Advice is always valuable and often useless.  So much depends on timing.

Probably the best advice I was ever given was an invitation to write a diary of my moods.  Dr Gillian Moore Groarke, a cognitive behaviour therapist in Cork, urged me to write down how I was feeling every day.  For some reason, the timing was perfect.  I took to the task with alacrity. That was February 2007.  I now have four journals and write every day.  Nothing has helped me more.

I’ve discovered how to write myself into a good mood. I can now transform my mood from being ‘pissed off’ and dull to being positively energetic.  I’ve found a way to do this while writing in my journal.

This is such a valuable ability that I’d like to share it; I’d like to help others to do the same. 

Imagine being able to change your mood from a downer to a tool which positively supports you through the day, and even enhances your  creativity…

[But one caveat: writing a journal wasn’t enough to prevent me getting a bout of severe depression.  And while I was in the grip of the depression I wasn’t able to write my way out of it. What I’m going to talk to you about is especially relevant to influencing mild mood swings, the ones that see you in the grip of negative feelings and about to have a day which you’re not looking forward to. Severe depression is a different matter. ]

The challenge for me is how to communicate about this in a way that helps others. 

It’s easy enough to broadcast about it, and thereby satisfy myself and my narcissistic side.  It’s a completely different matter to create a communication that enables others to try something out and find out for themselves.  Because it all hinges on people experimenting and thereby discovering what works for them.  My way will never be your way, but my way - if I express it well - may be a catalyst for your way to emerge.  As I said before, timing is all.  But, in addition to timing, there is the manner of communicating so as to link in with others…

I’m not going to preach about how to transform your mood.  Already I’ve done enough of that.  I’m going to talk you through a morning when I woke feeling shitty, cross, irritated and downright grumpy.  I’m going to show you what I did next and lead on into what happened to my mood.

And I’m going to stop this post before it gets too long.  I’ll continue on another one - after I’ve taken a break for a cup of tea.