Regulating Your Emotions
“Self–regulation will always be a challenge, but if somebody’s going to be in charge, it might as well be me.” – Daniel Akst
We live in a world where you can experience happiness, sadness, rage, joy, disappointment, and fear on the same day. We may not have control over the things that happen to us on a day-to-day basis, but we can control how we react to them. Have you ever responded to a person or situation in a way that made you question your reaction? If so, why do you think that is?
Regulating our emotions sound easy but require intention and self-awareness. Being able to take control of your feelings during a situation involves practice. I am not saying we should not show emotions; control them when it matters the most. Suppose you struggle with regulating your emotions during sensitive conversations or life events. In that case, you may want to re-evaluate the triggers for those emotions and face their root cause. Here are a few tips for regulating your emotions.
- Identify your triggers. No one said that you could never get angry. The thing is, what do you do when you get angry? Identifying when your emotions take a dramatic change and tying that to remove yourself from those situations can help you get to the root of that emotion.
- Speaking affirmations and positive self-talk. Sometimes talking yourself off the ledge per se helps when we get into these moments when our emotions seem to take over. Try saying to yourself, “I am in control. I can handle this. This may be tough, but so am I.” Doing this can also decrease anxiety.
- Take time to respond. Not everything requires an immediate response. Are you listening to understand or to hear? When you need to respond to a situation, take a second to react to certain situations.
Regulating your emotions can be challenging, but it is not impossible. Sometimes I have to practice these things daily, depending on the situation. Understanding how to have self-awareness and better self-control can improve your mental, physical, and even spiritual readiness.
