Psych-Out

Dejected?  Disappointed?  Has some expectation suddenly spun out of reach?  At  such times, nothing like giving yourself over to a good dose of moping.  Brood, a little.  Sulk.  Let the gloom take hold.  To mope is to surrender to gravity - and gravity is a formidable force of nature.  The spirit sinks.  Eyes glaze downward.  Walking is a chore.  No sense even trying to force that smile.

We can mope on a sunny beach.  We can mope in a house filled with family and friends.  The passenger seat of a car is a great place to mope.  We can mope in a crowd, or alone.  It’s nearly impossible, however, to mope while speeding on a motorcycle, or whitewater rafting, or downhill skiing.  Can’t mope playing a guitar, or flying a kite.  Moping is anti-action.  It’s sloth-like.  Moping moves in slow motion.

It helps when someone sees that you’re moping.  Better still when they comment.  It adds an exclamation point to the misery that has rolled into your soul.

Moping is storm clouds, no thunder.  No rain.

Moping signals a kind of misery that wants notice, but not company.  Comfy chairs where you can curl up are a great place in which to mope.  Moping inside is best, especially on a bright sunny day.  If it’s scorching hot, leave the air-conditioner off.  Physical discomfort enhances any good mope.  If you have to answer the phone, make sure the person on the other end knows that you’re in no mood to talk, but without directly saying so. Have chores to do?  Brush ‘em off.  Instead, trudge from that comfy chair to the refrigerator, move things around on the shelf, then slink back to that chair empty-handed.

Stay away from drugs or alcohol, though.  The numbing effect can ruin a good mope.  There’s a kind of pleasure we get in letting that sour, melancholic mood take over.

Bad day?  Go ahead.  Give yourself permission. Bring your system to a halt. Don’t fight it.  Acknowledge your misery.  Twice a day.  For 30 minutes. Then afterwards, get on with your life until your next moping session.  Either you’ll come to find your thunder and with it the lightening bolt energy to make some change, or eventually, the gloomy clouds will simply roll their way out.