We all experience a full spectrum of emotions—from joy to sadness, anger to fear, and admiration to loathing. There is no limit to how much emotion we can feel, and you’ve probably noticed you can experience many different emotions simultaneously.
While we all want to live in the positive, there are times when negative emotions creep in and take over.
Having A Downward Spiral of Emotions?
When we hold on to negative emotions, we can quickly experience a downward spiral. Emotions such as hate, anger, jealousy, and sadness can make you dislike yourself and others, reduce your confidence and self-esteem, and general life satisfaction.
Did you know that negative emotions cloud our rationality and stop us from seeing situations from their true perspective? The longer this goes on, the more set the problem becomes.
The good news is there are techniques for preventing a negative emotion from clouding your judgment.
One useful method is identifying and challenging the thoughts underlying what’s upsetting you. Some questions to ask yourself include:
Am I magnifying or catastrophizing the severity of what just happened?
Am I attributing the worst possible motives to someone's behavior?
Are my ‘should have’s’ or ‘what if’s’ compelling me to overreact?
Try Another Point of View
Negative emotions can lead to a hyper-aroused emotional state. What causes you to overreact emotionally are beliefs that are exaggerated or distorted.
To take a step back, try looking at an upsetting situation from a different perspective. Particularly the needs, wants, thoughts, and feelings of others. The person upsetting you is likely acting in their self-interest. When we realize this, our emotions can soften.
Overcoming Jealousy
Jealousy is a challenging emotion. This complex feeling encompasses feelings ranging from suspicion to rage to fear to humiliation.
Rather than trying to suppress this powerful emotion, try using it as a signal or a wake-up call. Challenge the negative thoughts that accompany jealousy. Instead of giving in to such thoughts, practice mindfulness to understand what is going on deeper.
Jealousy is common in romantic relationships and stems from distrust. However, jealousy can also happen in other relationships, from friendships to coworkers.
When jealousy is overwhelming, talking to a therapist can help enormously.
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