Leading Lightly

Evaluate your internal state

Instructions

Assess your mood and emotions
Perform self-checks as often as you can throughout your day so that you can name what you’re feeling. Ask yourself: “What is my mood right now?” Then write down how you feel on a sheet of paper. Use specific words such as terrified, alarmed, ecstatic, or satisfied instead of generic terms such as good, bad, happy, or sad. This will help you develop your ability to self-assess and self-observe.
Perform a body scan to assess your physiological state
Tune in to the physical sensations in your body several times a day. Sit or lie down comfortably and close your eyes. Breathe in gently and as deeply as you can. Then focus your attention progressively from the bottom of your feet to your forehead. Tune in to each body part and notice any sensations such as warmth, numbness, pain, tension, and so on. When you’re done scanning your body, focus your breath for 3 - 4 breaths. Finally, open your eyes and stretch.
Tune in to your thoughts
On a piece of paper, write down everything you’re thinking about at this moment. Write down any thought that pops up without judging it and only stop once you’ve filled the paper. Keep the paper in a safe place and repeat this exercise at different times of the day over the next 2 weeks. Then read all the pieces of paper you’ve been collecting and identify any repetitive thought patterns. Look for any limiting thoughts that form your core lens so that you’ll know which thoughts are often responsible for your bad moods.