Mood Control

In Emotional Intelligence, Goleman discusses smart ways to use emotions. One of the techniques he discusses is mood control. This is a personal ability, but you can use your brains to understand it. The bold-faced words are terms that describe thinking strategies. By using thinking strategies to expand your personality, you are developing the ability to practice emotional intelligence.

Mood control is valuable. Once you comprehend the term, you can apply it to improve your life. You gain the power to change circumstances, directions, and maybe even people.
A mood is a feeling that lasts for a period of time. Inference is making a guess based on information you have. Use inference to define mood control.

Mood control is probably

Based on your definitions, identify the following statements that exemplify mood control by circling the number of the sentence. Four of these statements are examples of ways to control moods. Cross out the one that is not.
1. Changing the music from rap to oldies.
2. Going to bed in time to get 8 to 10 hours sleep.
3. Pretending you are not afraid of a biology test.
4. Missing school to go to work.
5. Eating healthy meals.

Review the other four. Inductive thinking moves from specific to general. The four specific statements can be grouped into one of two general categories. Compare and contrast the four remaining statements to identify two general categories of mood control.

Start by listing one pair of sentences, and tell how they are the same.

List the other pair of sentences, and tell how they are the same.

Use these ideas to write sentences describing the two kinds of mood control.
Now you will create of a pair of two or three-word phrases to describe the concepts. The phrases ought to be related because they are describing related concepts. They ought to be clever so they will be memorable. Sometimes rhymes help memory:)
Controlling your mood involves different steps. Use numbers to put these steps in a sequence that would be most effective.

• Thinking of an alternate reaction
• Becoming aware of what mood you are in
• Analyzing what put you in the mood

Use another piece of paper or a computer to do the writing exercises that follow.
Our moods affect other people around us. Write three paragraphs.

I. Describe a time a stranger affected your mood.
II. Describe a time you changed the mood of strangers around you.
III. Compare the incidents.

Our moods affect our relationships. Write three paragraphs. Evaluate means to judge something or assess the value.

I. Describe a time you changed a relationship with a good mood.
II. Describe a time you changed a relationship with a bad mood.
III. Evaluate the two incidents by comparing them.

Flow is a current term used to describe the pleasurable feeling associated with doing a healthy task that interests and challenges a person. Time flows without notice. Describe what you like to do to achieve a state of flow.

Evaluate this assignment by using the concept of flow.
Was your mood pleasurable while you did the assignment? Yes No
Did the task interest you? Yes No
Did the task challenge you? Yes No
Did the time flow by quickly while you were engaged? Yes No

Assignment by Mary Rhodes, EdD.

References

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: HarperPerennial.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: New York: Bantam Books.