Experiencing Emotion

Oftentimes, when one is upset or anxious or experiencing any other negatives emotions, people tell them to immediately deflect these thoughts and instead, reinforce positive thoughts and focus on the good. What this does when done on its own is provide a temporary escape until a number of similar situations invoking these same emotions builds up more and more until one day, the silent time bomb explodes in a burst of anger or frustration over seemingly nothing in particular. 

No, the more ideal way to deal with these emotions is to recognize that they are derived not from the prefrontal cortex, or the active brain, but rather from the subconscious mind that most people may not recognize can actually be controlled, to a certain extent. This will aid in achieving the more desirable effect- that of understanding, accepting and even embracing these emotions to help them rise to the surface and the front brain, and logically and rationally process the underlying event causing the unwanted emotion and then moving past it in a healthy manner. 


Feel what your body is telling you you need to feel; then and only then can this situation be replaced with positive affirmations and focusing on what else is out there other than the negativity you’ve just experienced. The most important thing to remember is that you are a spirit who has a mind, and if you do not control your mind, it will control you- your uncontrolled thoughts will convert into irrational emotions and potentially lead to regrettable actions and behaviors towards others, having a negative and long-term domino effect in many areas of your life. 

 
One last thing to keep in mind is that for most of us, the biological purpose of pain or fear seems to be that of self protection and preventing an undesirable event from happening. However, actively recognizing that a majority of these events are in the past or have not occurred yet is a proactive way to become mindful in the present moment and remain calm and proactive in a negative situation.

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