God gave all of us emotions. You say, “I can’t stop crying” or “He makes me so mad.” How about this one, “I am so happy.” Positive and negative emotions will control your mind and your will, for as long as you want. If you do not recognize your negative emotions, they will take over your soul. You have a body, soul, and spirit. It is your soul that hold your emotions. The soul is your mind, will, and emotions. You are a spirit who processes a body and have a soul. I’m going to talk about the emotion part of your soul.
As mentioned above, emotions are either positive or negative and it can controls what we think (mind) and what we do (will). So, I think we should practice having positive emotions all the time. Let’s look at what these emotions mean.
Anger: Resentment towards something or someone you feel has wronged you. Anger can also be a good thing because it can motivate you to get things done or find solutions to a problem.
Fear: The awareness of danger either real or imagined. Fear is being afraid that something or someone is dangerous or painful. Fear can also cause worrying where you are thinking of that fear over and over again.
Sadness: This is the feeling of being unhappy (doomed) due to grief or disappointment. Be careful because too much sadness can cause depression. Sadness can be a normal thing because things happen in our lives that make us sad, such as a death in family, temporary pain, a breakup, bills, etc. Sadness becomes depression if we stay in it too long.
Joy: This means you are experiencing a happy feeling. You are glad and joyful. It’s like you can’t stop smiling because all is well even then there is disappointment. It is when you have what you need in life, and you are content. Psalm 28:7 states “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” So be joyful and happy. This should be your goal.
Happiness: Being happy means you are experiencing a sense of joy, contentment, and overall well-being. This comes from having positive emotions, satisfaction with life and a sense of purpose or fulfillment. Happiness can also be influenced by relationships, personal achievements and the ability to appreciate and enjoy the present moment.
Surprise: This is an unexpected thing or fact. Being surprised can cause you to be amazed, stunned, or astonished. It can be a positive or negative surprise. It’s like a pleasant gift or an attack without any warning. You can also be surprised by unexpected noise.
Disgust: A feeling of disapproval from something offensive. It is distasteful and unpleasant. For example: It makes me sick to look at him when he is drunk.
Contempt: Google gave this definition: The feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn. It is like having strong feelings of disapproval towards a person.
Each emotion mentioned above can be negative with the exception of happiness and joy. There is a way to be filled with joy all the time. You must learn how to control your emotions when they come, and they will come, so expect it. You can turn off your negative emotions just like turning off a light switch. Let me show you how.
Emotions are part of your soul and they are controlled by what you are thinking about at the time. It can be positive or negative, the choice is yours. Identify your negative emotions.
- You need to put a name with your emotions. You need to know what is going on inside your mind. Is it fear? Is it sadness? Know which emotion you are experiencing.
- Change the way you are thinking right now by thinking of positive things instead of the negative.
For example:
It is 10:00 am and your boss wants to meet with you today at 2:00pm. She did not tell you the reason for the meeting but by the look on her face, you know it’s serious. The emotion fear comes in your mind. You know this is fear because you sense a threat of being in trouble or fired. Once you realize the emotion fear, cast it down with positive thoughts by realizing you are a good worker and people praise your work. Maybe she just has an important assignment for you. Tell yourself, “No fear here.” Start doing other things and believe it’s all good. When I arrived at the meeting, she said she wanted to let me know that we are doing the reports using a new computer system and this was a training session. She wanted me to learn it and teach the others how to use it. And there was a pay raise attached to it.
Even if the outcome was negative, identify that emotion at that time and deal with that emotion by getting rid of it with positive thoughts. We all have to go through the storm, so lets get through it and move on.
You can also change your emotion by finding out what makes you happy and doing it until your change comes. Here are some things you can do.
- Listen to your favorite music.
- Speak to yourself with positive affirmations
- Find a hobby to relax you.
- Call or visit a friend.
- Read a good book.
- Go for a walk.
- Meditate on something positive.
- Look at a funny TV show.
Make the choice to change that negative mood into a positive mood. This takes practice and more practice. But you can do it. Learning to control your emotions will bring you the joy, peace and happiness you deserve.
