Moods

[digitS']

I have been thinking about moods – state of mind, disposition ... atmosphere, tone ... Sort of broadening the idea across those 4 words .

Of course, the weather influences us. It is a windy day. I anticipate some personal nervousness as the wind increases as forecast. The recent news about smoke in the East, I'm feeling some sympathy for you folks and know full well what you are having to experience.

I may be too much of a consumer of news. Partly, that is likely a result of hearing loss and the limits on human interaction that places, emphasizing reading to gain some understanding of "life outside of the garden."

Relating the above just amounts to an introduction to a "statistical way" of looking at personal mood/national mood from a couple of graphs that I was looking at this morning. They may fairly well reflect some of my experiencing and viewing moods through the years . The economists! Darn it. They try to bring things down to the nuts and bolts of dimes and dollars. Since the analysis used for "sentiment" begins with a 1966 baseline, it sorta reflects my entire adult life. Does it make sense to compare with the nation of people around me? Perhaps so .

You can see that it ends in 2020. Lacking sentiment, here is since 2020.

My first impression from these lines is that we weren't quite so given to reaction to what is measured during the earliest years.

 

[Alasgun]

Not knowing just how to reply to this; i would point out that some states make allowances for folks who want to alter they’re mood’s.

Remember; “Take a trip and never leave the farm”?

 

[flowerbug]

if i'm in a bad mood or feeling tired i try to run down the checklist to make sure i've not done something silly: water, food, nap, exercise (aka play if it is gardening), ...

by silly i mean that at times i do not remember to eat - i have very little sense of hunger but will get rather irate first before the hunger kicks in. also if i'm dehydrated i can get more blah but a drink of water can help that out.

i was talking to someone the other day when they mentioned that they didn't know how dehydrated they had gotten and were having trouble thinking coherently - a trip to the ER and then quickly given some electrolytes and water and they were fine within ten minutes.

 

[digitS']

Well, you can see my comment in the coffee thread about a lack of sleep, lately . I did have that good morning in the garden on Friday with some surprise harvesting and getting things ready for all this wind and heat we just had.

Still, those episodes marked by the national economy and mood do reflect some of the highs and lows over the years. The recessions are noted on the graphs by the vertical grey bars. I did handle that early 80's one well with a sentiment that tossed the full-time for part-time work and took me back to school. Enjoyable!

 

[flowerbug]

i am so rarely dealing with group sentiments in person as here i just have to deal with Mom and she doesn't consume a lot of news programs so we're in a bit of a local bubble. it doesn't mean, though, that we don't have our local events as yesterday morning was an example of when she gets into overload and gets wound up and i have to pretty much go on with life thinking that it's not my issue. i'll help her and do things as requested but on the whole it's just her and she's not going to change. with better forethought and acceptance she could avoid a lot of negative emoting, but, well, ...

today we're back to normal.

 

[Zeedman]

Graphs & charts have their uses, but they must be bad for my eyesight... my vision tends to blur whenever I look at one for too long.

Aside from watching the decay of the country I love & served (which is certainly not uplifting) national events have only minimal influence on my mood. Losing someone dear to you tends to put the world in a different perspective, as to what truly matters - which to me, is family, friends, and faith. I've mostly stopped watching the news (other than local), since the last thing I need is the constant drumbeat of negativity which passes as "news". My gardening is in full swing now, which helps to take my mind in a better direction (sore muscles notwithstanding). It is good to focus on something nurturing, and to watch the miracle of life run its course each season. I spend my days in search of positivity, and in trying to be that for others (which is admittedly still a work in progress).

IMO those who post here (and on the sister forums) are poorly represented by any national statistics. We tend to be birds of a different flock, in search of blue skies & verdant green.