Do you think that your mood dictates your life? Who do you think controls your mood? Are we purely and utterly emotional beings with no control over how we feel?
The answer of course, regardless of your perspective on it, is that we can effectively control our mood and emotions, especially in specific situations. I am not suggesting you stop feeling and become a robot!
Instead, listed below are some tips and techniques to use when negative feelings arise. You can rise above them, avoid making a mistake either by promising too much when happy or destroying something when angry.
“The difference between peak performance and poor performance is not intelligence or ability; most often it’s the state that your mind and body is in.” —Tony Robbins
How to control your emotions:
- Emotion is created by motion. In other words, emotions are linked to movement in our bodies. So when stressed, sad, frustrated go for a walk, dance around in the house. Remember, you won’t feel like it, but this exercise is to change how you feel!
- Reframe your thoughts. Work example: You are feeling anxious and the boss says she wants to see you right away. You assume you’re going to get fired. If however, you’re feeling happy when you get that same request, your first thought could be that you’re going to be congratulated on a job well done. The Key is to take a deep breath, and reframe your thoughts to develop a more realistic view.
- When you feel you are boiling up, take a deep breath, or slowly walk away from the negative situation. You don’t want to say or do something you will regret later on.
- Attack your to-do list without a second thought. To-do lists are our vehicle that assist our minds in getting rid of a negative emotion. Put on some loud upbeat music and take control of the day.
- Finally, aim for regulation, not repression. We are not trying to brush our emotions under the carpet. Instead, we are trying to regulate them in order to achieve our goal in a specific situation regardless of how we feel.
Don’t let your emotions rule and run your life. You deserve more. x
Fotis
