Emotions get a bad reputation. I used to give them that too. They always seemed to "come at the worst times." I would start feeling anxious before my exam, when "I really needed to just focus on studying." I would feel jealous at the gym when "I really should just focus on my own exercise." They always seemed to be inconvenient and I would just try to suppress them.
But one day I had enough. I tried to figure out what exactly was the meaning behind them. Thanks to my superior sleuthing skills, I found the answer and hope you guys find it as helpful for my life as I did.
Do not Ignore Feeling
I relate this to weight. It is a lot easier to work with trying to lose one pound, than if you ignore it and then 40 Taco Bell visits later, the scale says 5 pounds more.
It is a lot easier with those feelings when they first come up, rather than suppressing and ignoring them.
Follow these Steps for Emotional Mastery
1. Find out what you're really feeling
For example, when you are angry with someone, are you angry? Or are you hurt? Because the feeling of being hurt is not as intense as being angry. Are you feeling hurt because you feel rejected? Are you disappointed? Once you lower the intensity of the emotion, it is a lot easier to learn from it.
2. Appreciate your feelings, knowing that they are there to guide you
Do not feel that what you are feeling is wrong. You are allowed to feel what you feel. And know that you can learn form it, if you acknowledge and truly appreciate that you can feel.
3. Try to find out the message this feeling is trying to tell you
This is why it is so much better to listen to your emotions earlier, because you can fix your actions before you dig yourself even deeper. Figure out what is wrong, and then solve the challenge and try and prevent the same problem from happening again.