Last update: June 18, 2015
Can emotions be managed? We are convinced: we can and, when we succeed, our possibilities grow exponentially, both from a personal and professional point of view.
Knowing how we react to the stimuli that surround us and measuring the emotional response provoked will help us not to waste our strength and energy in a reckless way. For example, if we get too intensely angry with a stranger we will probably never see again, we are wasting energy unnecessarily, an energy that could be more useful if channeled in other ways. As if that weren't enough, the feeling of anger will persist over time, much longer than would be desirable.
Many people believe that emotions are not controllable or manageable, they think they are something that arises within us and completely invades us.. We feel fear, love, anger, happiness… and we don't know why, or we don't even consider learning to understand and manage those feelings.
However, if we don't reflect on this, it's because we don't take the time to get to know and understand the different emotions, and how they affect us.
For this reason, sometimes we can also confuse our feelings: We may think that someone is angry when in reality they are just worried, and these misunderstandings can have serious consequences on our interpersonal relationships.
To be able to distinguish feelings, we must first of all know them and identify them when we feel them, in order to then be able to see them reflected in others.
We need to be able to give a name to what we feel, and stop to take the time to understand it. Ask yourself: What exactly do I feel? Anger, disappointment, frustration…?
The first step in learning how to manage an emotion is to identify it. Recognize emotions it's easy, because we always see them in others. What complicates it all is the fact that often more than one occurs at a time.
We could say “I'm unhappy”, but what do we really mean? Do we feel sad, angry, jealous, guilty, are we ashamed? What exactly do we hear?
Once we have identified it, we can go deeper, analyzing the sentiment and making decisions about it.
Separating and identifying emotions allows us to know how we feel, to get to know each other better and, at that point, to face life's challenges more effectively.
If we were taught from childhood to identify and manage our emotions, life would be easier. If you didn't have this luck as a child, what are you waiting for? This is a good time to start!
