There is an underlying pattern behind every emotional state: a triad of “BAT”

• Body — How is your physiology?
• Attention — Where is your focus?
• Thoughts/Language — What is the self-talk and meaning you attribute?

Emotions are physically embodied – they exist in your nervous system and are distributed through the entire mind-body system. The mind and body are one. Posture, motion, facial expression, heart rate, tension, temperature, breathing, etc. are all tied into emotional state.

Emotions are associated with attention – your focus goes to different things (eg problems v. solutions or worries v. achievements). Your vision of mental images may change too (near/far, fast/slow, etc.)

Thoughts and language change too — there are certain patterns of language (eg. have to v. want to or can’t v. could). Then you may create significance or meaning through thought (eg. this means I’m a failure or I’m worthless). Often there can even be entire stories associated with this (I can’t do it because I’m too young).

So to take control of your state take control of your “BAT” — change your body, attention, and thoughts/language.

Keywords & Nodes

• psychology
• emotion
• state
• change
• behavior
• therapy and coaching
• The mind and body are one.
• To navigate unhelpful patterns try the “ABE” framework: associate, break, empower.
• “Pattern recognition” is an important skill and is the foundation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and compassionate inquiry (CI).
• The biopsychosocial model explains that biological, psychological, and social factors explain one’s health (and happiness).