It’s been said that the quality of our emotions determines the quality of our life.

Not dealing with our emotions can cause depression, anxiety, burnout, and result in stress related physical conditions such as heart attack and stroke.

You’d think those risks alone would be enough to make us take charge of our emotional health.

Magic Doesn’t Happen

The reality is, ignoring or denying our feelings causes stress and disease, and makes things worse…much, much worse.

Situations don’t get better on their own.

“Waiting out” a bad situation is a mistake because things rarely get “magically” better on their own; that’s not how life works.

We’re not helpless victims…unless we choose to be.

Our Choice

We have a choice with what we allow ourselves to feel and how we manage our emotions. Is it easy? No! But it’s possible. And necessary.

We all face challenging situations that can make us feel inadequate or bad about ourselves in some way. No one likes to feel rejected, left out, or judged unfairly, especially by those closest to us.

If only life was an unending string of beautiful moments filled with love, sunsets on the beach, and passionate adventures.

But life comes with failures, disappointments, accusations, varying shades of ugliness, and loss.

Live Your Life!

Situations and people trigger our emotions. So unless we want be led around by the nose by our feelings, we must step up and take charge because our feelings won’t just disappear.

Either you’re controlling your life or someone else is.

Live your life.

The Helpful Role of Negative Emotions

Acknowledge the emotions you’re feelings; don’t ignore them. Realize that there’s a reason why you’re feeling them – something or someone in your life needs to be dealt with.

Maybe that someone who needs to be dealt with is you.

Ways to Process Emotions

A good starting place for becoming aware of your feelings and emotions is a journal. Simply writing about what you feel puts a more space between you and the emotion; it gives you objectivity.

Ask yourself questions about what you’re feeling, how those feelings affect you and what they make you want to do, and what triggered them.

Your goal is to discover the root emotion and what triggered it so you can deal with the situation productively and not overreact.

Who or what made you feel the way you do and why – is it because of an issue in their life or yours?

Evaluating and analyzing your feelings helps you to acknowledge them so you can deal with what’s happening in your life and move on.

Another creative technique for dealing with your feelings is to objectify the emotion by writing a letter to the emotion itself or speaking to it or even drawing it. Again, this puts space between you and the emotion – it disentangles you from the feeling, giving you a more objective point of view.

A Healthy Lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps us to manage our emotions better, too. A healthy diet, along with physical activity and stress-reducing activities, boosts energy and sharpens clarity.

Remember to get quality sleep, and spend time meditating to rest your mind, body and soul.

It’s Okay to Ask

Sometimes we need a little help to manage our emotions.

Just like you wouldn’t think twice about seeing your doctor about a physical ailment, you shouldn’t think twice about seeing a counselor or therapist for an emotional health issue.

Seeking help when you need it isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of intelligence and strength.

In Summary…

If it’s true that the quality of your emotions determines the quality of your life, then you must take charge of your feelings so you can start living the life you imagine.