1050: How to Shift Your Mood and Keep Your Cool with Dr. Ethan Kross

We often think that managing our emotions is hard, but it isn't always hard. So expressive writing, that's a pretty effortful tool, right? You gotta sit down 15-20 minutes, you gotta write hard. But there are lots of things that you could do that are pretty easy. Music.

So close to 100% of people, when asked why do you listen to music, they answer that question by saying, I like the way it makes me feel. But if you then look at the percentage of people who, when they're struggling, reach for music as a tool, it's only between 10 and 30%. That's Ethan Cross. He's one of the world's leading experts on emotional regulation and the director of the Emotion and Self-Control Laboratory at the University of Michigan. He's also the author of two books, including Shift, Managing Your Emotions so They Don't Manage You.

So you'll learn one, when avoidance is actually helpful, two effortless strategies for quickly shifting your mood, and three, the emotion regulation framework used by the Navy SEALs. And if you want a quick summary write-up of these actionable takeaways, I recommend you sign up for the free Gold Nugget email newsletter at awesomeatyourjob.com. I'm Pete McKaidis. This is how to be awesome at your job.

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