Negative emotions can take a toll on us even if we are strong. When we are sad, it sucks out our happy spirit, when we are anxious, we lose hope and when we worry, we rob ourselves of courage, love and acceptance and with that the potential for self-growth.
Sometimes it can feel like an emotional rollercoaster and within one short day, we can experience a full range of emotions like being happy, sad, excited, angry, nervous, anxious, confused and hopeful. Emotions express our current state and the positive ones drive us to success while the negative ones can cause us pain.
Keep in mind though, negative emotions aren’t actually the problem, it’s what we do with them. Most people who experience negative emotions try to simply suppress them, which does more harm than good. Negative emotions are as much a natural part of our life as positive emotions and rather than suppressing them only to have them come up again at the most inopportune times, it is essential that we deal with the negative emotions as they come up and learn how to overcome them.
If you experience negative emotions and don’t know how to handle them, here are our TOP 10 tips to overcome them.
#1 Recognize and Label the Emotion
The first step in overcoming negative emotions is recognizing the emotion and then label it. Everybody has their own unique way of expressing how they feel and what emotions arise in this very moment, but this is not about explaining your emotional state to someone else, but rather about being completely honest with yourself and recognizing what is going on within you. Be very specific in labeling the emotions and really narrow it down to what’s going on right this very seconds. I’m in a bad mood won’t cut it. Are you angry? Do you feel lonely? Are you sad? Observe your emotions as if you were the observer from the outside and be completely objective without judging.
#2 Remind Yourself that Emotions Are Temporary
It is important to remember that emotions are only temporary and will pass. Of course if an emotion like sadness is going on for an extended period of time, you may want to discuss it with a professional, but generally speaking, emotions arise quickly and will disappear just as fast. It’s like physical pain. If you break a bone the pain will go away and the bone will heal. It’s the same with emotions. You may feel sad right now, but when you wake up in the morning, you could feel completely different. Unfortunately this is true for positive emotions as well. Every emotion is fleeting, remember, emotions are energy in motion and will move out of your system quickly.
#3 Find the Cause of the Emotion
Once you recognized and labeled your emotion and acknowledged that the emotion won’t last forever, figure out what made the emotion rise up. This is not meant to be a blame game, so don’t blame yourself or anyone else for the emotions you feel right this moment. Simply try to find the root cause of the emotion. Maybe you got a nasty text message from your neighbor, maybe your boss said something you didn’t like about your work or maybe you simply spilled your green smoothie all over your shirt. Whatever it is, don’t judge, but simply identify it.
#4 Accept Your Emotions
Whatever your emotions are right now, accept them. Emotions are here to tell us what’s going on within ourselves and you are experiencing your emotions for a reason, even if you don’t like it. There is nothing you can do right now but to accept your emotions. Yes, we are talking about overcoming negative emotions, but this is how you feel right now and the only way to get through it, is to accept the reality. Then work on releasing the emotion and moving on, but don’t suppress it or ignore it. Use it as a learning tool so that you can avoid future negative emotions to come up.
#5 Recall Happy Moments
Whenever you are overcome by negative emotions and you catch yourself, think about a happy memory that can lift your spirits. Negative emotions hurt our emotional well-being so replacing them with positive emotions is the best remedy to overcome them. We all have a plethora of happy memories to recall so whenever you are down, think about the happiest moments in your life and within a few minutes you will see a smile on your face and can turn things around.
#6 Start Laughing
We’ve heard it all before, laughter is the best medicine, so whenever negative emotions overpower your mind, stop what you are doing and start laughing out loud. It may seem silly to you, but laughing is the best therapy to turn things around, even if it’s a fake laugh, because eventually the laughter will become real, you feel your negative emotions melt away and make space for more positive emotions that will put a natural smile on your face.
#7 Practice Meditation
Many scientific studies show that meditation is one of the best ways to deal with any and all problems related to the mind. Whether you have trouble staying focused or you are prone to negative emotions, meditation can offer a fantastic solution. The main purpose of mediation is to refresh your mind and if you practice meditation on a regular basis, you will be able to take control over your thoughts and once you can remove negative thoughts, your emotions will be a lot more positive. Become the master of your mind and start meditating today. It doesn’t have to be anything grand. Simply sit or lie down, close your eyes and focus on your breath.
#8 Surround Yourself with Happy People
If you feel down and are overpowered by negative emotions, a surefire way to lift your spirits is to surround yourself with happy, cheerful people. Call your friends and meet up for a picnic in the park, go see a movie together or simply enjoy a nice dinner in great company. When your emotions are on a negative downwards spiral and you distract it with the positivity of the happy people around you, you can turn things around in no time, because the mind can only focus on one thing at a time.
#9 Practice Gratitude
You may wonder how you can be grateful if nothing in your life is going the way you want? Even when things are tough, there is always something to be grateful for and there is always something positive even in the most challenging of situations. But you don’t even have to dig that deep. Be grateful that you have the time to read this post, be grateful that you are breathing, be grateful for having a place to live, be grateful for your morning coffee. There are a million little things to be grateful for. Don’t look at the things that aren’t good right now, focus on what’s positive in your life and you can not only raise your mood instantly, but also increase the quality of your life profoundly.
#10 Distract Yourself
When you find yourself in a slump of negative emotions, do something you really love. This may be as simple as listening to music or reading a book or you may go take a yoga class, indulge in a massage or call your best friend. As soon as you feel negativity rise up, start to do something you truly enjoy and your mind will instantly be distracted from the negative emotions and while you start reading your favorite book, positive emotions will start to light a spark within you.
It is important to remember that you can overcome any negative emotion that comes up. You have the power to control your life and determine what you need and want. Don’t let negative emotions consume you and steal your joy of life. If you apply our above tips and learn how to overcome negative emotions, you can achieve anything your heart desires and live the life of your dreams.
OVERPOWER YOUR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AND TURN THEM INTO POSITIVE ONES
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked