If you are currently experiencing a rough ride, you’d be in very good company. Current events these days are prone to excite extreme emotions. Sadly, at present, so many things are set to provoke unhelpful negative emotions.
We are all emotional beings by nature, and to be devoid of emotions would be unreal. You have to have emotions, and the stronger your emotions are, I’d argue, the more successful you will be – provided you have a healthy balance.
If you are being pulled this way and that by your emotions, what can you do?
Here’s a quick process that will get you moving in a healthier direction:-
- Become more aware of the emotions you are experiencing each day. Journal daily on what you can remember about your emotional day. Be as specific as you can. What negative emotions have you experienced today? What positive emotions?
- For each emotional experience, jot down (don’t delve too deeply) what you think triggered each experience. Make sure you don’t disappear into a rerun of the emotional experience, just try to factually note down the likely cause.
- Keep this diary going for a week or so before sitting down to reflect on your notes. What’s the balance like between positive and negative? 80/10, 50/50? What themes are there? How would you like to change the balance?
- Make a decision about the emotions you would like to feel each and every day. Be as specific as possible.
- Reflect again on triggers, this time for the desired emotions. Think of several times you felt them. What was going on? How did they arise?
- Brainstorm actions you can take to swing the triggers in favour of the positive emotions. What can you start doing, do more of, or stop entirely?
- Finally, write down a decent list of benefits you expect to gain from these actions, and the resulting shift in your emotional experience. This should be great enough to gain your commitment to swing things around in favour of a far better life experience.
Life is a rollercoaster, and needs to be to a certain extent. Your ability to enjoy the ride, and manage to ups and downs well is alive skill worth practicing – every day!
Have fun.
Related to Emotional Rollercoaster
- STOP Getting Hijacked by Your Emotions
- Allowing Others to Play with Your Emotions
- Taking Control: Your Next 90 Days
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