Have you ever been driving somewhere, preoccupied by some worry or other when a song you love comes on the radio? Did you smile, turn up the dial and shift instantly into a different state?
Have you been struggling through the morning feeling dissatisfied or tired when your break comes around? In the moment that you take your first sip of tea or coffee, did you feel satisfied? Perhaps your state changed even before this, the moment you got up to put the kettle on?
Many of us are aware of the bigger things we can do to change how we feel, for example: exercising, meditating or having a relaxing bath. We know that doing these things will make us feel better afterwards, even if we have no desire to put on our trainers and go running in the rain.
These methods of self-care which change our internal state are important, but it is really interesting to bring our awareness to the smaller, unconscious things we do, as these also have a big impact on how we feel.
The way that we feel, or our ‘internal state of being’, changes many times a day – when we listen to beautiful music, when we exercise, when we have a cup of tea or coffee.