thoughts AND I’m exhausted”, learn to say “I’m having bad thoughts BECAUSE I’m exhausted”.
To know ourselves means knowing both our mind AND the way it can be manipulated by our body, should we choose to listen.