How to deal with emotional upheavals?

Don’t let negative emotions take over your life and health

Our emotions have an immense effect on our daily lives. The way we react to various situations sometimes leaves us with regrets. Hence it is important to look out for signs if your mood keeps changing depending on circumstances. You need to practice your minds to not get affected by different events and prevent it from becoming salves of your emotions.

Here are some possible solutions to keep your emotions in check

• Identify – When something disturbing takes place, identify the kind of emotion that takes over you? Is it anger, worry, insecurity, anxiety, sadness or depression? Once you can find out what makes you emotional, it can be tackled.

• Let go – Holding negative emotions and constantly thinking about it troubles your wellbeing. Instead of holding on to it you must learn to let go of them and try to relax. One fairly easy way is to maintain a diary where you can write about the feelings that are troubling you and get it out of your system – believe me it helps. It is worth learning meditation and pranayama as it will help you stay calm. Meanwhile, the easiest is trying to say your alphabet backwards Z Y X… It will make you concentrate and divert your mind from negative thoughts.

• Forgive and Forget – Stop blaming yourself or anyone else for a given situation. Try to forgive and forget. The more you keep thinking about it, the more miserable you will be.

• Pick up a hobby – Take time out to indulge in hobbies like painting, singing, cycling, gardening, playing games etc. A hobby will improve your mood and keep you mentally occupied leaving less time to sulk and fret. The idea is to divert your mind towards something that needs concentration and has a positive output.

• Only good vibes – Detach from the negative feeling, situation, person or place and stop dwelling on it. Instead, go for a walk or a stroll it will help you clear your mind. If you are unable to go away physically, listening to your favorite music or watching a movie can be a tremendous diversion.

• Catch up with friends – Ring up an old friend or friends and get together to relive old times. This is one of the most effective ways to improve your emotional health. It recharges you in many ways and keeps you feeling happy for a long time. Laughing together especially over silly childhood things is great.

• Take a step back and breathe – Never react instantly because in all probability you will regret your actions or speech in retrospect. Think over it, take a few deep breaths, drink a glass of water or take a short walk and then respond to the situation..

• Set short term achievable goals – Goal setting for things you want to achieve over a period also helps overcome disappointments. It will not only keep you occupied but also make you feel good about yourself. So instead of feeling helpless and dejected, use it to your advantage. Take a break, sleep well and start afresh with renewed energy.

• Confide – In the worst of situations, reach out to a friend you can confide in and ask for help. You may feel embarrassed but don’t let that stop you from opening up as holding back will causes you more distress.