Eckhart Tolle explains how human moods can take over behavior and that recognizing — "If you can say, 'I'm in a bad mood'" — is the first step toward consciousness and freedom from that mood. He contrasts people who are unconscious and act out moods with those who have enough awareness to notice and name the mood.
You're not totally insane if you know that you're insane. The most unconscious people are so trapped in their bad mood that they don't know it. They simply act it out. That's horrible. Humans get taken over by moods. They don't know where they come from. It could start with a thought in your mind about some negative thought about somebody that creates another, and then the mood arises. Or you may wake up with a mood and the first thing you say to your family is, don't talk to me. If you can say, I'm in a bad mood, that already means there's a little bit of consciousness there. At least you know that you're in a bad mood.
Why alcohol feels like relief, and what it is really giving you | Eckhart Tolle
