Managing your emotions
Taiwo and Kehinde are identical twins. They do everything together, but they are also very different. Taiwo is always burnt out; the slightest mishap will send her into a state of frustration and stress. She is often affected by everything around her: the traffic, long queues, the mean colleague. Her mood and happiness are directly influenced daily by what is happening around her. Kehinde, on the other hand, doesn’t let small things get to her. She decides how she wants to feel, and she is much happier than Taiwo.
Kehinde exhibits more emotional intelligence than Taiwo and manages her emotions appropriately. Just like Taiwo, a lot of people struggle with controlling their emotions. Managing emotions effectively is actually like developing a skill or a habit. It is a way of doing something better, and as humans, we struggle with change the most, especially when it has to do with emotions.
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. If we understand a little more about how our emotions work, Learning to control your emotions can be one of the best skills, you will ever develop in your life. Your emotions lead to the actions you take and therefore, create the life you are experiencing now.
Here are ways to gain better control over your emotions:
Be aware of your emotions: How do I feel? Label your emotions: hat do I feel? Question your emotions: Why do I feel the way I do? Solution: What do I do?
Engaging in a list of activities such as taking a walk can help you stop ruminating, meditating, listening to uplifting music, calling a friend to talk about something pleasant, watching a comedy movie etc.
Do you control your emotions or you allow your emotions control you? Managing your emotions can be difficult. Still, the more time you spend on practising how to control your emotions, the stronger you become emotionally, not only would you feel more empowered and in control of life, you’ll be happier and much healthier.
Chioma Nwosu is a mental health/positive psychology advocate, speaker and founder of Olamma Cares Foundation an NGO focused on encouraging the social acceptance of developmental disabilities and mental disorders, finding and implementing long term solutions of these conditions through training, capacity building, advocacy and intervention.
Email: cnwosu@olammacares.com Instagram: _olamma_