Your Mood and Your Work – Part 1

Did you know that your mood ebbs and flows depending on a number of factors, a key one being the environment you find yourself in.

For this tip, we will discuss your mood as it relates to your workplace.

The first place to start is to differentiate between your emotions and your mood.

A mood is defined as an underlying state of mind that has a big impact on your overall subjective experience.

You need to be aware of how your mood fluctuates based on different environments and what activators precede an immediate fluctuation of mood.

Your mood, as it relates to your workplace, is different from emotion in three areas. Firstly, a mood is less intense than a strong emotion, and that’s why it can linger in the background of your day for longer.

This is risky because you do not easily recognise the need to address a mood the way you would a strong emotion, allowing it to sneakily influence all your thoughts and behaviour.

Secondly, a mood is longer in duration than an emotion and can persist for hours, days or even months.

This is dangerous because it causes us to become accustomed to a specific mental predisposition.

In other words, you can become so accustomed to feeling urgency and rush, that you find it uncomfortable when you are not in a rush.

Thirdly, moods are often “objectless,” meaning they do not have a clear or identifiable trigger.

You might simply wake up in a bad mood without knowing why.

You cannot be an emotionally intelligent person if you are not able to identify your mood and become aware of what factors shift it. How would you describe your dominant mood and how does it compare with your workplace mood?

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.