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How To Handle Raw Emotions

By Kathleen Myers


We all have had to deal with various challenging situations in our lives at one time or the other. While it may be possible to sought out some of our problems fairly easily on our own, there are challenges that tend to be quite overwhelming and have the potential to drive us over the edge. In many of these cases we find ourselves at logger heads with the people we love the most and out raw emotions may end up putting a strain on these very valued relationships.

One of the terms commonly used by psychologists to refer to stressful feelings and thoughts is emotional flooding. Perhaps the reason as to why this term is considered appropriate is because the thoughts are sudden and overwhelming, just like a flood. In most instances, there will be a predominant feeling in the foreground such as sadness, hatred, depression or fear. It is also common for feelings to change over time.

There are a number of well known triggers of deep emotions. They include, for example, recalling past events, the thought of a troubling future and present stressors. The affected individual tends to get lost in these thoughts to the extent of recreating the trauma and hurt suffered or is to be suffered. This serves to make things worse for them unless they adapt and develop a different perception of their situation.

One of the things that can help us keep our feet on the ground during the unpleasant times is to utilize controlled behaviour. Deep belly breathing and other manoeuvres to help with muscular relaxation have been shown to minimize stress. The benefits come in as small incremental improvements. The emotional flooding will tend to recur hence the need to keep practising the deep breathing. Practising regularly makes it easier to do it during the stressful situations.

Steps should be undertaken to identify the feelings involved. Acknowledging and accepting the feelings will start off the process of getting better. Without doing this, one will end up in a closed emotional loop in which the emotions are likely to feed on themselves and worsen the situation.

Turning back to your support system is also very helpful. Many people will only let their loved ones know of their troubles when things get out of hand. This should not be the case. Rather, getting in touch with your loved ones early enough will help control form of the negative thoughts and feelings right from the start. Trusted colleagues, friends, relatives and religious leaders are all potential sources of much needed support.

Sometimes all that is required is for one to simply take a break. It is difficult to handle and feelings when you have so many other things going on. Taking stock of your emotions in a quiet place will help you forge the best way forward. In some cases, you will be surprised to discover that there is no reason to feel bad at all. While at it, try to focus on the positives in your life and a reason to smile instead of sinking into self pity.

Dealing with various emotions is never easy and especially when they have just been triggered. Strong emotions may lead to self destruction if one does not know how exactly to handle them. Taking time to understand the feelings should be the first step towards deciding on the best way of handling them. It is important to always ask for help when you realize that what you are dealing with is making your life difficult.




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