13 Mar A clinical psychologist explains the 60-second approach to managing your emotions
Happiness, thriving and flourishing undoubtedly involve maximising positive emotions.
But too many people stop there; thinking that’s all happiness is.
Happiness and thriving ALSO involve managing negative emotions. And this article will help you do that…
via the Ladders by Thomas Oppong
Emotions are a big part of our lives — our emotions largely dictate our thoughts, intentions and most importantly our actions.
Emotions influence our attitudes and judgments, which in turn, influence the decisions we make, and for every emotion, there’s normally an emotional trigger — we take chances when we are excited by new opportunities, we make sacrifices because we love.
Research suggests that positive emotions, such as happiness, comfort, contentedness, and pleasure, help us make decisions, allow us to consider a larger set of options, and decide quicker.
Intense emotions can easily overwhelm our rational minds and have a powerful impact on our behavior.
Negative emotions, like rage, envy or bitterness, tend to spiral out of control, especially immediately after they’ve been triggered.
When we act on our emotions too quickly or act on the wrong kinds of emotions, we often make decisions that we later regret.
Gaining control over your emotions will help you rely on your rational brain more frequently to make informed decisions and better judgments.
Many researchers define controlling emotions as the ability to enhance or reduce your emotions as needed — the ability to know what you’re feeling and what to do about it in any environment.
“Emotion regulation means practicing something known as impulse control,” says Kris Lee, Ed.D., a professor at Northeastern University, behavioral science expert and author of Mentalligence: A New Psychology of Thinking: Learn What it Takes to be More Agile, Mindful and Connected in Today’s World.
“When something happens, our brain’s automatic response is to be reactive. When our amygdala, the small part of our brain that regulates fight or flight is set off, we have to avoid taking the bait of our raw emotional reactions that make us want to overreact,” Kris says.
“When we buy time, we then have access to the frontal lobes of our brains, where we have access to reasoning, better problem solving and perspective. We never have to take the bait of primitive emotions,” she explains.
Intense emotions can easily overwhelm our senses and have a powerful impact on our behavior. Fortunately, you can do something about your emotions when they are too strong and constantly lead to overreaction or choices you regret later…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE