Sometimes when I stay up late doing something creative I end up getting this very comforting feeling about the future. A sort of certainty that everything will work out in the end and that luck happy coincidences will always be on my side. If I had this sort of confidence throughout the day, I would live a much more pleasant and relaxed life. Since it makes me forget about all the hurdles I am grappling with in life, it makes excited about the future once again (like I was in my early teens before all the new responsibilities started weighing on me), and makes me want to go out there and live life to the fullest.
Does anyone else experience this feeling as well? It’s always gone by the morning but if I could internalize it it could be life changing. Do you have any idea how?
That’s when you need to “throw your hat over the wall,” meaning, commit to something that preferred state of mind wants. Calendar it. Promise it to someone. Make it a plan that involves someone else.
Inspiration can be fleeting. Learn to trust your “best self” and ignore the lazy grump who “doesn’t feel like it now.”
Practice this, and the inspired/more positive self will get a chance to occupy more and more of your real life.
In the 80s the German band Ideal made a song (“Herrscher”) about that feeling. Here are the translated lyrics:
In the evening I am the ruler of the world - and you have to greet me! I the science fiction hero - and you lie at my feet! I own the stars, I have the power - you are happy to stand in my light; I am the one who ridicules the world and you all come to see me… … and you all come to see ME! …and you all come to see me!
Only in the morning I feel uncomfortable… I’m afraid to leave the house… In the morning I’m small and weak… I’m in agony, I’m lying flat…
In the evening, I rule the universe - and you in my shadow: You see my tribunal - and I will allow you! I own the stars, I have the power - you are glad to stand in my light! It is I who ridicule the world and you all come to see me…
…and you all come to see me! …and you all come to see ME!
Only in the morning when the spell fades I have to cry when a dog barks at me! In the morning I am… Small and weak… In agony, I’m lying flat…
Translated by DeepL https://www.deepl.com/app/?utm_source=android&utm_medium=app&utm_campaign=share-translation
You sure it’s not about getting wasted every day and regretting the hangover in the morning?
We are most free when we appreciate the beauty of our surroundings, being ever mindful and present.
Almost the exact opposite for me. I’m positive for the future for like 20 minutes after I get out of bed before I head out the door to work and then things spiral out into dismay, dispar and suffering before noon.
I’d say whether you feel happy, or sad, in the evenings, try write down how you feel and why you think you feel that way in a notebook. If you look back at it the next morning you can see why you were happy and maybe it may lift your spirits, or if you were sad you can re-affirm why it wasn’t such a big deal (or just leave your sad thoughts away in there).
I don’t really know you or your situation, but I suspect it might be the “doing something creative” part rather than the “evening” part that’s contributing to the positive mood. Obviously real life and scheduling is difficult, but maybe try to make time to do some of that in the morning.
Easy. Just never go to sleep and do your thing, then you’re always staying up late doing something creative.
Nah but seriously, might I guess that what’s happening in the mornings is that you can’t “do something creative” and instead have to go work in some day job? I don’t think it’s possible to not be annoyed/pessimistic about being forced into doing something you don’t want.
I’ve personally tried “not thinking”, training myself to let negative thoughts go, and that helped massively. But the only thing that prevented those thoughts popping up in the first place is getting rid of the thing that’s actually causing those, i.e. I’m basically not working anymore.
When you’re feeling that optimism, could you write down or record the things that make you feel optimistic and reflect on those in the morning?
If you’re anything like me, morning-you will just thing evening-you is an unrealistic optimist who needs to get a grip.
I experience this EXACT same thing when I stay up until sunrise the next day. It’s feels like my brain chemistry changes and everything will be good. I wish I could hang on to this feeling. I’m in my early 40s and I first started noticing this effect in my early 20s. I didn’t know other people experienced it!
Oh nice, yep I’m in my early 20s right now. I think the reason why I’ve started feeling it now might be because the trajectory of my life is in theory fully under my control.
In theory, it’s fully under your control whether you experience this feeling or not. I have a degree in psychology and the best I can explain it is that the sleep deprivation alters your brain chemistry (kind of like antidepressants do) and it changes your perception of reality. The way I experience this effect so strongly, it almost changes me into a different person… an optimistic, happy, extroverted person. Maybe it’s endorphins being released due to your body being overworked and going into an emergency mode. It sucks that I eventually have to go to sleep, where your cerebrospinal fluid washes your brain and “resets” it back to baseline. If I could only retain that sense of enlightenment and hopefulness I experience when stay up so absurdly long, I know I would be a better person. I really believe it’s due to the altered brain chemistry, I just don’t know exactly what it is. Maybe it’s due to your sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the flight or fight (emergency) response that we have, which releases adrenaline, among other brain chemicals (neurotransmitters). Good luck in your pursuit of finding the answer, I’d love to know more about whatever this effect is.
Just to add a little bit more, the best I’ve come to manually reproducing this effect on my own is through long bouts of exercise. Maybe it’s the same effect as the “runner’s high”. I used to be a firefighter and I’d experience a similar effect when I would spend all day outside doing PT (physical training). Come 5 o’clock, after 8 hours of exercise, everyone would be dying, and I’d be experiencing a euphoric boost of energy, and I’d help all the instructors clean up the training grounds. Whenever I’d stop, I would crash, hard. It’s possible for me to feel this feeling through exercise, it’s just impractical to devote 8 hours a day to exercise in order for me to feel it.
Thanks for all of this info, I’ll definitely comment if I find something!
I get this in the morning, but by 6pm it’s gone.
I’m also enthusiastic in the morning but Im tired when the work day ends. I think some people are just evening people, and others are morning people.
google BPD/bipolar. This is one of possible symptoms
No, I’m pretty sure manic episodes don’t occur regularly on a 24 hour schedule.
Yes, I think we all have a similar feeling to an extant.
It seems like we humans have a rollercoaster of feelings, the problem is when we stay down in the dumps too long.
I don’t think we can retain our optimism too long, generally, unless you train your brain into being a bit more optimistic.
One way: acknowledging your sad/pessimistic/unwanted thoughts internally (or externally) and then letting them go.
So:
1: sad thought, 2: acknowlede the sad thought 3: then let it go 4: … 5: profit
Takes time and patience.
