[adge]

What tricks or methods do you employ to ease the transition from one emotional state to another?

The question is best interpreted in the context of work, social relationships or during time off. For instance..

If you have ever spent several days intensely focused on work, you have calibrated your mind to efficiently tackle one task after another, easily ignoring any distractions that may have come your way.

Take that and compare it to the mindest you have when you just came back from a warm Summer day spent relaxing at a beautiful beach .. You have few worries, nothing bothers you and your carefree easy-going nature has transformed you into a social butterfly.

These two mindsets are accompanied by different emotional states. It is not an intellectual skill that allows you to switch between them, but a psychological (emotional) one.

You can take time off from work and the problems you faced all week slowly dissipate. More often then not though, we must transition rather quickly, such as coming home from work to your family. Other times, it's the other way around.. Your boss calls you during the weekend regarding an urgent matter and an immediate solution requires your full concentration.

If we can agree that having the proper emotional state greatly affects our decision making process, then switching from one state to another becomes the challenge.

My question is.. How do you tackle this challenge of switching gears and immersing yourself in the moment?

[Hollyhock]

I don't have difficulty going from relaxed mode to troubleshooting mode. But it's the other way around that's hard to do. It's harder for me to unwind. If I'm short on time, I wash my hands with warm water and put lotion on and/or I like grapefruit essence oil so I'd put some on my wrist for quick pick me up. Olfactory stimulation & tactile sensation ( warm running water on my hand) usually helps mind to ground back to my body.

[Stitches]

Very interesting question. I'm with Hollyhock that going from relaxed to troubleshoot isn't difficult. I think, for me, it's an issue of priorities. 'Is it more important to remedy the server crashing than keep enjoying my week-end off? Yep!' And from there I'm engaged in the work.

But going from 'working' to 'relaxing' is hard for me because I always ask myself "What if I missed something important?"

So my technique for that transition is to run through a mental (or physical) check-list twice or so, and if everything's alright, I let it go. Does it come to mind from time to time? Absolutely. But I console myself in that that I've done all I can do, and that if I've made a mistake, I'll try to be more mindful of that specific issue in the future.

May I ask, adge, do you have some specific techniques for switching emotional states to be on top of your game? And what are they?

Cheers!

[Autumnleaf]

Commutes of at least 30 minutes between home and work help me.

[Jro]

Music has the power to change the moods. Prepare a collection of music per mood, and when you need to wear different dress, find a time to listen to the music which suits the mood. If you can find little more time then, quickly go through the collection of quotes or read something which will let your mind think on the mood you desire.

[Reddkatz]

I use the weekends solely to fully recharge. Weekdays is filled with work, dealing with people, school, homework, studying etc. I get so focused on those things during the week I don't think of anything else.

[adge]

	Originally Posted by Stitches To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	May I ask, adge, do you have some specific techniques for switching emotional states to be on top of your game? And what are they?

I've been exploring the topic for a while and have boiled down various approaches to two basic methods. One is based on meditation, the other is a form of hypnosis.

I'll cover the hypnosis first because it is easier to apply..

The approach is based on the concept of "anchors". They are essentially triggers for emotions invoked by specific actions.

Some of the folks here have already described them in different forms. Hollyhock mentioned washing her hands with warm water and Jro mentioned varying the genres of music. Both are popular mood-altering activities used daily by millions of people. What makes them work is the underlying psychology that's also employed in hypnosis, popularized by the Pavlov theory and commonly referred to as classical conditioning.

Here's how I use it..

Before going out, I put on a wristband that I have anchored to a specific mindset.
This wristband already has a positive connotation, but it only works because I consistently reinforce its meaning.
If I am watching an uplifting movie, I put on my wristband. If I am listening to a positive song, I put on my wristband. If I am simply in a good mood, I put on my wristband.
But the instant that I need to switch to work mode, the wristband comes off and the association is broken.

It's as simple as that. The anchor is tied to a positive mood, reinforced by events and actions that typically brighten my outlook on life. The secret here is to never think about work while wearing the wristband.

When I come home from work and need to quickly switch mindsets, I put on the wristband and my perspective on life is altered immediately.
It's not bulletproof, and it didn't happen overnight, but it's this simple trick that allows me to become a different person in an instant.

A friend of mine uses a slight variation of this approach that he calls the James Bond circle. The idea is to imagine a circle. The second you step into the circle, you become James Bond. Everything you do or say falls inline with his personality. The confidence, the wit, the aura of success. It's all there, all you need to do is step into that circle.
There's more to it, but that's the jist of it.


The second approach is based on meditation, and this is slightly more complicated and something I am still learning about..

The meditation I am referring to here is known as Vipassana meditation. One of its underlying methodologies is to acknowledge the pull your subconscious mind has on your conscious self. It's in that process that you address the emotions clouding your judgment and prohibiting you from immersing yourself in the present moment.

As you meditate, you calm the mind and clarify the thinking process. Imagine sand settling in a cup of muddy water -- eventually all the sand is at the bottom and you can clearly see through the water.
It's not until you thoroughly understand the root of your worries that you can prioritize their importance in your life. And it's not until you can calm down the mind that you can think logically to find the real cause behind your feelings of anxiety or unsettledness.

Those who meditate daily are noticeably calmer. They understand the relative unimportance of day to day troubles. Life has its ups and downs, the way you address the problems you face is not set in stone. You have the power to improve your attitude and find better ways to live life, don't waste this incredible opportunity.

[Tactical Panda]

Define the factors in the situation and the emotional state they create.

Determine the best emotional states in that situation.

Focus accordingly with a shrewd sense of emotional balance and logical pragmatism.

[Jro]

	Originally Posted by adge To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
	two basic methods.

Nice tricks
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
This will give us enough information to explore more on this.

[HAL 9000]

Drugs?

[imaqt125]

Taking a shower before switching gears always helps me. It's like rinsing off the workday and starting all over. Listening to some mood appropriate music always helps.