Julio Bonilla’s Reviews > The Origin of Everyday Moods: Managing Energy, Tension, and Stress > Status Update

High levels of energy and tension are fairly easy for most of us to recognize. But moderate tension levels and slight declines in energy are not so obvious, and so it may be easier to gauge energy and tension through the behaviors that they influence.

Intense sexual arousal and orgasm require mobilizing and expending massive amounts of energy. During orgasm, heart rate has been found to climb to nearly 200 beats per minute, and respiration rate, depth of breathing, and body heat increase greatly as well.

There is no clear consensus on why meditation reduces tension.

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Meditation simultaneously controls anxiety-producing thoughts and relaxes unnecessarily tense muscle. Negative thoughts are controlled because the mind is unoccupied with a nonstressful attentional focus during meditation, which is comparable with anxious thoughts.

An anxious person can vigorously exercise and often feel completely relaxed afterward.

Tiredness plus tension is the basis of this kind of behavior. Tiredness leaves us particularly vulnerable to even mild stress, and the tense-tired state that emerges from this tiredness and stress has many and varied effects. Social interactions require effort, and tense-tiredness may stretch out resources beyond a pleasant level.

Some of my students have described candidly why they use cocaine or marijuana on social occasions. Contrary to popular opinion, it isn’t some crazy behavior over which they have little control. Instead, they are already having a good time, but they want to feel even better. 🚬

An indication of the importance of alcohol to the mood states I have been discussing can be found in the acronym HALT, coined by Alcoholics Anonymous; that is, alcoholics are warned to recognize the danger signals of Hunger, Anger, Loneliness, and Tiredness. 🤓

The self-regulation of mood extends to a wide variety of behaviors, some we would not ordinarily consider. These behaviors include everything from telephoning a friend when we are feeling down, to working on a hobby, to watching TV. Mood regulation includes not only general behaviors like these but also moment-to-moment adjustments.

Or they might represent the greater tendency of women, compared with men, to admit depression. Still another possibility is that men disguise their depression by means of alcohol and other drug use. 🍹👱🏼

The degree to which women shop more than men is evident at any mall in the United States. Count the stores devoted to women compared with men, and you will find a ratio of perhaps ten to one. Interestingly, in the department stores, the men’s section is often located right next to the entrance so men can run in, grab what they want, and leave immediately. 🏬