I Can't Compartmentalize Well

When I am in a good mood, I love everybody. Not, like, everybody in the world, mind you, but all the people I like, I love at that moment. When I'm in a crabby mood, everybody can eat me. They all get the cold shoulder or a grouchy response. I don't like that this is the case, but I have trouble doing much about it.  I can't compartmentalize my emotions well.

This issue can bleed into my writing, too. If one character is in a particular mood (excited, enraged, lethargic, philosophical), the other characters always seem to be matching that energy. Maybe it's a god thing, because it keeps a certain feeling I am trying to create, but it feels fake or forced because of how rare people really do match each other's energy levels (and it gets more unlikely the more people are involved).

I have made some progress over the years. At least I am cognizant of when a character feels an emotion strongly. From there, I can make myself think about what is inducing it and realize that if other characters are not similarly motivated, then they shouldn't be feeling that same emotion at the same level. And if I can get that far, then I can think about what my other characters should be feeling based on everything going on in their lives, and then I should be golden.

It's a lot of work, but it's progress. Still, the more I work on it, the less I have to actively try and the more natural it will be. And that is always the key to good writing (to good anything), so do it I shall.