The first factor that affects how we feel at any given time is our physiology. Physiology is the condition and use of our physical body. Think of all the times when your body was physically in pain, when you were sick.
Did it affect the state you were in? Of course it did. You might have felt frustrated or depressed or snapped at people who you normally were nice to. You may have been very easily irritated by something that normally makes you laugh.
When my wife experienced hormonal changes during pregnancy, it did indeed change her state a few times a day. And this is usually called mood swings. The way we use our physical body, the way we move, stand and breathe, has a major impact on how we feel.
Let us do a little experiment right now. You will need to put your things away and really participate in this. I want you to sit in a way when you were really depressed, get to the really depressed state. Think of the last time, of a situation in which everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. And, I want you to sit and get into that state right now.
Ready? Go! Go ahead into this depressed state. Now, as you are feeling depressed, I want you to notice a few elements of your physiology. Do you know what your posture is like right now? Are your shoulders up or down? Is your breathing deep or shallow? Is it fast or is it slow? Which direction are your eyes looking in? Are the muscles in your face tense or are they droopy? Notice the muscle tensions in your hands and your legs.
If you are like most human beings, I bet your physiology will be the following: Your posture would be shoulders down, head down, and your eyes will be looking down and being defocused, your breathing will be slow and shallow, the tone of your voice will be the way I am speaking now, low volume, low pitch, the muscle tensions will be relaxed, or slight tension a bit.
You see, every state has a specific physiology associated to it. In order for us to get into a state called depression, we have to shift our physiology in a certain way. If not, it is impossible for the human nervous system to accept the depressed state. We do it so often and subconsciously that many of us have become experts at being depressed, have not we?
So now that you are aware that your physiology affects your everyday state, what are you going to do about it?
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Persaonal
By: JDang | 26-09-2008
nancy Ilene Wagner -personal data
What do you do when you feel like your a failure and your future seems hopeless????
By: Hope | 18-09-2008
So im 19 yrs old, and I feel as if so far im not getting anything accomplished in life! School is so stressing and it feels like im not gonna be done with school in forever!!!! Im so confused, At first i wanted to major in psychology, but now im thinking in majoring in either religion or business. Its scary not to know what you want to be in life or how your going to end up in the long run. Apart from all my other family and financial problems, why does life have to be so complicated!? =[
HELP me organize my house!
By: savvyone | 16-09-2008
I have been trying to organize my home for over 2 years! The children are on their own and we have so much good junk! It is hard for me to get rid of things and I feel overwhelmed! (No yard sales allowed in my community!)I know how to keep organized but I need help on getting there. I have tried even one drawer at a time! But, I have little motivation and can't get started! My husband is a neat freak and he is running out of patience, any ideas? I think I've tried everything, even a housekeeper! Help anyone? Thx!
Please help me write a good letter i ugwonnoh ...
By: princewill ugwonnoh | 29-08-2008
PLEASE HELP ME WRITE A GOOD LETTERI UGWONNOH PRINCE WILL working at ministry of works housing and transport imo state as a draftsman rank 2, earning 7400 Nigeria currencymy younger bloody brother NAME UGWONNOH CHINONSO had an accident by this time last year 2007 , of which he had a dislocation at left leg . he then admitted to federal medical center orthopedic section owerri imo state. he spend not less than a year and the doctor operated on the leg for 3 consecutive time( Nov. 21 , December 12, April 2nd) at last their effort prove abortive. i has spend more than 200,000 Nigeria currency in the case. my major point of writing to you is to help me re wright a good letter i will send to my priest and other voluntary bodies if the can help me on financial aspect to take my brother for another higher orthopedic enugu hospital as directed by his doctor. thanks, UGWONNOH PRINCEWILL +2348061103330
princelysm1@yahoo.comchibunduamaigbo
Enforced use of company credit card?
By: Holger | 19-08-2008
Can a company force you to use a company credit card if liability is still with employee?
How can I get back the social skills I once had?
By: Johan B | 04-08-2008
My name is Johan and I'm 18 years old, graduated from high school this year and I'm having problems lately when I try to engage in conversations with girls and my friends ,which I barely have anymore.I usually don't have anything to say (My mind is always blank and I can't make up words properly in my head) so I'm either very quiet or say stuff without any meaning.It wasn't always like this. Before I graduated and spent the last five months doing nothing else than waking up, having some friends over and lighting up a few joints... I always knew what to say back to people when I talked to them.I think my problem is the lack of mental exercise. Since I go to the gym 2 hours a day, 4 days a week I have a healthy body or else I'd already be overweight (Damn munchies). Maybe taking some yoga, photography and math classes would help me improve my social skills which really suck at the moment and I don't see any point in living anymore... I've basically lost my interest in everything.I need advice on how to get my social skills back and on getting my life back in order.Thanks,Johan.
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Self Improvement Articles
The Truth Why so Many People Fail With Self-help Programs
By: Barry Share | 11/10/2008
There are thousands of self-help or life improvement programs for sale everyday world wide, so why is it that of those that are sold, 99% of the purchasers will not achieve their hopes and dreams.
Life Balance and How to Get Yours
By: Kym Robinson | 11/10/2008
If your life has gotten to the point where it seems there are endless demands on you, you will feel stressed out, frazzled, and fatigued. You need to de-stress by balancing out your life.
The Most Important Discipline of Employee Motivation
By: Bob Urichuck | 11/10/2008
Employee motivation can be an easy task especially when the team leader demonstrates the appropriate disciplines. The simple disciplines encourage employee motivation to happen naturally. The wonders of "monkey see, monkey do" approach. Find out how you can have the most important discipline of employee motivation
Death by (electronic) Chocolate
By: Denise Ryan | 11/10/2008
This article gives tips on how to feel less overwhelmed and stressed out by our increasingly demanding lives.
How to Make Time for Self Meditation
By: Lee Boniface | 11/10/2008
One of the areas of meditation that seems to come up again and again is do I really have the time to meditate? In this article I look at by turning around your way of thinking by illustrating the value of meditation, can make it seem as though the time is suddenly there.
It is All in the Plan!
By: Ursula Knecht | 10/10/2008
Have you ever wondered why the things you want the most in life take so long to achieve. Then because it's takes so long to achieve it, you just give up and start on something new.
Getting More Out Of Life With Life Coaching
By: Koz Huseyin | 10/10/2008
Are you a goal setter? Are you a self starter? Do you feel geared for success? In life we find that coaches are present wherever there is high performance. From business men and woman to actors and actresses, and even athletes, they all rely on coaching. As you read this article, you will discover how life coaching can transform your life for the better.
Expect the Unexpected When You Learn to Meditate
By: Donald Mitchell | 09/10/2008
In this article, I describe how learning to meditate led me into unexpected learning.
More from Adam Khoo
Turbo-Charge Your Returns In the Market With The CFD Strategy
By: Adam Khoo | 27/08/2008 | Investing
Would you be amazed if I told you that it is possible to make 36% in annual returns by just buying the market indexes?
How To Create Instant Rapport!
By: Adam Khoo | 27/08/2008 | Self Improvement
Do you realize that when you speak, move or look at people in a particular way, you actually trigger off certain judgments?
How To Fine Tune Your Rapport Building Skills
By: Adam Khoo | 27/08/2008 | Self Improvement
In order for us to know how to match and build rapport with others, we must first be able to observe others with precision. In NLP, we call this calibration.
The Stock Market Goes Higher In The Long Term
By: Adam Khoo | 27/08/2008 | Investing
Look at the historical performance of the US stock market over the last 50 years. As we all know, stock markets are measured by indexes.
Strategies Used By The Value Investor
By: Adam Khoo | 27/08/2008 | Investing
Value investor Warren Buffett, uses specific strategies to make sizable returns in individual stocks.
Principles of Buying Into the Markets
By: Adam Khoo | 27/08/2008 | Investing
We know that in the short-term, stock markets go through booms and busts, upturns and downturns. So, there are a few signs you can look out for in order to avoid buying into the market when stock prices are generally high.
The 5 Rules For Selling Value Stocks
By: Adam Khoo | 27/08/2008 | Investing
The next most important question people ask is when they should sell the stock to take their profits. When you need the money? When the price has gone up by 20%? 50%? 100%?
Two Lessons On Investing Master Investor Warren Buffett Uses
By: Adam Khoo | 27/08/2008 | Investing
Over the last 49 years, Warren Buffett managed to achieve a 24.7% annual compounding rate of return, which means he doubled his money every 2.9 years for half a century!