"You always have the choice to seize full control on your emotions. Do not let it overpower you because if you do,it will eat you up alive."
I am not perfect,I guess everybody are. Sometimes I stumble and fall. I utter bad words when I'm angry and I throw things when I'm frustrated. I cry hysterically about things that dont matter and cried even more on things that are important.Sometimes I pick on people that I hate and say bad things at their back,anxiously thinking that they are doing the same. I envy others who has things that I dont have and gets easily jealous about their accomplishments.I commit a lot of mistakes and when I do,I dont usually accept my faults. I hoped for people to break up because I dont want to see them together,realizing that I could never have a relationship as perfect as theirs. I am afraid of heights,or frogs and of dark places. I hate being hurt that's why sometimes I push everyone away from me.
I totally loathe this part of me that easily gets taken over by my negative emotions,its like taming a ferocious wolf that could gobble me up anytime.
I agree that these flaws of not being able to have full command over my dark feelings are slowly conquering my personal territory.
It is perfectly normal to have thoughts. It's also absolutely normal to have emotions. These two goes hand in hand & will never be detached with each other as we venture into the ups and downs of our lives. We know that it's not the heart that controls our emotions since it's main responsibility only is to pump blood and distribute it throughtout our body. We also learn from school that it is our minds specifically the limbic system of our brains which is mainly responsible in governing our memory & emotions. So if we change the meaning behind our thoughts could we possibly annihilate our emotional toxins and live a worry free life?
Imagine riding a viking ship in amusement parks. This classic ride which swings passengers from left to right is very thrilling and exhilarating.
When our destructive emotions comes out it usually prevents us from making rational decisions. You lose perspective on things because you are letting yourself be swayed by your negative emotions. It is really hard to control the instability but you need to endure it so that you could think clearly. The more you get distracted by your present emotions the higher the chances of you getting lost from your feelings. Do not wait for the ride to end without attempting to control yourself.This is also the same with life,do not wait until its the end for you. Wherein you already destroyed your own relationships with others and your trust to yourself.
Emotions Revealed
We associate and link emotions with feelings and are sometimes interchanged with each other since both gives the usual same description. Emotions are subjective state of being that influences an individual's physiological,psychological,behavioral and cognitive aspects.
Paul Ekman emphasized 6 basic and universal emotions:
▪ Happiness,Anger,Surprise,Disgust,Fear & Sadness.
While Robert Plutchick on the other hand highlighted emotions with its opposites:
▪ Joy/Sadness,Distrust/Trust,Anger/Fear and Surprise/Anticipation
In this article as the title obviously points out will give emphasis on the predicaments of destructive emotions and how it could pose threats to our personal and social life.
Destructive Emotions
Image Source
Negative emotions are emotions that destroy. It could make you feel bad and dejected about yourself. It could inflict physical and emotional pain not only to you but to the people around you. It could even make you lose yourself when experiencing these and in the long run it could also break your emotional chains with your significant others.I believe that the emotions which commonly puts us in dangerous situations are: Anger,Disgust,Fear,Sadness & Envy.
Anger
Everybody gets mad about something. It's pretty normal to get mad about things & people that makes us lose our cool.But associating anger with violence is a different scenario. Anger becomes disastrous if you harm yourself and others. If you are disappointed about disappointments and problems in life,try to divert your attention by doing worthwhile activities & by meditating. The more your prolong the agony of hate inside of you,the more it could overpower all your senses.
Disgust
Disgust on the other hand is a strong feeling of distate and condemnation. Sometimes we are disgusted on things and food that we find revolting or sickening. Food and things that can be disgusting to others might not be disapproving to some. Disgust is a natural response but what makes it destructive is our inability to control it. And while we are focused on staying away from objects that we dont want there is also a huge possibility that we are doing this to people as well. If we cant manage this emotion properly we might hurt and offend others.
Fear
People elicits fear because we are afraid that other people,objects or situations can harm us or would disappoint us. The fear of being threatened to be hurt and the fear of being put in stressful situations harbors the negativity of fear. Fear can also be associated with past experiences to future circumstances because people tend to connect both. Because you have a fear that your bitter experiences in the past could happen in the future,you will do all your best to prevent this from happening. Thus,you stay away from the things that scares you.
Envy
Envy is also a strong negative emotion that is hard to handle. I even wrote about jealousy on my previous blog: Conquering an enemy called jealousy. It highlighted how envy could be your archenemy since it could destroy your inner peace and your social circles. Feeling envious is totally a negative emotion. It is the feeling of wanting to have material things that you dont have. Jealousy does not only limit to worldly objects but also to other people's healthy relationships,beauty or even intelligence. This emotion is a silent killer. It might not be visible at first but when it is build up internally it would blow you up and would cause chaos and conflicts.
Sadness
Sadness is the opposite of happiness. The absence of joy is sadness. When you lost something that is very valuable to you,sadness fills your heart with emptiness and loneliness. Sadness when felt for a long period of time could result to other negative feelings like: depression,anxiety,doubts,fear,jealousy or self-pity. Sadness is an emotion that could destroy since it could result in making abrupt and illogical decisions in life. Same with all the negative emotions that I have highlighted in this article,sadness could be dangerous in many ways. It could inflict physical,emotional and psychological pain not only to ourselves but to the important people around us.
It is wise to acknowledge the fact that part of us will always be associated with our negative feelings. So as we go on with life,let us breathe in positivity and chase away negative feelings that are toxic to us and to others.
I know it is easier said than done but the way to achieve a flourishing life will always start with our first steps.
References:
Negative Emotion Typology
Covering Up Negative Emotions Doesn't Work So What Does?
Overview of the 6 Major Theories of Emotion
Negative Emotions
What Are Basic Emotions?
Love & Light,
@sakura1012
