HOW TO MANAGE OUR EMOTIONS
We learned that our emotions need to be controlled, but how do we manage them correctly?
We need to name them.
First, we have to identify what we are feeling, whether it is frustration, anger or sadness, because we cannot manage something that we don’t even know what it is. In order to discover what we are feeling, we need to ask ourselves, “What am I really feeling? What triggered this emotion? Maybe a supervisor got you mad, so you let your anger out on your children or spouse. You need to ask yourself what is the detonator, what is the trigger that shoots what I am feeling? Sometimes it can be a smell, a sound, a physical touch, a memory, a word or someone’s certain attitude.
We need to discern them and challenge them. “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind” (Psalm 26:2 NIV).
What do you do with the negative feelings? We shouldn’t automatically accept what we are feeling, neither assume they are true, instead we must challenge and discern them. We don’t have to accept the thoughts that come our way, since not all them are true such as, “Oh, I am ugly!”. We need to ask ourselves, “Am I really ugly?”. Do not accept these kinds of thoughts, instead automatically ask yourself, “Are things as bad as I really feel?”. Probably not. Has the world really ended for you? Perhaps not. Let’s ask ourselves, “Why am I truly feeling this way? Is what I am feeling true? Is this helping me or hurting me? If it’s not helping you, change it, throw it away, and let go of that emotion.
I must dominate it and change it.
When your soul is affected, you have two options: Change them or channel them. Just as when you have bad thoughts, you have seven seconds to change them. There are emotions that are so destructive and damaging that they produce adrenaline and burn us out. This kind of adrenaline causes ulcers, a negative mindset, and disorders in your nervous system. We must ask ourselves, what would Jesus do in this situation? Would the Lord yell at my spouse? Would Jesus go to a bar to vent the emotion I am experiencing? Would He put on his boxing gloves to fight against my supervisor? How are we using anger? We need to learn to channel it for the good things such as building and not destroying, to make justice and not injustice, to forgive and not to hate.
Think about it:
What are you doing with your negative emotions? Are you letting them go lose or are you controlling them?
What have you been feeling lately that has been causing you to react the wrong way?
What have you assumed to be true that has now caused you to lose control over your emotions?