How hard is it not to keep those bubbling emotions in when someone is pulling the wrong string, and even more, you can see that they are doing it on purpose?
Don’t you just want to throw the nearest stapler at them? (Consider not doing that, though.)
And, yet, there are people who remain inexplicably calm in the face of provocation and emotional adversity. How do they do it, and is it a gift only destined for a select fortunate?
We are going to learn how to make some magic by keeping our emotions from bubbling over by using mindfulness as a fundamental tool.
Mindfulness FAQs
How does mindfulness link with emotions?
Mindfulness helps us understand our own emotions and emotional reactions by helping us develop a sense of self-awareness, which gives us the ability to view our emotions in a more objective way.
Why is it difficult to control emotions?
An emotional reaction is a symptom of a deeper and probably more serious issue that needs to be resolved. When this issue that might be unknown to you is triggered, it is natural for you to overreact, but the way we do it is not necessarily healthy.
What are examples where mindfulness can help with controlling emotions?
Mindfulness can help us deal with common overreactions when we get angry but also with more complicated emotional issues like emotional eating.
Keep That Calm and Breathe With These Nifty Techniques
This guide is going to take you through exercises you can apply when you feel the heat rising or when you feel you want to overreact.
That being said, it is important to understand that teaching yourself to pause before you overreact, so you can implement these practices, is crucial. You can do that by taking a few deep belly breaths.
So, let’s make this the rule that applies before you use any other mindfulness technique aimed at controlling your emotions: take a step back and breathe.
1. Identifying the emotion you’re experiencing
as it starts to overwhelm you is crucial for you to start understanding your own feelings and why you have the urge to react.
Of course, you will only be able to do a rational, calm, and mindful identification after you’ve taken a few breaths and stepped back from the triggering situation.
Sometimes, you may be experiencing a mixture of emotions, but it is likely that one of them is the core and cause of the others.
For example, often when someone experiences jealousy, the core emotion is actually a sense of insecurity as they see a loved one pay more attention to someone else than to them.
Identifying the core emotion will give you a head start at understanding yourself and dealing with the issue.
2. Investigating the source of the emotion
after you’ve identified it can lead you to unanswered questions that may be from your past as unresolved emotional issues often cause us to overreact.
Try to get to the source of why you tend to overreact in certain situations. It is also important to not approach your emotions with hostility just because you think you did something wrong.
Remember to keep an open mind when looking deeper into yourself.
3. Always practice acceptance
An important component of mindfulness as you investigate in the moment is to always practice acceptance. Don’t judge yourself for being human!
Try your best to accept your emotion, the reaction you were about to have, and the reason behind it. It gets easier the more you do it.
4. Emotions are temporary
Now that you’ve made so much progress, you can allow yourself to understand that the emotion itself is not going to solve the problem and is a temporary outlet that can cause lasting damage.
Emotions are temporary, and they will pass. It is more practical to focus on understanding and solving the cause of strong emotion.
5. Let it go or let it be
Finally, after going through these steps, you need to let go. Letting go will bring you relief, help you unwind, and release unwanted anxiety.
Knowing you’ve done your part in resolving unhealthy behavior should inspire you to get to know yourself better and practice living in the moment all the time.
Now, you can unwind, and if you want to learn from your experience, reflection is a healthy practice.
Final Thoughts
Being in control of our emotions is crucial for achieving success in life.
Mindfulness is such a valuable tool that we can use to get to know ourselves, practice self-control, and control the direction our thoughts are going in.
Self-control is crucial if you want to practice emotional control, but it will lead to an ultimately rewarding and fulfilling life.
