Anger, frustration, regret, and loneliness are just some of the negative emotions we often feel. Having negative emotions and not knowing how to properly manage them can lead to harmful consequences.
Sometimes we are so mixed in our emotions we don’t even know how we feel. Society often tells us that negative emotions are bad and should be suppressed, making it difficult for us to completely accept and embrace them. In most cases, we often don’t talk about our negative emotions, so dealing with them makes it even more difficult.
Let’s take a look at what negative emotions are, and understand what causes them so that we can learn how to manage them in a healthier way.
Understanding Negative Emotions
Emotions in general are not exactly labeled as negative or positive. They are rather a natural state of mind which is derived from our circumstances, mood, or our relationship with others. How we feel is a reaction to a stimulus that caused us to feel a certain emotion.
The term negative is often attached to feelings that are less than pleasant to experience. Negative is used to mean that these feelings are the opposite of positive. Instead of making us feel good, negative emotions make us feel bad.
Experiencing negative emotions makes us feel bad or uncomfortable, which is why we tend to avoid them. As we already know, having negative emotions is part of who we are, but we often don’t get to fully understand them because we do try to suppress them. Nobody wants to feel bad, but understanding why we have negative emotions is the first step to fully embracing them, which then can lead to better management of these feelings.
Negative emotions stem from a triggering event, such as stress in the workplace. They can also stem from having unmet physiological or psychological needs. Take being extra irritable when we are hungry as an example.
Negative emotions are also not always negative! Sometimes, they come from a positive intention or can lead to a positive outcome. Experiencing negative feelings is natural and will allow us to understand ourselves more. Your negative emotions may have a higher, more positive purpose.
Fear helps us avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Sadness makes us empathic towards others. Guilt can urge us to do the right thing, while anger can be our springboard to take positive action.
Experiencing negative emotions also allows us to live fully. If you think about it, we can only feel happiness once we have felt sadness. Just like the yin-yang perspective in Chinese philosophy, negative and positive emotions are interconnected, and without one, there would be an imbalance in our being.
Managing Negative Emotions
Not knowing how to manage our negative emotions can lead to even more negative consequences. We may hurt others or ourselves because we are trying to avoid having these negative emotions. Plus, suppressing our negative emotions can also adversely impact our health. The stress caused by these negative emotions can lead to other problems.
Aside from understanding that our negative emotions are part of our lives, we also need to find a way to express them healthily. Some people find that writing about how they feel helps them manage negative feelings, while others find it more comforting to talk about them with a trusted person.
Another healthy way of managing negative emotions is through mindfulness. By being mindful of our feelings, we become more aware of how we feel and why we are experiencing these negative emotions. It can help us practice being calm and helps us achieve peace of mind. To fully appreciate and enjoy the fullness of life’s potential experience, it is up to you to not only accept but also embrace your emotions. They largely determine your state of mind, which in turn determines your happiness and personal growth.
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Do You Control Your Emotions, Or Do They Control You?
You can understand your emotions better and make your life easier, happier, and more productive!
Emotions drive our behaviors, but in a circular manner, our thoughts, actions, and experiences also trigger and drive our emotions and emotional responses.
Emotions
This Course will show you how to control your negative emotions and maximize the positive ones. You can be happier and more in control!
We all kid ourselves at times that our decisions are based on logic and fact.
The truth is, our emotions drive most of our choices minute-by-minute and day-by-day – whether we admit it or not!
- Emotions are what drive our humanity, and it would be a boring and soulless life without them.
- From the heights of ecstasy to the depths of despair, and all in between, it is our emotions that let us feel all of it.
Emotions drive our behaviors, but in a circular manner, our thoughts, actions, and experiences also trigger and drive our emotions and emotional responses.
For the most part, most people simply accept their emotional responses with little evaluation or scrutiny.
However, the truth is that we have expectations, desires, and goals, and these will rarely be attained without conscious effort.
- To be able to live our best lives we have to be able to influence and control outcomes.
- Being in control gives us more choices.
This means we can also have an effect on how much time we can spend under the influence of ‘positive’ emotions – the ones that make us feel happy and worthwhile, and grateful to be alive.
You will learn –
- What ‘negative’ emotions are, and how to understand them better.
- How to accept that your emotions are normal, but know that you can still manage both duration and intensity.
- What triggers your emotional responses, and how you can control them.
- Just how much your diet affects your emotions, and how much your emotions affect your diet!
- How to stop blaming others to protect your emotions.
- How to deal with regret, and how to overcome feeling lonely.
- And much, much more!
