Emotional strength is a vital element of personal power and strength. Generally, an emotionally stable person is strong enough to deal with any adverse situation. One who does not have control over emotions suffers a lot in life.
Therefore, it is important to learn how to control emotions. If you’re one who struggles to control emotions; fret not as we are going to discuss how to control your emotions.
Why is it important to Control Emotions?
What is emotional weakness? Why is it important to control emotions?
Have you ever been in a situation that triggered anxiety and nervousness? Let’s make it easier. Have you ever been uptight and restless right before being called for an interview? I suppose, yes! Most of us suffer from this situation. It’s quite common so there is no need to feel embarrassed.
So, in that case, the anxiety and nervousness must have spoiled your interview too. Probably, you might have got a rejection too. Just because you were being controlled by your emotions; you couldn’t perform well in the interview.
Now imagine, how the situation would have been if your emotions were in your control; rather than you being controlled?
Quite definitely, you would have done wonders in the interview.
Now, let’s have another situation as a case study to understand the picture more clearly.
Have you ever tried to step out of your comfort zone? For an emotionally weak individual, it is definitely not easy to leave his comfort zone. The fear of the unknown and unfamiliar situation and surroundings makes him apprehensive and unwilling to leave home.
However, for a person who has control over emotions, you can send him anywhere in the world; he would be happy in experiencing, accepting, and adapting to the change.
It is accurate to say; that fear, anxiety, depression, nervousness, apprehensions, tensions, etc. are such negative emotions that result in a heavy toll on life.
Therefore, for a successful life and future, learn to take your emotions into your control. It’s definitely not easy, but there are some proven ways that can help us in controlling negative emotions.
“I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.”
Oscar Wilde
5 Effective Strategies to Control Your Emotions
You can have control over your emotions if you would follow the following recommendations.
1. Meditation leads to Emotional Control
First & foremost, meditation largely helps in gaining emotional control. Well, how does it happen? One major benefit of meditation is that it enhances focus and concentration. It leads to clarity of mind and thoughts.
Emotional instability is often a result of a confused state of mind and thoughts. Therefore, it can be dealt with through regular meditation sessions.
Take some time out of your daily routine; sit silently and close your eyes; concentrate on the stream of your breath, and explore your inner peace and strength.
Quite definitely, with time you will see gradual and obvious improvement. Your emotional instability will no longer be your problem. In short, you will become an emotionally strong person.
2. Always Live in the Present Moment
The human mind is programmed to picture all the possible problems that one could meet in a particular situation. The fact is however different. Things never turn out to be as complex and nerve-racking as one would imagine before time.
Such negative imaging of the mind creates tension, anxiety, and often slight depression. This problem can also be identified as overthinking. Overthinking always leads to tension and anxiety.
We can deal with this problem by staying in the present moment. We can do this by thinking only about and focusing only on what is going on in our surroundings in real time. Start noticing even the minute things around you. Appreciate daylight, enjoy the breeze, listen to the sounds from the surrounding, etc.
By doing this, gradually your mind will hardwire the habit of staying present and alert all the time. So, this will ultimately stop overthinking and negative emotions.
3. Deep Breathing helps in Emotional Control
Another way of controlling emotions is by taking a deep breath. The benefit of deep breathing is that it reduces stress and anxiety. When we take a slow and deep breath, it sends a message to the brain to calm down. The brain in response sends this message to the entire body.
A slow and deep breath gives you your own control. Ever noticed that in anxiety, we tend to suffer from unrhythmic breathing? By taking charge of our own breathing, we in fact take control of our whole self. This is how we also check our negative emotions.
4. Control Emotions by Accepting them
Another way of controlling your negative emotions is to accept them. It is quite simple. Accept the negative emotions that currently you are undergoing. Accept that it is quite normal to feel like this.
Shannon L. Alder has aptly said;
Feelings are something you have; not something you are.
Shannon L. Alder
Truth is, one state of feelings is not a constant phenomenon. Emotions keep on changing. Mood swings are normal. Just accept them and move on.
Every living human has emotions. Only the dead are emotionless. As long as you are living and have any sort of emotions at any given time; take gratitude that you’re as normal as every other person.
5. Controlling by Giving the Emotions an Expression
Giving vent to pent-up emotions also gives emotional relief. Any sort of emotion that you have right now; if they are troubling you, just discuss/share them with any person.
Never keep your emotions within. If there is no one with whom you can share it, you can also write them down. For that, maintaining a mood diary is a healthy activity. By maintaining a mood diary we mean, writing about your mood in a diary regularly.
Feelings that you cannot express, write them down in the diary. This will give you catharsis.
By doing this, you will be able to identify not only why you have certain emotions but also how you can control them.
Wrapping Up
One best thing about negative emotions that you face is; that emotionally you become more and more strong. The truth is, that everything happens for a reason. Similarly, negative emotions are there to teach you something. Whether it is anger, loneliness; frustration, anxiety, or depression; these are your feelings and only you are in charge of them.
So, learn to master your emotions; learn to control them; you will emerge as an unbreakable, unshakeable, and invincible beast.
Leave a Comment